From Silent Nightmares to Modern Terror: The 100 Greatest Horror Movies by Decade
This list is from my personal collection and some of the movies I have enjoyed over the years during our Sacy Movies at the Fort 31 Nights of Horror marathon that we do every year. I am sure that I will add to it in the future and I would love to hear your favorites, too.
Horror Movies of the 1920s
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)
A Page of Madness (1926)
Classic Movie Monsters
Horror Movies of the 1930s
M (1931)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
Freaks (1932)
Vampyr (1932)
King Kong (1933)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Horror Movies of the 1940s
Cat People (1942)
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Dead of Night (1945)
Horror Movies of the 1950s
House of Wax (1953)
Godzilla (1954)
Diabolique (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
The Blob (1958)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Horror Movies of the 1960s
Black Sunday (1960)
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Peeping Tom (1960)
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Village of the Damned (1960)
The Innocents (1961)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
The Birds (1963)
The Haunting (1963)
Blood Feast (1963)
Kwaidan (1964)
Onibaba (1964)
Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Horror Movies of the 1970s
The Devils (1971)
Don’t Look Now (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
- Black Christmas (1974)
Blood for Dracula (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Deep Red (1975)
Carrie (1976)
- The Tenant (1976)
The Omen (1976)
Eraserhead (1977)
- Hausu (1977)
Suspiria (1977)
Halloween (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Alien (1979)
The Greastest Decade in Horror?
Horror Movies of the 1980s
- The Changelling (1980)
Possession (1981)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Thing (1982)
Angst (1983)
- Videodrome(1983)
- The Evil Dead (1983)
Gremlins (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Re-Animator (1985)
Manhunter (1986)
- The Hitcher (1986)
The Fly (1986)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Near Dark (1987)
Dead Ringers (1988)
The Vanishing (1988)
Horror Movies of the 1990s
- Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
- Santa Dangre (1990)
Candyman (1992)
Dead Alive (1992)
Scream (1996)
Funny Games (1997)
Event Horizon (1997)
Ringu (1998)
Audition (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Horror Movies of the 2000s
- The Others (2001)
- [Rec] (2008)
A New Breed of Horror
Horror Movies of the 2010s
Frequently Asked Questions About the Greatest Horror Movies
There is no single answer, but films like The Exorcist, Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Halloween are most often cited because they changed the genre and influenced decades of filmmakers. The “greatest” horror film usually combines cultural impact, lasting fear, and innovation rather than box office success alone.
Many critics and fans point to the 1970s as the strongest decade for horror. This era produced landmark films such as The Exorcist, Halloween, Alien, Jaws, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The social unrest and creative freedom of the decade allowed horror to become darker, more psychological, and more confrontational.
Yes. Classic horror films remain essential because they established the visual language, pacing, and themes modern horror still uses today. Movies from the 1920s through the 1960s rely more on atmosphere and tension than jump scares, which many viewers find more unsettling over time.
A great horror movie does more than frighten the audience. It reflects cultural fears, introduces new ideas or techniques, and remains effective years after its release. Great horror often works on multiple levels, combining fear, storytelling, symbolism, and emotional impact.
Horror evolves directly alongside society. Organizing films by decade reveals how fears change over time. For example, monster movies dominated the 1930s, paranoia shaped 1950s science-fiction horror, and psychological trauma defines much of modern horror. Viewing horror this way adds historical context to the genre.
Modern horror is not necessarily better, but it is different. Contemporary films often focus on psychological trauma, grief, and social anxiety, while older films emphasized atmosphere, monsters, or moral panic. Each era reflects its time, and preference usually depends on what kind of fear resonates most with the viewer.
Key horror subgenres include psychological horror, folk horror, slasher films, body horror, supernatural horror, and social horror. Many of the greatest films blend multiple subgenres, which helps explain their lasting appeal and influence.
Yes. Organizing the greatest horror movies by decade creates an accessible roadmap for newcomers. It allows viewers to start with any era and gradually explore how the genre evolved, without needing deep prior knowledge of horror history.
Check Out
Best horror movies of the 1970s
Best Slasher Horror
The Greatest Folk Horror of All Time
So what do you think? How many of these Dracula movies have you seen? Do you have any others to add to the list? Let us know in the comments section and please consider joining our Facebook page, Scary Movies at the Fort. Each October we host the 31 Nights of Horror. Check us out.
Also, be sure to check out our Complete List of Frankenstien, Wolfman, and The Mummy, and Universal Monster Movies.
