20 iconic horror movies you can watch year-round

Stephen King may not be a fan of The Shining,  but there’s no doubt this horror movie has stood the test of time and become remarkably influential. Jack Nicholson gives a terrifying performance as troubled writer Jack Torrance, who finds his sanity unraveling during his family’s stay at the Overlook Hotel. The film contains many memorable and iconic moments, including the elevator of blood or the sinister twins in the hallway. The film is peak Stanley Kubrick, and its influence on popular culture has been immense.

Released in 2001, Jeepers Creepers  retains its power to creep out the viewer, thanks in no small part to the creature of the title, who ends up stealing body parts to fix its own body. Justin Long gives a particularly memorable performance as the doomed hero, Darry, who is ultimately taken by the creature. The film's ending is both deeply chilling and audacious, since it shows that Darry has had the back of his head cut away so the being can take his eyes. In a film like this, even one of the heroes isn’t safe from death.

While An American Werewolf in London is certainly suited to Halloween, it can be enjoyed all-year round. As its title suggests, it focuses on an unfortunate American tourist infected by a werewolf and becomes the titular monster. In addition to featuring some unsettling practical effects — the scene in which he graphically turns into a beast is not soon forgotten — it’s an emotionally wrenching story about one young man whose tragic fate is due to a mistake and who ultimately ends up paying for it with his life.

Jaws looms large, not just in the history of cinema but also in the population imagination. Its story about a shark that terrorizes a New England town continues to transfix audiences, and many creature feature movies owe at least something to its initial success. It also happens to be one of those horror movies which taps into deep human fears — of the ocean, of the unknown, of nature itself — and gives them cinematic form. Small wonder that it eventually became a blockbuster and helped to redefine Hollywood.

Carrie is undoubtedly one of Sissy Spacek’s most recognizable and lauded roles, and with good reason. She brings a tragic humanity to her character. This young woman not only has the dangerous gift of telekinesis but also endures torment at the hands of her mother and her fellow students. The film has many notable and terrifying moments, most notably the one in which Carrie uses her powers to destroy everyone around her, ultimately including herself. It’s a haunting film that marks a high point when it comes to adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs  is equal parts horror movie and thriller. Jodie Foster gives one of her most memorable performances as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee who pursues a notorious serial killer called Buffalo Bill. While Foster is fantastic in the film, Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter steals the show, particularly since he is in it for a relatively brief period. The film has many moments of genuine horror, and Ted Levine is particularly chilling as Buffalo Bill. 

There’s something deeply troubling about the folk horror genre, as it taps into superstition and rural life. The Wicker Man, for example, focuses on a police officer who visits an island in northern Scotland, where he discovers, to his dismay, that there’s a sinister plot afoot that involves human sacrifice and an effort to restore the land’s fertility. The final scene is particularly horrifying, searing itself into the viewer's mind. This is one of those horror films which exposes the dark heart of the human soul. The fact that it also stars Christopher Lee is icing on the cake.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula is in some ways the very definition of Gothic horror. It succeeds as an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel and a piece of cinema. Gary Oldman gives one of his most memorable performances as the titular vampire, showing him in his various appearances. Moreover, the film doesn’t ignore the human stakes of its story, and it is, in some ways, a tragic tale of doomed love. It remains one of the best adaptations of the original book.

Many horror films take place in the 20th century, but every so often, one emerges and dares to go back in time. Out of Darkness immerses viewers in the dark and terrifying world of the Stone Age, in which a group of exiles find themselves confronted by a sinister force which moves through the night. It’s a compellingly told and richly atmospheric horror film and, like the best of the genre, it’s one that also asks some pressing and troubling questions about the extent to which violence may be hardwired into the human condition. 

X, the first entry in Ti West’s X series, is an expertly crafted slasher film focusing on an adult film crew who end up falling victim to the elderly couple on whose farm they are shooting the film. A particular highlight in the film is Mia Goth, who actually plays two roles: The elderly and murderous Pearl and Maxine, the film’s final girl. The film strikes a fine balance between being an homage to the slasher genre and forging its own path, and West imbues it with his unique style. 

Alfred Hitchcock has a well-deserved reputation for being the master of suspense, but he also knew how to deliver a terrific horror film, and one of his best is Psycho. Anthony Perkins delivers an unsettlingly intense performance as Norman Bates, the man who kills his mother and then, tortured with guilt, essentially becomes a murderous split persona. In addition to being truly frightening and deeply unsettling in its own right, the film has also exerted an enormous influence on the genre of horror as a whole.

Ridley Scott has repeatedly proven to be a versatile director, and in 1979, he showed his skill in science fiction and horror with Alien.  In addition to launching Sigourney Weaver into national prominence — her role as Ripley is still her signature one — it is a terrifying piece of body horror. The xenomorph in its various forms is like something sprung fully-formed from the darkest recesses of humanity’s fear, and the creature is a reminder that bodies are not nearly as impermeable as some might like to think and that there may be things higher on the food chain than humans themselves. 

From the moment Get Out  hit theaters, it was clear that Jordan Peele was fated to be one of the great horror directors. It's a story about a young African-American man whose encounters with his girlfriend’s family go horribly awry, is as terrifying as it is culturally relevant. Get Out  skillfully taps into the concerns of the 2010s, particularly the way that racist violence remains an indelible and terrifying part of far too many people’s everyday lives. Daniel Kaluuya gives a truly haunting performance, and it’s easy to see why the film was nominated for Best Picture.

Nicole Kidman delivers one of the best performances of her career in The Others, portraying a mother who contends with a ghostly presence terrifying herself and her two children. The film draws in elements of a domestic melodrama as it builds its narrative, and there are some notable and very effective thrills and chills. It’s really the twist at the end, however, which is emotionally devastating and earns this film a place among the great horror movies of the early 21st century.

What would, or should, one do if one discovers that one’s son is actually the Antichrist? This is the motivating narrative concern of The Omen, which stars Gregory Peck as the ill-fated Robert Thorne, who discovers his son Damien is the one fated to be the Antichrist. Richard Donner directs a tautly-wound and paced horror thriller, one that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat to the very end, wondering whether a father can kill his son if it means averting the end of the world as everyone knows it.

Robert Eggers hit the ground running with his first feature film, which takes place in the 17th century and follows a New England family as they encounter a sinister witch in the forest. Anya Taylor-Joy gives one of her most remarkable performances as the young woman Thomasin, who seems to be a particular object for the titular enchantress. The film digs deep into the collective American psyche, giving a version of early America still gripped in superstitious fear and the dread of the untamed forest. 

The best horror films dip their toes into real-world issues, and a particularly good example of this is 2024’s The Substance.  In this film, Demi Moore portrays Elisabeth Sparkle, who tries to reinvigorate her movie career by ingesting a substance that allows her to create a new, younger version of herself. What follows is a deeply disturbing piece of body horror that highlights the extent to which the entertainment industry makes demands on women’s bodies that they often go to destructive lengths to satisfy, with tragedy as the result.

Released in 1942, Cat People is one of those horror films with genuine emotional stakes. At the heart of it is the tragic character of Irena, who seems to have inherited a curse that makes her turn into a dangerous panther whenever she feels extremes of emotion. Things take an even more tragic turn when she falls in love with Oliver, only to begin feeling dangerously jealous once he begins mooning after another woman. Brooding and dark, Cat People retains its power and demonstrates how horror can lurk in the lives of everyday people.

Directed by Ari Aster, Midsommar, like so many other folk horror movies, focuses on a group of Americans who unexpectedly find themselves amid a strange Swedish cult. The film expertly juxtaposes the bright, unrelenting northern sunlight with the horrors unfolding around the Americans and their friends, and the ending is one of the most chilling in recent horror. Midsommar can be watched and enjoyed throughout the year, further testament to Aster’s skill as a director.

Annihilation, which draws on the book of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, is a skillful blend of horror and science fiction, focusing as it does on a group of scientists who encounter the DNA-scrambling effects of an anomaly known as the Shimmer. There are a number of viscerally unsettling moments in this film, including a mutated bear and a man whose insides have become animate and possibly plant in nature. These give it its unique punch. It’s the type of horror film which encourages the audience to think differently about the world and their place in it.