The 103 Best Horror and Thriller Movies of All Time

As Halloween approaches, many people love to curl up with a scary movie and a bowl of popcorn to celebrate the spooky season. Trust me, I know the struggle of spending an hour just looking for a good one to watch with friend, and ultimately settling for a subpar film. As if that’s not hard enough, most lists on the internet include super old films that aren’t actually scary in today’s standards, or they fail to categorize films based on sub-genre, which plays a huge role in whether you’ll even like a movie. So I decided to watch over 300 horror films and compile a list based on my favorites, Rotten Tomato reviews and audience ratings.

NOTE: I’ve sectioned my horror list into paranormal, monster, drama horror, science fiction, psychological horror, gore, and slashers. And for those who can’t handle scary movies, I’ve included sections for suspense/thriller and dark comedy films as well. The list is numbered in no particular order, as ranking 102 films accurately is nearly impossible (also, I’d go crazy even trying). Just click on the title to watch the trailers! Most of these movies can be watched on fmovies.to

 

PARANORMAL:

Occult, Ghosts, and Demons

1. Sinister (2013)

True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawk) is in a slump; he hasn’t had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims’ home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.

2. Insidious (2010)

Parents take drastic measures when it seems their new home is haunted and their comatose son is possessed by a malevolent entity.

3. Incantation (2022)

Note: This movie is in Mandarin

Six years ago, Li Ronan is cursed after breaking a religious taboo; now, she must protect her daughter from the consequences of her actions.

4. Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Christine Brown has a loving boyfriend (Justin Long) and a great job at a Los Angeles bank. But her heavenly life becomes hellish when, in an effort to impress her boss, she denies an old woman’s request for an extension on her home loan. The crone places a curse on Christine, threatening her soul with eternal damnation. Christine sees a psychic to break the curse, but the price to save her soul may be more than she can pay.

5. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren lock the possessed doll in the artifacts room in their house. But when the doll awakens the room’s evil spirits, it soon becomes an unholy night of terror for the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, her friends and their young baby sitter.

6. Hereditary (2018)

When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they have inherited.

7. The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring tells the true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga), world renowned paranormal investigators, who were called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

8. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

It’s just another night at the morgue for a father and son team of coroners, until an unidentified, highly unusual corpse comes in. As they work into the night to piece together the cause of her death, the two men begin to uncover the disturbing secrets of her life. Soon, a series of terrifying events make it clear: this Jane Doe may not be dead.

9. The Devil’s Candy (2017)

An artist and his family think they’ve moved into the house of their dreams, but when he is possessed by a mysterious dark force the family must fight to save their souls.

10. The Omen (2006)

A new age of evil threatens to arise when an American diplomat and his wife (Julia Stiles) learn that the child they adopted may be the son of Satan.

 

MONSTER:

11. The Ritual (2017)

Following the sudden, violent death of their best mate, four young men reunite for a hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. Deep in the black, Nordic forest they find themselves lost in a hell of sinister nightmares and pagan sacrifices.

12. The Descent (2006)

A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.

13. The Mist (2007)

After a powerful storm damages their Maine home, David Drayton and his young son head into town to gather food and supplies. Soon afterward, a thick fog rolls in and engulfs the town, trapping the Draytons and others in the grocery store. Terror mounts as deadly creatures reveal themselves outside, but that may be nothing compared to the threat within, where a zealot calls for a sacrifice.

14. IT (2017)

Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare — an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.

15. 30 Days of Night (2007)

In Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in the United States, the winter sun sets and does not rise for 30 days and nights. From the darkness come bloodthirsty vampires that strike terror on the town, and all hope is pinned on a husband-and-wife cop team.

Note: This movie isn’t like most cliché vampire movies. Their makeup and acting are super creepy.

16. REC (2007)

Note: This movie is in Spanish

Reporter Angela and her trusty cameraman Pablo are following a local fire crew for a segment of their reality television series “When You’re Asleep” when the firefighters receive a routine distress call from a nearby apartment building. But the calm atmosphere at the moment betrays the horrors that begin to unfold after the firemen break down the tenant’s door. Pablo continues to roll tape to ensure that whatever happens to them, the truth gets out.

17. Blood Quantum (2019)

A zombie virus decimates all of Earth’s population except the Mi’qmaq community of Red Crow.

18. Cloverfield (2008)

As a group of New Yorkers enjoy a going-away party, little do they know that they will soon face the most terrifying night of their lives. A creature the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Using a handheld video camera, the friends record their struggle to survive as New York crumbles around them.

 

DRAMA HORROR:

This category includes symbolic, folk and period films that are slow paced and more unsettling than scary. Certainly not for everyone.

19. Mother! (2017)

A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on the door one night, he becomes an unexpected guest in their home. Later, more people start to make themselves welcome. Terror soon strikes when the beleaguered wife tries to figure out why her husband is so seemingly friendly and accommodating to everyone but her.

20. Midsommar (2019)

A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

21. Skeleton Key (2005)

Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson), a good-natured nurse living in New Orleans, quits her job at a hospice to work for Violet Devereaux, an elderly woman whose husband is in poor health following a stroke. When Caroline begins to explore the couple’s rundown mansion, she discovers strange artifacts and learns the house has a mysterious past. 

22. The Orphanage (2007)

Note: This movie is in Spanish

Laura has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place and help her convert it into a home for sick children. One day, her own adopted son Simón disappears. Grief-stricken Laura believes she hears spirits, who may or may not be trying to help her find the boy.

23. The Wolf House (2018)

Note: This movie is in Spanish

The chilling animated story of a  young woman who takes refuge in a strange house in the woods after escaping from a German colony in southern Chile.

P.S. The animations and sound effects are absolutely terrifying

24. The Soul Collector (2019)

An old man, fated to collect souls for eternity, seeks atonement after trading his daughter’s soul. A story based on South African folklore.

P.S. The animations and sound effects are absolutely terrifying

25. Barbarian (2022)

A young woman discovers the rental home she booked is already occupied by a stranger. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the night but soon discovers there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.

 

SCI-FI THRILLER:

26. Coherence (2014)

Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.

27. The Endless (2018)

Two brothers receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure that they couldn’t as young men, they’re forced to reconsider the cult’s beliefs when confronted with unexplainable phenomena surrounding the camp.

28. Cube (1997)

A group of seven frightened strangers find themselves trapped in a bizarre maze of cubical rooms, with no memory of how they arrived there. Searching for a way out, they soon discover that many rooms contain lethal booby traps, while others are safe.

Note: If you like Cube, you’ll also enjoy Escape Room (2019)

29. The Invisible Man (2020)

After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back.

30. The Crazies (2010)

Anarchy reigns when an unknown toxin turns the peaceful citizens of Ogden Marsh into bloodthirsty lunatics. Authorities blockade the town and use deadly force to keep anyone from getting in or out. Sheriff Dutten and his wife and two companions must band together to find a way out before madness and death overtake them.

31. Sputnik (2020)

Note: This movie is in Russian

Summoned to a secluded research facility, a controversial young doctor examines a cosmonaut who returned to Earth with an alien parasite inside of him.

32. The Faculty (1998)

To the students at Harrington High, the principal and her posse of teachers have always been a little odd, but lately they’ve been behaving positively alien. Controlled by otherworldly parasites, the faculty try to infect students one by one. 

33. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

After surviving a car accident, Michelle  wakes up to find herself in an underground bunker with two men. Howard tells her that a massive chemical attack has rendered the air unbreathable, and their only hope of survival is to remain inside. Despite the comforts of home, Howard’s controlling and menacing nature makes Michelle want to escape. After taking matters into her own hands, the young woman finally discovers the truth about the outside world.

 

PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR:

Movies that will have you completely blindsided, but don’t necessarily give you your typical jump scare

34. Orphan (2009)

Devastated by the loss of their unborn baby, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) decide to adopt a child. At the orphanage, both feel drawn to a little girl named Esther, and soon the couple take their new daughter home. But when a dangerous series of events unfolds, Kate begins to suspect that there is something evil lurking behind the child’s angelic exterior.

35. The Others (2001)

Grace (Nicole Kidman), the devoutly religious mother of Anne and Nicholas, moves her family to the English coast during World War II. She awaits word on her missing husband while protecting her children from a rare photosensitivity disease that causes the sun to harm them. Anne claims she sees ghosts, and a series of supernatural events occur in the house.

36. Psycho (1960)

A Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is on the run after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis. She is overcome by exhaustion during a rainstorm and stops for the night at the Bates Motel run by a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother. This movie is an Alfred Hitchcock classic, the basis of the TV series Bates Motel. 

37. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Note: This movie is in German

Twin boys who do everything together, from collecting beetles to feeding stray cats, welcome their mother home after her reconstructive surgery. But with her face wrapped in bandages, and her demeanor distant, they grow suspicious of her identity.

38. Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI’s training academy, has a special assignment: the FBI is investigating a vicious murderer nicknamed Buffalo Bill, who kills young women and then removes the skin from their bodies. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism.

39. The Visit (2015)

Becca and younger brother Tyler say goodbye to their mother as they board a train and head deep into Pennsylvania farm country to meet their maternal grandparents for the first time. Welcomed by Nana and Pop Pop, all seems well until the siblings start to notice increasingly strange behavior from the seemingly charming couple. 

Note: This movie starts off slow, but the ending is worth it

40. The Uninvited (2009)

After spending time in the hospital, Anna finds significant changes in store at home. Her widowed father is now engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother’s ghost, who warns her of Rachel’s intentions. Together, Anna and her sister try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be.

41. I See You (2019)

Strange occurrences plague a small-town detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a boy.

42. Gothika (2003)

The life of psychiatrist Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is derailed after she nearly hits a girl with her car one night. Later, Miranda wakes up in her own mental hospital under the care of her peer, Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.). Completely disoriented, Miranda is accused of killing her own husband, but she has no memory of anything after she encountered the girl. Slowly Miranda begins to uncover what happened, but she has to escape the asylum to solve the mystery.

43. Split (2017)

Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all of the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those identities contained within him.

44. 1408 (2007)

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena — before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel, that is. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room.

45. Identity (2003)

When a vicious storm breaks out in the Nevada desert, 10 people seek refuge in an isolated motel. When the storm-stranded travelers realize they are being killed off one by one, limo driver Ed Dakota (John Cusack) bids to stay alive and reveal the murderer’s identity.

 

GORE:

46. Saw (2004)

Adam Stanheight and Lawrence regain consciousness while chained to pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom. As the two men realize they’ve been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed “Jigsaw” and must complete his perverse puzzle to live, flashbacks relate the fates of his previous victims.

47. The Purge (2013)

Every year in March, all crime in America is legal for a period of 12 hours. Most people lock themselves indoors, but no one is truly safe. If you like this movie, the Purge has a show adaptation on Hulu which is even better.

48. Human Centipede (2009)

To punish his prisoners, a sadistic warden and his right-hand man hatch a scheme to suture 500 inmates together.

49. Would You Rather (2012)

Iris and seven other desperate people become trapped in Shepard’s mansion. Shepard forces them to play a sadistic game for a large sum of money — but the dilemmas become increasingly deadly.

 

SLASHERS: 

Serial killers, madmen and jump scares

50. House of Wax (2005)

A gang of college friends, including Wade and his girlfriend, Carly, are en route to a school football game when they wind up with a flat tire in a ghost town. They are forced to seek help in the only place that’s open: the local wax museum. Once inside the spooky and seemingly abandoned building, they find the works on display are not quite what they seem.

51. Haunt (2019)

On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an extreme haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real.

52. Ready or Not (2019)

Grace couldn’t be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family’s luxurious estate. There’s just one catch — she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws hunt her down with guns, crossbows and other weapons.

53. Halloween H20 (1998)

Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finds herself hunted by persistent knife-wielder Michael Myers. Laurie now lives in Northern California under an assumed name, where she works as the headmistress of a private school. But it’s not far enough to escape Myers, who soon discovers her whereabouts. 

Note: If you liked this, watch Halloween (2018) next

54. The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

During a routine patrol of the New Mexican desert, members of a National Guard unit stop at a deserted research camp. Picking up a distress signal emanating from a mountain range, they set out to investigate, unaware that a tribe of vicious, cannibalistic mutants awaits their arrival.

55. Scream (1996)

A year after her mother’s brutal murder, a high school girl and her friends are stalked by a serial killer who’s obsessed with horror movies. If you love the Scream franchise, you’ll also enjoy the TV series adaptation on Netflix. The first two seasons are amazing.

56. Urban Legend (1998)

When a series of strange deaths occurs on campus, beautiful and assertive student Natalie suspects that they are murders based on urban legends. Her classmates, loyal Brenda, ambitious journalism major Paul, and school practical joker Damon, insist the deaths are just coincidences. Natalie must figure out how the deaths are connected before she becomes the next victim.

57. You’re Next (2013)

The Davisons, an upper-class family, are extremely wealthy — but also estranged. In an attempt to mend their broken family ties, Aubrey and Paul Davison decide to celebrate their wedding anniversary by inviting their children to their weekend estate. The celebration gets off to a rocky start, but when crossbow-wielding assailants in animal masks suddenly attack, the Davisons must pull together or die.

58. Wrong Turn (2021)

Jen and a group of friends set out to hike the Appalachian Trail. Despite warnings to stick to the trail, the hikers stray off course, and enter land inhabited by The Foundation, a hidden community of mountain dwellers who use deadly means to protect their way of life. Jen and her friends head to the point of no return unless Jen’s father can reach them in time.

59. The Rental (2020)

Two couples on an oceanside getaway grow suspicious that the host of their seemingly perfect rental house may be spying on them. Before long, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister.

60. Smile (2022)

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

61. Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

After finding a laptop, a young man goes online to play a game with five of his good friends. He shows them a mysterious folder that plays disturbing videos of people who appear to be in danger. They then receive an anonymous message that tells them they will all die if they disconnect or call the police. The planned night of fun quickly turns deadly as each user becomes the target of something sinister while the others watch helplessly in terror.

 

SUSPENSE & THRILLER:

For those of you who can’t handle the scares, these films are all about the mystery and suspense, nothing more.

62. Flight Plan (2005)

Airplane engineer Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is heading home from Germany to New York on a double-decker Elgin 474 to bury her husband. But three hours into the flight, she awakens to find her young daughter missing — and the entire flight crew, including Capt. Rich and Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard), claims that the child was never on board. 

63. Panic Room (2002)

Trapped in their New York brownstone’s panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her young daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.

64. Fractured (2019)

After his wife and injured daughter disappear from the emergency room, a man becomes convinced the hospital is hiding something.

65. Don’t Breathe (2016)

A trio of reckless thieves breaks into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.

66. The Invisible Guest (2016)

Note: This movie is in Spanish

A young businessman wakes up in a locked hotel room next to the body of his dead lover. He hires a prestigious lawyer to defend him, and over the course of one night, they work together to find out what happened. The Hindi remake, Badla, is amazing too.

67. Creep 2 (2017)

A video artist who craves shocking stories realizes she has made a mistake when she meets a serial killer in a cabin.

Note: You must watch Creep 1 first to understand the sequel

68. Misery (1990)

After a serious car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his biggest fan. Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, where her obsession takes a dark turn.

69. P2 (2007)

Angela, a corporate climber, gets stuck working late on Christmas Eve and finds herself the target of an unhinged security guard. With no help in sight, the woman must overcome physical and psychological challenges to survive.

70. Hush (2016)

A deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears in her window.

71. The Platform (2019)

Note: This movie is in Spanish

In the future, prisoners housed in vertical cells watch as inmates in the upper cells are fed while those below starve.

72. Disturbia (2007)

A troubled high school student (Shia LaBeouf) becomes convinced he is living next door to a wanted serial killer. Struggling to come to terms with the death of his father, the teen lands himself in hot water after a fight with a teacher and is put under house arrest. During his domestic confinement, he begins to spy on his mysterious neighbor, believing him to be a murderous psychopath on the run from the authorities. This film was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

73. Bird Box (2018)

When a mysterious force decimates the world’s population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they’ll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded.

74. Zodiac (2007)

In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer’s identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.

75. Sightless (2020)

After an attack renders her blind, Ellen Ashland (Madelaine Petsch) withdraws from the world to recover. But soon she plunges into paranoia, unable to convince anyone that her assailant has returned to terrorize her.

76. Exam (2008)

Shown into a windowless examination room, eight candidates have reached the final stage of selection for a prestigious job at a mysterious corporation. There is one question before them and one answer is required. If they try to speak to the armed guard by the door they will be disqualified. If they leave the room for any reason they will be disqualified. If they spoil their papers they will be disqualified. As the clock ticks down, they must figure out what the company expects of them, and how far they are prepared to go to secure the ultimate job.

77. Red Eye (2005)

In the wake of her grandmother’s funeral, hotel manager Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is waiting to fly back home when she meets charming Jackson at check-in. She thinks it luck that they’re seated together on the plane, but soon learns otherwise.

78. Green Room (2015)

A punk rock band becomes trapped in a secluded venue after finding a scene of violence. For what they saw, the band themselves become targets of violence from a gang of white power skinheads who want to eliminate all evidence of the crime.

79. Till Death (2021)

Emma (Megan Fox) is stuck in a stale marriage to Mark and is surprised when he whisks her away to their secluded lake house for a romantic evening on their 10th anniversary. But everything changes the next morning when she finds herself handcuffed to Mark’s dead body. Trapped and isolated in the dead of winter, Emma learns this is only the beginning of Mark’s twisted plan, and to survive, she must fight the hired killers coming to finish her off.

80. Hard Candy (2005)

Hayley (Ellen Page) is a precocious 14-year-old who goes to a coffee shop to meet Jeff (Patrick Wilson), the thirty-something fashion photographer she met on the Internet. Jeff thinks he is in for a real treat, but Hayley isn’t the innocent little girl he thinks she is.

81. The Call (2013)

When veteran 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry), takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl’s life.

Note: The trailer gives away many of the climactic scenes so avoid watching it

82. Us (2019)

After spending a tense beach day with their friends, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.

83. Get Out (2017)

Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.

84. Escape from Pretoria (2020)

Two white South Africans (Daniel Radcliffe), imprisoned for working on behalf of the African National Congress, are determined to escape from the notorious Pretoria Prison.

85. A Quiet Place (2018)

 A family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.

Note: John Krasinski directed and acted in this film with his wife. Worth a watch.

86. No Escape (2015)

American businessman Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson), wife Annie and their two young daughters arrive in Southeast Asia to begin a new life. As his company plans to improve the region’s water quality, the family quickly learns that they’re right in the middle of a political uprising. Armed rebels attack the hotel where they’re staying, ordered to kill any foreigners that they encounter. Amid utter chaos, Jack must find a way to save himself and his loved ones from the violence erupting all around them.

87. Searching (2018)

David Kim becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter, Margot, disappears and an immediate police investigation leads nowhere. He soon decides to search the one place that no one else has: Margot’s laptop. Hoping to trace her digital footprints, David contacts her friends and looks at photos and videos for any possible clues to her whereabouts.

Note: The movie is extremely compelling despite the entire story being conveyed through screens.

88. Hotel Mumbai (2018)

A film based on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization storm the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in a series of coordinated attacks throughout the city. Amid the gunfire and mayhem, a brave chef and kitchen worker decide to risk their own lives to try and protect the frightened guests. Meanwhile, a desperate couple must do whatever they can to protect their newborn baby.

89. Greta (2018)

Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the New York subway and promptly returns it to Greta, an eccentric French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music. Having recently lost her mother, young Frances strikes up a seemingly harmless friendship with the lonely and kindly widow who enjoys her company. But when Greta’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic and obsessive, Frances does whatever it takes to end the toxic relationship before things spirals out of control.

90. Prisoners (2013)

Keller Dover faces a parent’s worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver, releases him due to lack of evidence. Dover, knowing that his daughter’s life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

91. Memento (2000)

Leonardo spends his days attempting to take revenge on those responsible for brutal rape and murder of his wife. However, he was beaten severely by the same man who killed his wife, causing short-term memory loss. He is incapable of retaining any new information, and must resort to copious note-taking, crude homemade tattoos and Polaroids in order to keep track of what happens to him over the course of a day. The Hindi remake of this movie, Ghajini, is definitely worth a watch too.

92. Obsessed (2009)

Things couldn’t be better for Derek Charles (Idris Elba). He’s just received a big promotion at work, and has a wonderful marriage with his beautiful wife, Sharon (Beyoncé Knowles). However, a temporary worker joins Derek’s office and begins to stalk Derek, jeopardizing all he holds dear.  An imitation of Fatal Attraction, but with Beyoncé.

93. Nerve (2016)

High school senior Vee (Emma Roberts) is tired of living life on the sidelines. Pressured by her friends, she decides to join Nerve, a popular online game that challenges players to accept a series of dares. It’s not long before the adrenaline-fueled competition requires her to perform increasingly dangerous stunts. When Nerve begins to take a sinister turn, Vee finds herself in a high-stakes finale that will ultimately determine her entire future. 

Note: If you like Nerve, check out 13 Sins.

94. Escape Room 2: Extended Cut (2021)

Six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive, and discovering they’ve all played the game before.

Note: You must watch Escape Room (2019) first to understand the sequel. The sequel has two versions, but the extended cut changes the story significantly in the best way, so make sure to watch the one that is 1 hr 35 min long.

95. Swallow (2019)

A young housewife with a seemingly perfect marriage and life develops a disorder that gives her an irresistible urge to eat inedible objects.

DARK COMEDY:

Mostly laughs with subtle frights

96. Happy Death Day (2017)

Tree Gelbman is a blissfully self-centered collegian who wakes up on her birthday in the bed of a student named Carter. As the morning goes on, Tree experiences déjà vu. When a masked killer suddenly takes her life in a brutal attack, she once again magically wakes up in Carter’s dorm room unharmed. Now, Tree must relive the same day over and over until she figures out who murdered her.

97. Thanksgiving (2023)

An axe-wielding maniac terrorizes residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy. Picking off victims one by one, the seemingly random revenge killings soon become part of a larger, sinister plan.

 98. Zombieland (2009)

After a virus turns most people into zombies, the world’s surviving humans remain locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead. Four survivors — Tallahassee and his cohorts Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock  — abide by a list of survival rules and zombie-killing strategies as they make their way toward a rumored safe haven.

99. Scary Movie (2000)

A year after disposing of the body of a man they accidentally killed, a group of dumb teenagers are stalked by a bumbling serial killer. This movie is a combination of numerous pop culture parodies on the most popular images and talked-about moments from recent films, television and commercials. The film takes a jab at classic scenes from “Scream,” “The Sixth Sense,” “The Matrix,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “The Blair Witch Project,” then goes on to mock a myriad of teen movie clichés.

100. Trick r’ Treat (2007)

Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents of a small town face real ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Tales of terror reveal the consequences of extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight and a grumpy hermit’s encounter with a sinister trick-or-treater.

101. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

102. Spree (2020)

Desperate for an online following, a rideshare driver (Joe Keery) has figured out a deadly plan to go viral and he will stop at nothing to get his five minutes of fame.

103. Fido (2007)

When a cloud of space dust causes the dead to rise as ravenous zombies, the ZomCon Corp. emerges to conquer the creatures and domesticate them to become menial workers and pets for humans. In an idyllic town, a skeptical boy finds a best friend in his family’s new fiend, which he promptly names Fido. But Fido’s control collar malfunctions, and the neighbors end up on the menu.

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