Nigel Floyd

Horror movies have rarely got the respect they deserve. Sometimes, it’s for good reason. Particularly in the 1970s and ’80s, the genre became a magnet for hacks and hucksters looking to make a quick buck via the burgeoning VHS video by crapping out a script and dousing horny teens in gallons of stage blood. But that phenomenon had a generational trickle-down effect, staining even the smarter, more artful entries with the taint of schlock.   Only recently has that started to change. Visionary auteurs like Ari Aster and Jordan Peele, and leftfield hits like A Quiet Place, It Follows and Get Out have brought horror to a higher standing in the cinematic universe. But let this list of the greatest horror movies ever made repudiate the idea that the genre has ever been of lesser value than others. After all, every film exists to make an audience feel something – and what makes you feel more than a good horror movie? Among our picks, you’ll find films that mine universal human fears, whether it’s the fear of death and disease or more specific phobias. Some stretch the boundaries of what can be shown on screen, but others can raise the hairs on your arms through mere suggestion.  There is, after all, more than one way to scare someone – and these movies do it better than all others. Written by Tom Huddleston, Cath Clarke, Dave Calhoun, Nigel Floyd, Phil de Semlyen, David Ehrlich, Joshua Rothkopf, Nigel Floyd, Andy Kryza, Alim Kheraj and Matthew Singer Recommended: 🔥 The 100 best mov

Horror cinema is a monster. Mistreated, misunderstood and subjected to vicious critical attacks, somehow it keeps lumbering forward, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. For some, horror films are little better than pornography, focused purely on evoking a reaction – be it terror, disquiet or disgust – with little thought for 'higher' aspirations. For others, they're just a bit of fun: a chance to shriek and snigger at someone's second-hand nightmare. But look again, and the story of horror is also the story of innovation and non-conformity in cinema, a place where dangerous ideas can be expressed, radical techniques can be explored, and filmmakers outside the mainstream can still make a big cultural splash. If cinema itself has an unconscious, a dark little corner from which new ideas emerge, blinking and malformed, it must be horror. The question is – which are the best horror films? Time Out proudly presents the 100 best horror films, as chosen by those who write in, direct, star in and celebrate the genre. For more, check out our guides to the best comedy, rom coms, family and animated movies.

Horror cinema is a monster. Mistreated, misunderstood and subjected to vicious critical attacks, somehow it keeps lumbering forward, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. For some, horror films are little better than pornography, focused purely on evoking a reaction – be it terror, disquiet or disgust – with little thought for 'higher' aspirations. For others, they're just a bit of fun: a chance to shriek and snigger at someone's second-hand nightmare. But look again, and the story of horror is also the story of innovation and non-conformity in cinema, a place where dangerous ideas can be expressed, radical techniques can be explored, and filmmakers outside the mainstream can still make a big cultural splash. If cinema itself has an unconscious, a dark little corner from which new ideas emerge, blinking and malformed, it must be horror. The question is – which are the best horror films? Time Out proudly presents the 100 best horror films, as chosen by those who write in, direct, star in and celebrate the genre. For more, check out our guides to the best comedy, rom coms, family and animated movies.