Best Horror Movies of All Time

“There’s nothing more horrifying than being a teenager who doesn’t fit in. And John Travolta was in his prime!”

—Rebecca, editor

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“Doris Day is one of my favorite actresses and the fashion in this movie is incredible! This is a classic thriller—the phone ring always gives me goosebumps.”

—Leilani, fashion editor

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“This was shot back when Mickey Rourke looked sexy—in fact, the whole feel of this movie is sexy yet creepy. Takes place in New York and New Orleans, and there’s a twisted love scene involving Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet. Robert DeNiro’s character is delightfully evil.”

—Esther, editor

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“We all have the feeling sometimes that we are losing our minds, and this taps into that fear.”

—Nancy, editor

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“Enjoyable on two levels: as both a very scary woman-in-jeopardy movie and at the same time a cinephile’s homage to the black and white classic thrillers of the 1940s (think of Hitchcock’s ‘the man I love may be trying to kill me’ movies, like Notorious and Suspicion.)

—Judy, editor

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“Being based on a true story certainly helps the fear factor, but the forces of demonic powers at work haunting a house is just chilling.”

—Alesha, editor

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“I adore it. It’s a campy, naughty, sexy send up of Frankenstein crossed with Babes in the Woods. Love the music, and watching a young Tim Curry sashay around in a corset and fish net tights. I saw the original stage production in NYC on Broadway. I happened to walk past the theater than night and got in free. It closed the next day. I couldn’t believe it. The rest is history.”

—Stephanie, editor

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“It’s not as scary as it is disturbing. Every time I watch it I think, did that just happen?”

—Daniela, editor

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“This movie has made me paranoid about the urban legend of the man in the backseat, and the car behind you who flashes their high beams as a warning, but I still love it.”

—Gabrielle, editor

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“What other movie could make the sound of a kid’s Big Wheel thump-thumping along a hotel carpet so incredibly scary? Or give a big, empty, cavernous hotel such a sense of claustrophobia? (And don’t even get me started on those two little girls…)”

—Nanette, editor

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“I’m not a huge fan of the Michael- Freddy-Jason empires, but the soundtrack for Halloween puts it above any other horror flick that came out of the 70s. I still get chills every time I hear it.”

—Daniela, editor

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“Whenever I stumble upon it on TV, I start watching it, thinking, ‘Oh this isn’t scary.’ And by the end, I’m nervous to turn off the lights and go to sleep. But I watch it every single time! The Drew Barrymore cameo in the first five minutes is one of the best parts.”

—Gabrielle, editor

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“Michelle Pfeiffer embodies the overly curious, yet all-too-trusting wife in this suspenseful film. The beautiful Vermont scenery is an added bonus if you’re not too spooked to notice it.”

—Gabrielle, editor

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“Dorothy McGuire plays a maid taking care of a rich, bedridden old lady (Ethel Barrymore), in a huge old house on a stormy night….and somewhere in the neighborhood is a serial killer who preys on young women. The catch: the maid is mute; she can’t speak. So we do all the screaming for her.”

—Judy, editor

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“I watched this movie alone in my basement, with the lights out. Biggest mistake ever. Not being able to put a face to your fear is worse than watching the blood and gore in any Freddy or Jason movie. I couldn’t sleep for weeks.”

—Daniela, editor

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You’ll never think of Venice the same way again after watching this seriously spooky story about a couple (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) still recovering from the drowning death of their young daughter. While he’s restoring a Venetian church, she becomes friendly with a psychic, who sees their daughter’s spirit trying to tell them something. Dripping with atmosphere and intimations of danger, this film also features a shocking finale and one of the most tender and erotic sex scenes ever.

—Kathy Heintzelman, editor

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“Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman who is deceived into trusting a bad guy who’s hunting for something hidden in her apartment. Her vulnerability is so tremendous, you spend the whole movie rooting furiously for her while expecting every second that the villain will pounce. First time I saw it, the final scenes made me literally jump out of my seat.”

—Judy, editor

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“It’s everyone’s worst nightmare to be stranded in a strange place when your car breaks down. A hotel where psychotic serial killers terrorize travelers sent shivers!"

—Alesha, editor

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“Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are equally amazing as the young FBI agent trying to catch a killer and the brilliant murderer who infiltrates her mind. In the movie theater, this one had me hiding under my girlfriend’s down jacket.”

—Judy, editor

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David Cronenberg’s remake lifts a cheesy ‘50s horror flick to the level of art. It’s got great performances—by Jeff Goldblum (as a scientist who inadvertently mixes his DNA with a fly’s) and Geena Davis (as an ambitious reporter who wants to chronicle teleportation)—Oscar-winning makeup effects, a surprising dose of humor and real pathos.

—Kathy Heintzelman, editor

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