Top 50 Scariest Movies: here is Your Ultimate Horror Movie list

Looking to watch horror movie tonight? Here are the top 50 scariest movies, ordered by their release year from year 1960 to 2020. Whether you’re a die-hard horror fan or just looking for a good scare, this article has something for everyone. let’s delve into this article and find the list of movies you would like to watch based on year, director cast and Synopsys of movie.

Table of Contents

1. Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
OTT Release: Available on Peacock
Year of Release: 1960
Synopsis: A secretary embezzles money and checks into a remote motel run by a troubled young man and his domineering mother, unleashing a series of horrifying events.

You can check the brief individual details of movie on Wikipedia.

2. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1968
Synopsis: A young couple moves into an apartment complex in New York City, where the wife becomes pregnant and begins to suspect that her neighbors have sinister intentions for her unborn child.

3. The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 1973
Synopsis: When a young girl exhibits disturbing behavior, her mother seeks the help of two priests to perform an exorcism, leading to a terrifying battle against demonic possession.

4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1974
Synopsis: A group of friends falls victim to a family of cannibals in rural Texas, with one of the most notorious killers, Leatherface, wielding a chainsaw.

5. Jaws (1975)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1975
Synopsis: A small coastal town’s peaceful summer is shattered when a giant great white shark begins terrorizing the local beaches, prompting a trio of men to hunt it down.

6. The Omen (1976)

Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1976
Synopsis: A diplomat and his wife adopt a mysterious orphaned boy, only to discover that he may be the Antichrist foretold in the Book of Revelation.

7. Carrie (1976)

Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1976
Synopsis: Bullied high school student Carrie White discovers she has telekinetic powers, which she uses to exact revenge on her tormentors after a cruel prank at prom.

8. Halloween (1978)

Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles
OTT Release: Available on Shudder
Year of Release: 1978
Synopsis: On Halloween night, escaped killer Michael Myers returns to his hometown to stalk and kill unsuspecting teenagers, including babysitter Laurie Strode.

9. Suspiria (1977)

Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1977
Synopsis: A young American ballet student enrolls in a prestigious dance academy in Germany, only to uncover its dark and sinister secrets.

10. The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 1980
Synopsis: A family becomes caretakers of an isolated hotel during the winter, but as the father’s sanity deteriorates, supernatural forces within the hotel begin to possess him.

Top more 40 Scariest Movies from year 1984 to 2007

11. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 1984
Synopsis: A group of teenagers in a small town are haunted by a vengeful spirit named Freddy Krueger, who terrorizes them in their dreams, leading to deadly consequences in the real world.

12. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 1991
Synopsis: A young FBI trainee seeks the help of incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch another serial killer known as Buffalo Bill, leading to a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

13. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Cast: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 1999
Synopsis: Three student filmmakers disappear while investigating the legend of the Blair Witch in the Maryland woods, leaving behind only their footage, which reveals their harrowing experiences.

14. The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
OTT Release: Available on Hulu
Year of Release: 1999
Synopsis: A troubled young boy who claims to see ghosts forms a bond with a child psychologist who tries to help him, while unraveling a shocking secret about his own past.

15. The Ring (2002)

Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2002
Synopsis: A journalist investigates a cursed videotape that kills its viewers seven days after watching it, leading her to uncover the sinister truth behind its origins.

Also, you would like to know more about

Top 10 Romantic Bollywood movies to watch atleast once in life.

16. 28 Days Later (2002)

Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2002
Synopsis: After a deadly virus is accidentally released, a group of survivors must navigate a post-apocalyptic London overrun by rage-infected zombies, facing both the infected and other hostile survivors.

17. The Grudge (2004)

Director: Takashi Shimizu
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2004
Synopsis: A curse born out of a vengeful death haunts a house in Tokyo, causing anyone who enters to encounter terrifying supernatural occurrences and a relentless, malevolent spirit.

18. The Descent (2005)

Director: Neil Marshall
Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2005
Synopsis: A group of female friends embark on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains, only to become trapped underground and hunted by a species of subterranean creatures.

19. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Director: Oren Peli
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2007
Synopsis: A young couple is terrorized by a malevolent entity in their home, leading them to set up cameras to document the haunting, capturing increasingly disturbing supernatural events.

20. 1408 (2007)

Director: Mikael Håfström
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2007
Synopsis: A skeptical author checks into a notoriously haunted hotel room, room 1408, where he experiences a series of terrifying and hallucinatory events that challenge his disbelief in the supernatural.

Top more 30 Scariest Movies from year 2009 to 2015

21. Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2009
Synopsis: A couple adopts a nine-year-old girl named Esther, but they soon discover that she is not as innocent as she seems, as dark secrets from her past come to light and put the family in grave danger.

22. Insidious (2010)

Director: James Wan
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2010
Synopsis: A family moves into a new home and soon discovers that their son has fallen into a mysterious coma, leading them to uncover a connection to malevolent spirits from another realm that threaten their lives.

23. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Director: Drew Goddard
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2012
Synopsis: A group of friends on a weekend getaway at a remote cabin find themselves manipulated by unseen forces controlling their every move, as they become unwitting participants in a deadly ritual.

24. Sinister (2012)

Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2012
Synopsis: A true-crime writer moves his family into a new home where he discovers a box of disturbing home movies depicting gruesome murders, leading him to uncover a sinister supernatural entity behind the killings.

25. The Conjuring (2013)

Director: James Wan
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2013
Synopsis: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse, leading to a chilling confrontation with a powerful demonic entity.

26. Oculus (2013)

Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2013
Synopsis: Years after their parents’ deaths, a brother and sister reunite to destroy the haunted mirror they believe caused the tragedy, but as they confront their past, reality and illusion blur in terrifying ways.

27. The Babadook (2014)

Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2014
Synopsis: A single mother and her young son are tormented by a sinister presence unleashed from a mysterious pop-up book, forcing them to confront their deepest fears to survive.

28. Creep (2014)

Director: Patrick Brice
Cast: Patrick Brice, Mark Duplass
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2014
Synopsis: A videographer answers an online ad for a one-day job in a remote mountain town, but as the day progresses, he realizes his client is not who he claims to be, leading to a disturbing and deadly encounter.

29. The Witch (2015)

Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2015
Synopsis: In 1630s New England, a devout Christian family is torn apart by paranoia and superstition when their newborn son disappears and strange occurrences suggest witchcraft may be at play in the nearby woods.

Top more 20 Scariest Movies from year 2016 to 2020

30. Don’t Breathe (2016)

Director: Fede Álvarez
Cast: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: A group of friends break into the home of a blind veteran hoping to steal his fortune, but they soon find themselves trapped and hunted by the homeowner who is hiding a dark secret.

31. Train to Busan (2016)

Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: During a zombie outbreak, passengers on a speeding train must fight for survival as they make their way to the safety of Busan, facing hordes of the undead and the selfishness of their fellow survivors.

32. The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Director: James Wan
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to London to help a single mother and her children who are terrorized by a malicious spirit known as the “Crooked Man” in their home.

33. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Director: André Øvredal
Cast: Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch, Ophelia Lovibond
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: A father-son coroner team perform an autopsy on an unidentified woman, but as they uncover the mysterious cause of her death, they unwittingly unleash a series of terrifying supernatural events.

34. Hush (2016)

Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: A deaf and mute woman living alone in a secluded woodland cabin must fight for her life when a masked intruder appears, unaware that she is not an easy target.

35. Under the Shadow (2016)

Director: Babak Anvari
Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2016
Synopsis: Set in war-torn Tehran during the 1980s, a mother and daughter are haunted by a malevolent spirit that seems to be feeding off the horrors of the Iran-Iraq conflict, threatening to tear their family apart.

36. Get Out (2017)

Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2017
Synopsis: A young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, where he uncovers a sinister conspiracy that leads him into a terrifying struggle for survival.

37. It (2017)

Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 2017
Synopsis: In the town of Derry, Maine, a group of outcast kids must confront their deepest fears when they encounter the evil entity known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, who preys on children every 27 years.

38. Gerald’s Game (2017)

Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2017
Synopsis: During a romantic getaway, a woman finds herself handcuffed to a bed after her husband dies suddenly, forcing her to confront her traumatic past and fight for survival against physical and psychological horrors.

39. The Ritual (2017)

Director: David Bruckner
Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2017
Synopsis: A group of friends hiking in the Scandinavian wilderness stumble upon an ancient and malevolent presence that begins to hunt them down, forcing them to confront their deepest fears and darkest secrets.

40. Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2018
Synopsis: After the death of her secretive grandmother, a family begins to unravel terrifying secrets about their ancestry, leading to a descent into madness and supernatural horror.

41. Annihilation (2018)

Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2018
Synopsis: A biologist joins an expedition into a mysterious and dangerous environmental zone known as “The Shimmer,” where the laws of nature seem to be distorted, leading to surreal and horrifying encounters with mutated creatures and psychological phenomena.

42. Bird Box (2018)

Director: Susanne Bier
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2018
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world overrun by mysterious creatures that drive people to suicide when looked upon, a mother and her two children embark on a perilous blindfolded journey to safety, relying only on their senses to survive.

43. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2018
Synopsis: A family revisits their traumatic past and confronts the supernatural entities that haunted their childhood home, leading to a chilling exploration of grief, trauma, and the power of the haunted house itself.

44. Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2019
Synopsis: A family’s vacation turns into a nightmare when they are confronted by doppelgängers of themselves, forcing them to confront their own darkest secrets and a terrifying underground conspiracy.

45. Doctor Sleep (2019)

Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran
OTT Release: Available on HBO Max
Year of Release: 2019
Synopsis: Decades after the events of “The Shining,” a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar psychic abilities from a cult known as the True Knot, who feed on the essence of children with the “shine.”

46. Midsommar (2019)

Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2019
Synopsis: A grieving woman joins her boyfriend and his friends on a trip to a remote Swedish village to participate in a midsummer festival, but the seemingly idyllic community hides dark rituals and disturbing secrets.

47. The Invisible Man (2020)

Director: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2020
Synopsis: After escaping an abusive relationship, a woman believes she is being stalked by her supposedly deceased ex-boyfriend, who has found a way to become invisible and torment her without being seen.

48. Host (2020)

Director: Rob Savage
Cast: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb
OTT Release: Available on Shudder
Year of Release: 2020
Synopsis: During a virtual seance held over a video conferencing platform, a group of friends accidentally summon a malevolent spirit that begins to terrorize them in their own homes, leading to a night of supernatural horror.

49. Relic (2020)

Director: Natalie Erika James
Cast: Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote
OTT Release: Available on Amazon Prime Video
Year of Release: 2020
Synopsis: When Edna, an elderly woman, goes missing, her daughter and granddaughter return to their family home to search for her. They soon discover sinister forces at work as they confront the dark secrets of their family’s past and the terrifying manifestation of dementia itself.

50. His House (2020)

Director: Remi Weekes
Cast: Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Matt Smith
OTT Release: Available on Netflix
Year of Release: 2020
Synopsis: A refugee couple from South Sudan seeks asylum in England and is granted a dilapidated council house. However, they soon realize that the house is haunted by malevolent spirits from their past, forcing them to confront the horrors of their homeland and their own guilt.