The 10 Best Intelligent Horror Movies, According To Ranker
The horror film genre has a reputation as a less than reputable form of entertainment, but occasionally a spooky movie comes along that is just as smart as it is scary. Smart horror films can stand on their artistic merits, but they also often frighten the wits out of anyone who dares watch them.
Whether it is Oscar winning films like The Silence of the Lambs or modern horror masterpieces like The Conjuring, intelligent horror films know what scares the viewer the most. Despite an abundance of smart chillers to choose from, users on Ranker took to the site to vote for their all-time favorites.
10 Saw (2004)
The best horror films often take a simple premise and ratchet up the tension until the audience is practically squirming in their seat. Saw follows a pair of men who are trapped in strange room by a notorious killer who requires them to play a deadly game.
Though the film does leave the room for brief interludes, a majority of the action takes place in one setting, and it leans on strong performances. Situational horror requires the audience to put themselves in the place of the characters, and few films excelled at situational scares quite like Saw. The franchise eventually went in many strange directions, but the cleverness of the original was never topped.
9 It (2017)
Author Stephen King has made a career out of giving the world nightmares, but none were quite as horrifying as It. A group of teens are menaced by a strange creature that takes the form of their deepest fears, and has an appetite for human flesh.
With a world of possibilities to play with, It sees the Pennywise character inhabit several terrifying forms. At its heart though, the story is about the relationship between the Losers Club, and how they deal with the difficulties of adolescence while also facing a cosmic horror. Combining its interesting characters with a terrifying villains makes It one of Stephen King's best movie adaptations.
8 Insidious (2010)
The supernatural is a staple of the horror genre, but Insidious found a way to add new layers to the tired tropes. When their son suddenly becomes comatose, a couple begins to worry that he has become a vessel for malevolent entities from another realm.
Featuring some of the spookiest creatures in cinema history, the film had a fair amount of haunted house style scares. Where the movie really shines though, is the creative way that The Further is approached. Seen as a realm inhabited with twisted nightmares from the human realm, The Further gave the creators a chance to ratchet up the scares in the final act of the film.
7 Carrie (1976)
Being a teen is frightening, and Stephen King conjured up another reason to be scared when he penned Carrie. Carrie White is a bullied teen who learns she possesses telekinetic powers. Between her struggles at school and a life with her domineering mother, Carrie's powers begin to manifest in increasingly violent ways.
Mostly remembered for its fiery final scenes, Carrie is one of director Brian De Palma's best films, and showed off the bright future of horror icon Stephen King. Paying off in a big way in the end, the film is a tense ride as each plot development pushes the story closer and closer to its explosive conclusion.
6 Halloween (1978)
Though it didn't start the slasher genre, John Carpenter's Halloween certainly kicked off its golden age. The film follows a vicious killer named Michael Myers who escapes from custody to stalk the streets of Haddonfield Illinois, looking for teenage victims to slaughter.
Extremely simple and razor sharp, the film doesn't waste a single second of the viewer's time. Myers is a blank faced goon who allows the viewer to imbue him with whatever traits scare them the most, and his exploits are horrifying. By setting the film on Halloween, Carpenter forever linked his spooky classic with the beloved Fall holiday.
5 The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night Shyamalan's reputation may be somewhat tarnished as of late, but it is hard to overstate how revolutionary his early horror films were. The Sixth Sense follows a down-and-out child psychiatrist who attempts to help a young boy who is tormented by spirits that only he can see.
Generally regarded as one of Bruce Willis' most iconic movies, the film is a slow moving descent into terror. Though the twist ending is what most viewers remember about the film, it is actually a well constructed story with brilliant performances. Set in a dreary world, the film has a rather dour outlook that sticks with the viewer like a creepy fog.
4 The Conjuring (2013)
Horror has periods of upswing and decline, and the release of The Conjuring marked a noted uptick in horror movie quality. Supposedly drawn from the case files of occultists Ed and Lorraine Warren, the demon experts attempt to help a family who is tormented by a malevolent spirit.
Once again proving that subtlety is the most powerful tool in horror, the film never tips its hand until the final minutes. Slowly building its suspense throughout, the free floating camerawork implies the presence of some strange watcher. In the end, The Conjuring is a classic haunted house story with modern accoutrements added for spice.
3 The Shining (1980)
If ever there was a film that was ahead of its time, Stanley Kubrick's take on the Stephen King novel The Shining would certainly be it. A writer drags his family along as he takes a job as a wintertime caretaker at an isolated resort in the mountains. Slowly a form of supernatural madness begins to take hold as the family becomes trapped in their new digs.
Kubrick utilized the Overlook Hotel as if it was a character, and he used subtle manipulation to keep the viewer off balance throughout. Jack Nicholson is downright terrifying as Jack, and his downward spiral is one of the scariest single moments in film history. Like the meticulous artist that he was, Kubrick fills every second of the movie with creepy sounds and imagery that give the entire film a haunted feeling.
2 The Exorcist (1973)
The moniker of "scariest movie ever made" is bandied about frequently, but no film has a claim on the that title quite like The Exorcist. A young girl named Reagan begins to exhibit strange behavior that eventually leads her mother to seek spiritual help. Convinced she is possessed, a downtrodden priest teams up with a veteran exorcist in an attempt to save the girl's soul.
With an ultra realistic style of filmmaking from director William Friedkin, the movie is made all the more terrifying because it seems so real. The corruption of youth gives the film another shot of terror, and Reagan's slow transformation is harrowing. Though the reports may have been somewhat overblown, the film quickly gained a reputation that had many audience members fleeing from the theater in terror.
1 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Eschewing the supernatural, The Silence of the Lambs attempted to dramatize the horrific world of serial killer investigations. A young FBI agent is sent to gather intel from the notorious killer Hannibal Lecter in order to potentially catch a dastardly slayer with a quickly rising body count. Unfortunately for Clarice, her investigation brings her closer to evil than she ever thought she would be.
Anthony Hopkins' turn as Hannibal Lecter is one of the scariest baddies in cinema history, and he is only one small part of the film. Even outside of the horror elements, the film is a gripping drama that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat as Clarice gets closer and closer to catching Buffalo Bill. Director Johnathan Demme's unique vision forever changed the way that serial killer stories were told in film, and it showed that horror could also be a viable genre come award season.