50 Scariest Movies, As Proved By Science

2012 | 1 hour 50 minutes | Directed by Scott Derrickson
 

Starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone

While most movies are written based on an idea that the writer got while fully conscious, Sinister was directly inspired by a nightmare its writer got after watching The Ring. And if you’ve ever had a truly chilling dream, you know how scary it would be to see it on a big screen in your waking hours. Paralyzing shocks and diabolical twists make Sinister a movie you just might wish to unsee.

2013 | 1 hour 52 minutes | Directed by James Wan
 

Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston

You know what's more terrifying than even the best horror movie? A horror movie based on a real, definitely undeniably true story. Yup, Ed and Lorraine Warren are real, and so is the possessed Perron family. And even if you can distance yourself from the fact that this sort of weird stuff can happen to you, The Conjuring is nonetheless horrifying. Filled with old-school horrors and minimum CGI effects, this horror movie will creep up on you heavier and heavier with each minute. A paranormal movie that'll surely scare even a seasoned horror fan.

1973 | 2 hours 2 minutes | Directed by William Friedkin
 

Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair

Filming marked by accidents and a release riddled with controversies and even riots; The Exorcist made a grand entrance into the movie industry history. And if you haven’t seen it already, here’s the plot in its basics - The Exorcist follows a twelve-year-old girl that has been possessed by a demon and needs it to be expelled. With such a sure-shot horrifying premise, great acting, and severe shocks throughout, The Exorcist is still one of the best paranormal horror movies after some 50 years of its release.

2010 | 1 hour 43 minutes | Directed by James Wan
 

Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins

Astral travel already sounds like a dangerous thing to be capable of, and such a premise pays off big time in Insidious. But add that ability to a seemingly comatose boy, and it gets a whole lot scarier. Malevolent spirits, unexplained happenings, and an uncharted territory inhabited by tortured souls make this horror movie a truly terrifying watch.

2005 | 1 hour 39 minutes | Directed by Neil Marshall
 

Starring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid

The Descent follows six women who find themselves lost in a cave system and struggling to survive against the humanoid monsters living there. So, if you think a horrific cat-and-mouse game would be enough to scare the bejesus out of you, then add in the factor of overwhelming claustrophobia, and voila - a demonically scary movie is at your service. Do we need to remind ourselves with a warning not to watch The Descent before embarking on a speleological expedition?

2002 | 1 hour 55 minutes | Directed by Gore Verbinski 
 

Starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox

All the horror movies based on Japanese or Korean originals are bound to be blood-soaked, demonic, and should come with a warning. And that’s precisely the case with The Ring - remember the cursed video and the seven-day note? If not - give The Ring a shot, but for the love of all that’s great, don’t watch it alone in the dark. 

1984 | 1 hour 31 minutes | Directed by Wes Craven
 

Starring Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund

Our list wouldn't be complete without such a classic paranormal slasher horror as A Nightmare On Elm Street. Right from the first minute, you're haunted by dark mystery, actual unexplained slashings, and just good old terror occupying the space in your veins. And to make it even better, there's no happy ending for A Nightmare On Elm Street - that alone will horrify you long after the movie has ended.

2016 | 2 hours 14 minutes | Directed by James Wan
 

Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe

A second installment in The Conjuring series, this movie follows the same paranormal investigators that we’re already acquainted with Ed and Lorraine Warren. This time they’re headed to England to dig deeper into a poltergeist case. Once again, we get to see old-school horror tricks done in a fresh and unnerving way, raising our hair and tingling our spines.

1974 | 1 hour 23 minutes | Directed by Tobe Hooper
 

Starring Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a horror film that not only originated some of our beloved elements of the slasher genre but has also become one of the most influential horror movies ever. The story here, although quite a simple one, proves that a good horror flick might not need a complex premise to be a genuinely scary one. Thus, here it's a group of friends that fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Seems familiar? Well, we told you that Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most influential horror movies of all time!

1978 | 1 hour 31 minutes | Directed by John Carpenter
 

Starring Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran

Halloween is an independent slasher film directed and scored by the horror master himself - John Carpenter. The plot centers around Michael Myers - a mental patient who killed his sister on the night of Halloween when he was six years old. After fifteen years spent in a sanitarium, Michael escapes only to terrorize the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois once again. Now, Halloween might not have been as popular upon its release but has since gained a true cult following and praises from contemporary cinema critics.