Buzzworthy Suggestions for Horror Films

A horror film is one that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Initially inspired by literature from authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley, horror has existed as a film genre for more than a century. Horror may also overlap with the fantasy, supernatural fiction, and thriller genres.

Best Horror Film of All Time Lifetime Achievement

Dedicated to the film deemed by Cosmo voters to be the very best of any of the horror microgenres: serial killers, slasher movies, suspense thrillers, supernatural spook’ums, man-eating aliens from outer space, undead, giant monsters, or any other form of horror movies. (Separate awards for horror subgenres will follow.)

Buzzworthy: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) • 28 Days Later (2003) • Alien (1979) • Aliens (1986) • Annabelle (2014) • Arachnophobia (1990) • The Babadook (2014) • The Birds (1963) • Bone Tomahawk (2015) • The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) • The Cabin in the Woods (2012) • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) • CAM (2018) • Carrie (1976) • Color Out of Space (2020) • The Conjuring (2013) • Cronos (1994) • The Dark and the Wicked (2020) • Dawn of the Dead (1979) • Dead of Night (1945) • Don’t Breathe (2016) • Don’t Look Now (1973) • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) • Dracula (1931) • Drag Me to Hell (2009) • The Endless (2018) • Eraserhead (1977) • The Evil Dead (1981) • Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) • The Exorcist (1973) • Eyes Without a Face (1962) • The Fly (1958) • The Fly (1986) • Frankenstein (1931) • Frankenweenie (2012) • Freaks (1932) • Frenzy (1972) • Friday the 13th (1980) • The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) • Get Out (2017) • A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) • Godzilla [Gojira] (1954) • Goodnight Mommy (2015) • Halloween (1978) • Halloween (2018) • Harpoon (2019) • Hereditary (2018) • Horror of Dracula (1958) • The Host (2007) • Host (2020) • House of Wax (1953) • In Fabric (2019) • The Innocents (1961) • Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) • The Invisible Man (1933) • The Invisible Man (2020) • Island of Lost Souls (1933) • It (2017) • It Comes At Night (2017) • It Follows (2015) • Kaidan [Kwaidan] • King Kong (1933) • La Llorona (2020) • Let Me In (2010) • Let the Right One In (2008) • The Lighthouse (2019) • Little Shop of Horrors (1986) • The Love Witch (2016) • The Loved Ones (2012) • Midsommar (2019) • Midsommar (2019) • Misery (1990) • The Mortuary Collection (2019) • The Mummy (1932) • Night of the Living Dead (1968) • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) • Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) • Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922) • Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) • Phantom of the Opera (1925) • Possessor: Uncut (2020) • Psycho (1960) • A Quiet Place (2018) • Ready or Not (2019) • Re-Animator (1985) • Relic (2020) • Repulsion (1965) • Room 237 (2013) • Rosemary’s Baby (1968) • Scream (1996) • Shaun of the Dead (2004) • The Silence of the Lambs (1991) • Spontaneous (2020) • Spree (2020) • Suspiria (1977) • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) • Them! (1954) • The Thing from Another World (1951) • Train to Busan (2016) • Upgrade (2018) • Us (2019) • The Vanishing (1988) • We Are Still Here (2015) • Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) • The Witch (2016) • The Witches (1990) • The Wolf Man (1941) • Young Frankenstein (1974) • Zombieland (2009)

Favorite Horror Movies About the Afterlife

Mankind has always been curious about – and fearful of – what happens when we die, and horror filmmakers have naturally capitalized on these fears. Tons of films deal with ghosts and poltergeists, devils and demons, possession, Satan and his offspring, and other vengeful spirits.

Buzzworthy: 5 Souls (2013) • The Amityville Horror (1979) • The Amityville Horror (2005) • Amityville II: The Possession (1982) • Audrey Rose (1977) • The Beyond (1981) • The Conjuring (2013) • Curse of the Demon (1957) • Damien: Omen II (1978) • Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010) • Death of a Ghost Hunter (2007) • Death Ship (1980) • The Devil’s Advocate (1997) • Drag Me to Hell (2009) • Enter the Void (2009) • The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) • The Exorcist (1973) • Flatliners (2017) • Flight 7500 (2014) • GANTZ (2004) • The Ghostmaker (2011) • Half Light (2006) • Haunter (2013) • The House of the Devil (2009) • Insidious (2010) • Jacob’s Ladder (1990) • The Last Exorcism (2010) • Late Phases (2014) • The Lazarus Effect (2015) • A Night of Horror Volume 1 (2015) • The Ninth Gate (1999) • The Omen (1976) • The Others (2001) • Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) • Paranormal Activity (2007) • Poltergeist (1982) • Poltergeist (2015) • Poltergeist II (1986) • Poltergeist III (1988) • Prince of Darkness (1987) • Race with the Devil (1975) • Rosemary’s Baby (1968) • Sanatorium (2013) • The Seventh Seal (1957) • The Sixth Sense (1999) • Still/Born (2018) • The Wailing (2016) • We Go On (2016) • The Woman in Black (2012)

Favorite Science Fiction Horror Film

Science and futuristic technology provide a rich trove of scary stories: cloning and other biological experimentation, killer robots and other technology with artificial intelligence, aliens from outer space, and more.

Buzzworthy: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) • 28 Days Later (2003) • 30 Days of Night (2007) • Alien (1979) • Aliens (1986) • Altered States (1980) • Annihilation (2018) • Apollo 18 (2011) • Attack The Block (2011) • Await Further Instructions (2018) • Bird Box (2018) • Blade (1998) • Bride of Frankenstein (1935) • The Brood (1979) • Cloverfield (2008) • Dawn of the Dead (2004) • Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018) • Demon Seed (1977) • The Descent (2005) • The Device (2014) • Europa Report (2013) • Event Horizon (1997) • Ex Machina (2014) • Existenz (1999) • The Fly (1986) • Frankenstein (1931) • The Fury (1978) • Get Out (2017) • The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) • God Told Me To (1976) • Hellboy (2004) • The Hidden (1987) • I Am Legend (2007) • I Married a Man From Outer Space (1958) • Interstellar (2014) • Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) • The Invisible Man (2020) • Let the Right One In (2008) • Lifeforce (1985) • Mimic (1997) • The Mist (2007) • Overlord (2018) • Pandorum (2009) • Pitch Black (2000) • Prometheus (2012) • A Quiet Place (2018) • Rampage (2018) • Re-Animator (1985) • Rec (2007) • Resident Evil (2002) • Riddick (2013) • The Ring (2002) • Scanners (1981) • Screamers (1995) • The Sender (1982) • The Shawshank Redemption (1994) • Slither (2006) • Splice (2009) • The Terminator (1984) • Tetsuo (1989) • The Thing (1982) • Train to Busan (2016) • Under the Skin (2013) • Underwater (2020) • Underworld (2003) • Videodrome (1983) • World War Z (2013)

Favorite Horror Films About Serial Killers

Whether it’s true crime movies about real serial killers like Zodiac (2007) and My Friend Dahmer (2017), completely fictional killers like The Bad Seed (1956) and Copycat (1995), or fictionalized killers inspired by real ones like Psycho (1960) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), serial killers have captured the imaginations of horror moviemakers. We can compartmentalize horror that hasn’t happened, like aliens from outer space, more easily than those based on real life killers. Which are your favorites?

Buzzworthy: American Psycho (2000) • Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) • The Bad Seed (1956) • Badlands (1973) • Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) • Black Christmas (1974) • Black Widow (1987) • Blood and Black Lace (1964) • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) • The Cell (2000) • The Clovehitch Killer (2018) • Copycat (1995) • Creep (2014) • Cruising (1980) • Death Proof (2007) • Deep Red (1975) • Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974) • The Element of Crime (1984) • Eyes Without a Face (1960) • Frailty (2001) • Frenzy (1972) • God Bless America (2012) • Halloween (1978) • Hannibal (2001) • Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1960) • The Hitcher (1986) • The Honeymoon Killers (1969) • I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016) • I Saw the Devil (2010) • In Cold Blood (1967) • Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) • Kiss the Girls (1997) • M (1931) • Man Bites Dog (1992) • Manhunter (1986) • Maniac (2012) • Memories of Murder (2003) • Monster (2003) • My Friend Dahmer (2017) • The Night of the Hunter (1955) • Opera (1987) • Peeping Tom (1960) • Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) • Pieces (1982) • Psycho (1960) • Red Dragon (2002) • Scream (1996) • Se7en (1995) • Serial Mom (1994) • The Silence of the Lambs (1991) • Summer of Sam (1999) • Tenebrae (1982) • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) • The Vanishing (1988) • Zodiac (2007)

Favorite Horror Films About Scary Animals

Whether it’s man-eating sharks, venomous spiders and snakes, rabid dogs, or hungry piranhas, there are plenty of real-life dangers for horror filmmakers to plunder without having to resort to supernatural or supersized creatures. Which films are your favorite?

Buzzworthy: Anaconda (1997) • Arachnophobia (1990) • Backcountry (2014) • Bait (2012) • The Birds (1963) • Black Water (2007) • Burning Bright (2010) • Cujo (1983) • Day of the Animals (1977) • Eaten Alive (1976) • The Grey (2011) • Jaws (1975) • Jaws 2 (1978) • Jaws 3-D (1983) • Jaws: The Revenge (1987) • Lake Placid (1999) • Long Weekend (1978) • Monkey Shines (1988) • Open Water (2003) • Orca (1977) • Piranha 3D (2010) • Prey (2007) • Rampage (2018) • Razorback (1984) • The Reef (2010) • Rogue (2007) • Sharknado (2013) • Snakes on a Plane (2006) • Tarantula (1955)

Favorite Supernatural Slasher Horror Films

What’s scarier that a serial killer? A serial killer with immortality, magical powers, or supernatural abilities. Freddy Krueger has been stalking your dreams since the 80s, and Jason Voorhees simply will not die. Which of these supernatural slashers are your favorite?

Buzzworthy: All Saints Eve (2015) • Blood Beach (1981) • The Cabin in the Woods (2011) • Camp Blood (1999) • Camp Blood 2 (2000) • Candyman (1992) • Children of the Corn (1984) • Child’s Play (1988) • Final Destination (2000) • The Forest (1982) • Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) • Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) • Halloween: Resurrection (2002) • Hatchet (2006) • Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) • Jeepers Creepers (2001) • Leprechaun (1993) • New Nightmare (1994) • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) • A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) • Phantasm (1979) • Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1990) • Pumpkinhead (1988) • Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Favorite Monster Movies

Monster movies are one of the oldest forms of cinematic horror. Oversized creatures like giant apes and mutated lizards are one form, along with cryptozoological creatures like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra. And don’t forget the standbys from Hollywood golden age of monster films: Frankenstein, the wolfman, and Count Dracula.

Buzzworthy: 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) • Alien (1979) • Aliens (1986) • An American Werewolf in London (1981) • Attack the Block (2011) • Basket Case (1982) • The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) • The Blob (1988) • Bride of Frankenstein (1935) • Cloverfield (2008) • Colossal (2016) • Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) • The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) • The Descent (2005) • Dog Soldiers (2003) • Dracula (1931) • Dracula (1979) • The Fly (1986) • Frankenstein (1931) • Gamera (1965) • Godzilla [Gojira] (1954) • Godzilla (1998) • Godzilla (2014) • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) • Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019) • Gremlins (1984) • Hellboy (2004) • The Host (2006) • House of Frankenstein (1944) • The Howling (1981) • It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) • It Follows (2014) • Jaws (1975) • Jurassic Park (1993) • King Kong (1933) • King Kong (1976) • King Kong (2005) • King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) • Kong: Skull Island (2017) • Little Shop of Horrors (1986) • The Mist (2007) • The Monster Squad (1987) • Monsters (2010) • Monsters Inc. (2001) • Mothra (1961) • Pacific Rim (2013) • Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) • Predator (1987) • Prophecy (1979) • Pumpkinhead (1988) • Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) • A Quiet Place (2018) • Rodan (1956) • The Shape of Water (2017) • Shin Godzilla (2016) • Sputnik (2020) • Them! (1954) • The Thing (1982) • Tremors (1990) • Troll Hunter (2010) • The Wolf Man (1941) • Young Frankenstein (1974)

Favorite Horror Movies About the Undead

The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased’s own life force or that of another being (such as a demon). Bram Stoker considered using the title, The Un-Dead, for his novel Dracula (1897), and use of the term in the novel is mostly responsible for the modern sense of the word. The word does appear in English before Stoker but with the more literal sense of “alive” or “not dead,” for which citations can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary. In one passage of Dracula, Nosferatu is given as an “Eastern European” synonym for “un-dead.” The undead may be incorporeal (ghosts) or corporeal (mummies, vampires, and zombies). For our purposes, the incorporeal may be best left to the Afterlife category, leaving the corporeal undead for this award. Although we primarily found films about mummies, vampires, and zombies, you are free to nominate other films about other types of the corporeal undead: Anchimayen; Ahkiyyini; Draugr; Drekavac; Deildegast; Dhampir; Fext; Ghoul; Gashadokuro; Gjenganger; Hone-onna; Jiangshi; Kukudh; Lich; Langsuyar; Mummy; Nachzehrer; Qutrub; Revenant; Ro-langs; Orek; Skeleton; Vampire; Vrykolakas; Vetala; Wight; Wiedergänger; Zombie; Zombie animal.

Buzzworthy: Mummies: Curse of the Faceless Man (1958) • The Monster Squad (1987) • The Mummy (1932) • The Mummy (1999) • The Mummy (2017) • The Mummy Returns (2001) • The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) • Waxwork (1988). Vampires: The Addiction (1995) • Blade (1998) • Blade II (2002) • Blood for Dracula (1974) • Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) • Byzantium (2012) • Daughters of Darkness (1971) • Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary (2002) • Embrace of the Vampire (1995) • Fright Night (1985) • Fright Night (2011) • From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) • Ganja & Hess (1973) • The Hunger (1983) • Interview with the Vampire (1994) • Martin (1977) • Nadja (1994) • Nosferatu (1922) • Nosferatu the Vampire (1979) • Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) • Queen of the Damned (2002) • Shadow of the Vampire (2000) • Thirst (2009) • Vampires (1998) • Vampire’s Kiss (1988) • What We Do in the Shadows (2014). Zombies: [Rec] (2007) • 28 Days Later (2002) • 28 Weeks Later (2007) • Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) • Blood Quantum (2019) • Braindead (1992) • Dawn of the Dead (1978) • Day of the Dead (1985) • Dead & Buried (1981) • Deathdream (1974) • Dellamorte Dellamore (1994) • Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987) • The Girl With All the Gifts (2016) • I Walked With a Zombie (1943) • The Living Dead At the Manchester Morgue (1974) • Night of the Comet (1984) • Night of the Creeps (1986) • Night of the Living Dead (1968) • One Cut of the Dead (2017) • The Plague of the Zombies (1966) • Pontypool (2008) • Re-Animator (1985) • The Return of the Living Dead (1985) • Shaun of the Dead (2004) • Train To Busan (2016) • Zombi 2 (1979).

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