18 Scariest Horror Movies to Guarantee You Won't Sleep Tonight

A child becomes the vessel for something evil. Two priests are called in to expel the demon, leading to a showdown filled with faith, fear, and a reality twisted by possession.

This film cemented the horror movie genre’s potential to disturb and continues to influence how directors approach supernatural horror.

Five friends head into the desolate countryside and encounter a family that serves human flesh like it's barbecue.

This horror film feels like a documentary gone wrong. It’s gritty, grimy, and terrifying in the most grounded way—a reminder that real fear doesn’t always wear a mask.

A man wakes up in a hospital to find London deserted. A rage virus has decimated the population, turning people into monsters. He meets a group of survivors and together they fight for life in a world that's lost its humanity.

Director Danny Boyle’s vision is raw, terrifying and packed with commentary on modern society.

A brutal, emotional, and disturbing entry in the torture porn category, this French film tells the story of two young women with a tragic past. Their quest for justice leads them to a cult whose experiments in suffering go beyond death.

Faith, reality, and pain collide in a film many call the most disturbing of all time.

A writer moves his family into a house tied to a series of murders. He finds old reels showing families being killed—each scene more terrifying than the last. As his obsession grows, his daughter becomes a target.

This movie plays on fear of family dissolution, the past, and the evil that hides in old footage.

A single mother battles a literal and emotional monster when a haunted book invites a malevolent presence into her home. Her child sees what others can't—and soon, so does she.

This film is a haunting metaphor for grief and mental illness that blends emotional depth with chilling visuals.

Eric Bana plays an NYPD officer who teams up with a priest to investigate a series of crimes linked to demonic forces.

Inspired by the experiences of real-life paranormal investigators, this movie mixes detective drama with supernatural horror, and explores the boundaries between science, faith, and evil.

A man attends a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife. The evening turns sinister as strange behaviors, eerie games, and fatal consequences unfold.

This is a psychological horror that explores paranoia, cult mentality, and the horror of trusting the wrong people.

Set in 17th-century New England, a family is exiled to a remote homestead near the woods. When their baby disappears, blame falls on the eldest daughter, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. As fear grows, the family tears itself apart.

This haunting tale of faith, suspicion, and the quiet terror of isolation is a slow burn with searing commentary.

A father and son perform an autopsy on an unidentified young woman and uncover a horrific mystery. As the night progresses, they realize this isn’t a normal corpse; it’s a conduit for supernatural terror. The film turns a clinical procedure into a descent into hell.

A young woman fights to protect her brother from a spirit that only appears in darkness. The haunting presence is tied to their mother’s past and mental illness. Every flick of the light switch becomes a battle for survival in this suspenseful, terrifying movie.

A family grapples with grief after the death of their grandmother, but the horror truly begins when a young girl meets a gruesome fate. A mother tries to hold her life together while dark secrets from the past claw their way into the present.

Toni Collette delivers a performance that blends trauma and terror in equal parts.

Sound equals death. In this terrifying thriller, a family must navigate a world where blind creatures hunt anything that makes noise.

Real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt play parents trying to shield their children from the horrors outside—and the ones they bring inside.

After her husband’s suicide, a woman discovers unsettling secrets in their lakeside home. There’s something in the walls, something that echoes his death—and something that wants her, too.

This suspenseful story explores grief, the past, and the thin veil between reality and nightmare.

Dave Franco’s directorial debut follows two couples on a weekend getaway that turns sinister. Hidden cameras, infidelity, and a faceless intruder create a blend of thriller and horror that makes you rethink vacation rentals. The tension builds slowly before exploding into violence.

A young woman arrives at a rental house to find a stranger already staying there. She stays the night—and discovers a hidden corridor that leads to something worse than she imagined.

This is a film where the basement hides both physical and psychological horrors, and the presence of evil is motherly in the worst possible way.

A psychiatrist witnesses a patient’s suicide and starts experiencing hallucinations. As she digs deeper, she uncovers a chain of deaths tied to a demonic curse. This film is about trauma and how it feeds something darker. It’s suspenseful, scary, and clever in its execution.

When a group of teens find a way to commune with spirits using a severed hand, the thrill turns deadly. One young woman becomes the epicenter of spiritual chaos, and her descent is anything but entertaining.

Twin brothers Michael and Danny Philippou direct a disturbing spiral into possession, addiction, and grief.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.