59 Best Scary Movies to Watch Right Now—If You Dare
The best scary movies span decades and themes, but they all have one thing in common: the ability to tap into your deepest fears. Good horror movies are so unsettling to watch because they play out the very things you’d most like to avoid in real life. Vampires? Wouldn’t want to meet one! A haunted house? No thanks. A twisted serial killer who just won’t quit? Yeah, that’s a hard pass from me.
And yet! I love a spooky tale, especially horror movies with women leads. In fact I watch Halloween movies all year round. There’s something cathartic about facing these terrors from the safety of your couch. Paranormal movies are actually fun when you know your own house isn't haunted, you know?
I’ve shared a few of my favorites, below, and asked my fellow Glamour staffers about the scariest horror films they’ve ever watched as well. The results were entertaining, to say the least. They also gave me some new creepy movies to add to my queue—turns out, some of the best scary movies are on Netflix and other streaming services.
Ready to see the scariest movie ever? Turn the lights off, grab your popcorn, and get ready to be spooked.
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©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection1/59M3gan (2023)
Sorry, Annabelle and Chucky. Megan, a lifelike doll who will do anything—even murder—to protect her child companion has become the new It girl of horror.
In theaters
©Searchlight Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection2/59The Menu (2022)
Fans of Succession and The White Lotus will eat up (sorry, had to) this thriller about rich people behaving badly—and suffering the consequences for it.
Everett Collection3/59Tragedy Girls (2017)
If you like the dark humor of Heathers and are okay with seeing gore, I highly recommend Tragedy Girls. This comedy-horror movie stars Alexandra Shipp and Brianna Hildebrand as two high school seniors who run a true-crime blog. When a serial killer starts stalking their small Midwestern town, they decide to use him as the fall guy while they commit the murders themselves in order to gain more followers.
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection4/59Paranormal Activity (2007)
Paranormal Activity is not groundbreaking—it’s your basic haunted house story, and certainly not the first horror movie to use the found-footage framing—but it is effective. The movie makes a lot out of a small budget (think flickering lights, doors slamming, etc.), so much so that it spawned a series of sequels that are just as spine-tingling. There’s nothing quite like the original, though.
©IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection5/59The Babadook (2013)
“A complicated and terrifying allegory for motherhood and loss, The Babadook is meant for multiple viewings,” says Glamour contributor Madeline Hirsch. “The acting from the small Aussie cast is superb, and this movie monster is one of the all-time greats. Plus, in the years since its release, the Babadook has emerged as a LGBTQ+ hero—we stan a queer icon!”
Everett Collection / Everett Collection6/59Climax (2018)
“Who doesn’t love a good dance party?! Apparently the creator of Climax, because this movie about a dance-troupe rave gone wrong is next-level disturbing,” says Hirsch about this Gaspar Noé horror film. “Spoiler alert: Come for the opening dance sequence, stay to find out who spiked the punch.”
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©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection7/59It Follows (2014)
As Hirsch says, “It Follows is 90% ambience, which is why this horror masterpiece is at the top of my list. Set in the modern ruins of suburban Detroit, the movie’s soundtrack, tech anachronisms (what is that strange seashell Palm Pilot?), constant cloud cover, and not-quite-but-almost-’80s costumes are just ‘off’ enough to create a whole mood of impending doom. I guarantee this movie will leave you thoroughly spooked but unable pinpoint exactly what scared you so much.”
Courtesy Everett Collection8/59The Witch (2015)
“Puritans, satanic rituals, an absolutely cursed goat…need I go on?” Hirsch says about this period piece starring Anya Taylor-Joy. “The Witch’s spook factor is off the charts.”
©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection9/59The Perfection (2019)
It’s best to not know too much about The Perfection going in because the plot twist in this psychological horror film is wild. But here’s a basic, spoiler-free summary: Logan Browning and Allison Williams are two talented cellists who attended the same elite school for music. When they finally meet, chaos ensues.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection10/59The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is a classic take on the haunted house film, but director James Wan elevates it by relying on old-school techniques rather than over-the-top special effects. The movie, based on a real-life case of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, was so successful that it spawned several sequels and spin-offs.
©Magnolia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection11/59Let the Right One In (2008)
“I’m automatically scared when I start watching a Swedish horror film, or any Swedish film in general,” says contributor Khaliha Hawkins about this story of a bullied boy who befriends a vampire. “But what makes this movie scary is how unsettling it is. You’re left thinking about it for hours after it’s over. Plus, two quiet and creepy-looking kids don’t help.”
©AMC/courtesy Everett Collection12/59Host (2020)
In 2020 there was a lot to be scared about—but I put that anxiety into watching Shudder’s Host. Less than an hour long, the whole thing takes place over one very unfortunate Zoom meeting. Expect a lot of jump scares and the sudden desire to never accept another video conference invite again.
©Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection13/59The Blair Witch Project (1999)
I saw The Blair Witch Project under the worst of circumstances: alone, at night, and probably way too young to be watching. Why I, a kid who was barely old enough to stay at home without a babysitter, thought watching a movie about a mysterious witch was a good idea, I’ll never know. The experience was so terrifying, I’m surprised I ever watched another horror movie again.
Photo Credit: Ryan Green/Univers14/59Halloween (2018)
When Glamour contributor Elizabeth Logan reviewed the 2018 Halloween reboot starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer, she summed it up perfectly when she wrote, “This movie takes place on Halloween, but I’d consider watching it on Mother’s Day. It’s a tribute to the many ironies of the mother-daughter relationship. Moms are so annoying! They give you all their issues; they’re often critical, smothering, guilt-tripping, and basically screw you up no matter what. But if you’ve got a good one, she won’t let anyone else mess with you at all. There are no answers when it comes to the why or the how of Michael, of evil, of pain. There’s only an answer to the question of what are we going to do about it. And that answer is: fight. And call your mom.”
Everett Collection15/59Midsommar (2019)
Contributor Bella Cacciatore says of Midsommar, a film about the danger of fuckboys starring Florence Pugh and directed by horror master Ari Aster, “I hate scary movies (I’m a baby) but caved and watched Midsommar thanks to all the hype. It’s not terrifying in the traditional sense—aside from one scene, there’s minimal blood and jump scares—but it is extremely unsettling. The soundtrack is stressful as hell, and the realistic horror of a family tragedy that underscores the whole film is even scarier than the rest of the plot. I still thought of new Easter eggs and references from it, even a year after watching it.”
Everett Collection16/59Hereditary (2018)
Speaking of Ari Aster, his feature film debut, Hereditary, is a haunting tale about grief, mental illness, and inherited trauma. If you have even an inkling of mommy issues, this horror movie starring Toni Collette will hit you hard.
Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Everett Collection17/59Us (2019)
Imagine if you had a doppelgänger who spent their entire life underground fantasizing about killing you so they can take your place. Yeah, scary! Written and directed by Get Out visionary Jordan Peele, this horror film is a terrifying look into the darkest corners of the human mind.
Alessio Bolzoni/Amazon Studios18/59Suspiria (2018)
On the surface you might think Suspiria is another dark ballet tale in the vein of Black Swan. And while the two movies do share similar elements—a young ingenue entering the cutthroat world of dance—this film starring Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth contains a hell of a lot more gore. And witches!
Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection19/59The Strangers (2008)
Says Glamour contributing writer Abby Gardner, “I don’t know that I’ve ever been as terrified in a movie theater as I was watching the home-invasion horror-thriller The Strangers, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. My chest tightens and my jaw clenches now just thinking about it—I think partially because it feels as if it could happen to anyone. I dare you to watch and not have the line ‘Because you were home’ haunt you forever.”
Everett Collection20/59It Comes at Night (2017)
It Comes at Night also made Glamour’s list of the best pandemic movies, a subgenre that started trending in March 2020 perhaps as a way to cope with the state of the world. Carmen Ejogo, Joel Edgerton, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. are all brilliant in this chilling film about a family who seclude themselves deep in the woods away from a mysterious disease.
Brooke Palmer21/59It (2017)
Special projects editor Ru Wolle told me she’d pick It for her favorite scary movie because, well, “it really wasn’t that scary.” The film, based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name, does have several terrifying scenes, though. After all, it’s about an entity that feeds on the characters’ darkest fears.
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection22/59Final Destination 3 (2006)
“There are entirely too many Final Destination movies, but FD3 is the reason I will never set foot anywhere near a tanning bed,” Emily Tannenbaum, contributing writer, says. “Really, these movies were all about finding the most excruciating, bonkers ways to kill young hots, and I cannot watch them without closing my eyes for 90% of the action.”
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection23/59The Exorcist (1973)
Wolle saw this movie with her older siblings when she was six years old, so it understandably left an impact. “For its time, the ’70s, the set pieces were done so well that everything was believable, and I get scared the most when a movie feels realistic,” she says. “The exorcism scene was completely gross.”
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection24/59Magic (1978)
Contributor Brionna Jimerson was quick to suggest Magic, a 1970s thriller starring Anthony Hopkins, for this list. “He plays a ventriloquist whose dummy suddenly picks up a habit of murdering people,” she explains. “It’s scary because it’s pre–Silence of the Lambs Hopkins, and the jump takes really hold up. It gets psychological and creepy really fast.”
Dimension Films/ Everett Collection25/59From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
From Dusk Till Dawn is not without its problematic moments—the Robert Rodriguez film was written by Quentin Tarantino, if that gives you any idea—but the women at the center of the movie are the best part. Juliette Lewis plays a teen whose family is taken hostage by two criminals (Tarantino, George Clooney); as if that wasn’t stressful enough, things take a massive turn when the group meets Salma Hayek’s character, Santanico Pandemonium, who turns out to be a blood-thirsty vampire.
Universal/ Everett Collection26/59The Invisible Man (2020)
“This was the last film I saw out when the world was ‘normal,’ and it was a good one,” contributor Christopher Rosa says of this Elizabeth Moss remake. “A well-crafted metaphor about gaslighting, the movie follows a woman (Moss) who believes her abusive, tech-maestro boyfriend is stalking her even though he allegedly died by suicide. Her logic? He’s still alive and has managed to become invisible. But is she right? You’ll have a spooky time finding out.”
Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection27/59Get Out (2017)
“Get Out felt eerily relevant to the current times and made me imagine an alternative universe where people forget who they are and where they come from—falling victim to evil tricksters who will suck all their goodness and talent out of them and leave them for dead,” says Erin Parker, contributing writer. “When Allison Williams (spoiler!) finally revealed she was the enemy all along, it brought on that perfect moment of truth that all thrillers have—where everything you knew to be true shatters and falls by the wayside and you’re left grasping for what’s real.”
DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection28/59The Ring (2002)
“I watched like 10 minutes of The Ring in high school on Halloween with my friends and was SO scared that my friend and I ran into the bathroom and spent the entire length of the movie straightening her hair until our other friends finished it,” Caitlin Brody, entertainment director at Condé Nast, remembers. “She had really thick hair, so it took the length of the movie!”
FilmDistrict/courtesy Everett Collection29/59Insidious (2010)
“I stand firm in my belief that Rose Byrne is one of the greatest working actors,” Rosa says. “And Insidious is my biggest piece of evidence. She is devastating and nuanced as the mother of a boy whose mind has left his body and entered a disturbing, terrifying other-realm. That bloody face pop-out scare? I still get chills thinking about it. Four months later, Byrne starred as Helen in the comedy classic Bridesmaids, further showcasing her impressive range.”
Everett Collection30/59Parasite (2019)
Parasite doesn’t have as many jump scares as, say, The Conjuring, but it will still haunt you long after you watch. “The most horrifying thing is that no matter how awful and violent the characters are to each other, the movie is constantly suggesting that you, the viewer, are just as bad,” contributor Jenny Singer explains. “Also, it has one of the most high-stakes will-they-get-caught scenes I’ve ever seen. I had to close my eyes and have my friend calmly tell me what was happening for a lot of it.”
Courtesy Everett Collection31/59The Invitation (2015)
“The Invitation is a hidden gem of a horror movie,” Rosa says of this Karyn Kusama–directed indie. “The plot is simple but effective: Guests gather for a dinner party, and as the night goes on, they start to wonder if the hosts have ulterior motives. You truly do not know the answer until the very end—and let me tell you, the payoff is satisfying.”
©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection32/59Antebellum (2020)
Filming a psychological thriller as intense as Antebellum seems like it might be difficult. But when West Coast editor Jessica Radloff interviewed Kiersey Clemons about her role in the film, the actor said it was cathartic, in a way. “I can take all my paranoia or anxious thoughts and project them into whatever I’m watching or playing,” she said. “It distracts me from the horrors of real life.”
Courtesy Everett Collection33/59Jaws (1975)
Rosa cites Jaws as the scariest horror movie of all time. “The 1975 shark epic isn’t ripe with jump scares or disturbing imagery,” he says. “But the horror lies in what you don’t see. Two notes on a piano signal the deadliest kind of fright lurking underneath the water, yet you don’t actually see it until midway through the film. If that isn’t effective horror, I’m not sure what is.” I’m convinced.
Anna Kooris/Universal34/59Ma (2019)
While critics were mixed on Ma, the internet has spoken and declared it a classic. The psychological horror film stars Oscar-nominated Octavia Spencer as a lonely middle-aged woman who befriends—and then terrorizes—a group of teens.
Archive Photos35/59What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Of course this movie had to make the list. “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is as much a social commentary about women in Hollywood as it is classic horror,” explains Rosa. “The film stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, two actual rivals whom the biz had more or less discarded. But Baby Jane revived their careers, pitting them as sisters withering away inside a creaky old mansion, torturing each other. That’s scary, yes—but even more so is the art-imitating-industry aspect. The fact the only lucrative gig for an actress over 50 at that time was ‘grotesque spinster’ is ridiculous.”
Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection36/59Candyman (2021)
The original Candyman from 1992 is worth a scary-movie-night watch, but you don’t need to see it in order to appreciate the 2021 reboot. “Elevating a film that’s been crowned a cult classic is imaginably a tricky dance,” Glamour contributor Tanya Christian wrote in her review of the latter. “Followers expect storytelling that’s creative and captivating while still relying on the core elements that made the original work so enchanting in the first place. And while not all filmmakers get it right, Nia DaCosta, alongside Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, performs this two-step rather brilliantly in the new incarnation of Candyman.”
Courtesy Everett Collection37/59The Shining (1980)
Parker says she actually watches The Shining almost yearly to get fall-winter fashion inspiration. “Shelley Duvall’s cozy ’fits are pure ’70s perfection—but it’s Jack Nicholson’s maniacal facial expressions that really haunt you at night. The idea of not knowing who you’re sleeping next to, that they could slowly slip into another cursed dimension where you’re suddenly their prey, is unnerving to say the least.”
Warner Bros/ Everett Collection38/59Orphan (2009)
Parker picked this one for its wild plot twist. Spoiler warning: “I could not stop screaming in shock and terror when the little adopted girl revealed she was actually a twisted GROWN woman there to fuck up that whole entire family,” she says. “And the fact that a real-life Orphan scenario was actually alleged in 2019 certainly doesn’t help me get over this bone-chilling story.”
Everett Collection39/59The Wizard of Oz (1939)
While The Wizard of Oz wasn’t made with the intention of being a scary movie, multiple staffers at Glamour cite it as such. “It traumatized me as a kid, and I have no desire to get over it and watch it as an adult,” Radloff says. “I won’t speak of it, I will turn away if I see photos or clips of it, and even talking about it here is not easy. No joke.”
Says Kimberly Fusaro, director of brand marketing: “I’ve hated horror movies since my youth, when I slept with the light on for a full month after The Wizard of Oz.”
Netflix/Everett Collection40/59May the Devil Take You, a.k.a. Sebelum Iblis Menjemput (2018)
Some of the greatest modern horror movies one can find right now are by the Mo Brothers, the Indonesian filmmaking duo of Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel. The directors, writers, and producers have created a body of work that is absolutely terrifying but so visually beautiful that you won’t want to look away. May the Devil Take You (or Sebelum Iblis Menjemput) was written and directed by Tjahjanto and follows a young woman who visits her father’s old house to try to find answers about his mysterious illness. As you can imagine, things go downhill from there.
Everett Collection41/59The Queen of Black Magic, a.k.a. Ratu Ilmu Hitam (2019)
Kimo Stamboel directed this Indonesian supernatural horror film about three men who bring their families to the orphanage where they grew up. It’s meant to be a time of bonding and rehashing warm memories—but soon terrible secrets that have stayed hidden for decades start to surface.
Everett Collection42/59Ready or Not (2019)
Ready or Not follows a young bride who learns on her wedding day that her new in-laws have an extremely effed-up tradition that happens whenever someone joins the family. You’ll go through just about every emotion while you watch—the horror comedy masterfully blends the laughs with high-tension scares.
Fox Searchlight/ Everett Collection43/59The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Contributor Shanna Shipin has four words to sum up her feelings on The Hills Have Eyes: “Horrifying. Grotesque. Never. Again.”
She continues, “I’m the world’s biggest scaredy-cat, but my best friend in high school was obsessed with horror movies. We started to build a routine where we’d see scary movies at off hours—I’d literally bring a blanket, lie across a seat or two, and sleep with my back to the screen while she’d watch the movie. One time I remember waking up during The Hills Have Eyes and have been traumatized ever since. I thought I was safe because the guy from Cinderella Story was in it, but the one scene I saw was so graphic and truly vomit-inducing that I’m practically gagging just thinking about it.”
Warner Bros/ Everett Collection44/59Malignant (2021)
Says Rosa, “Prolific horror director James Wan brings you a new terrifying tale about a woman who can’t shake the feeling that someone—or something—is watching her. And what’s worse: She thinks that something is going around murdering other people. Is she right? Is she wrong? Watch to find the answer, and prepare to be dumbfounded by a bonkers twist.”
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures45/59Happy Death Day (2017)
“Groundhog Day meets Scream 2 in this college-set slasher about sorority girl Tree who relives—and re-dies?—the same day over and over again, never making it to the end of her birthday without being murdered by a mysterious assailant in a baby mask,” says Glamour contributor Elizabeth Logan. “Equal parts funny and scary, Happy Death Day is a little bit mysterious and a little bit romantic, and even if you figure out the killer before the final twist, it’s just exciting watching Tree use the situation to her advantage, playing everyone around her for a fool while fighting for her life. Jessica Rothe is the 21st-century scream queen we deserve.”
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures46/59Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
Logan loved Happy Death Day so much, she also recommends catching the film’s follow up. “The sequel asks two big questions: First, how the hell did Tree end up in that time loop anyway? And second, what if you had to pick between love and family?” she says. “In adding a sci-fi element, it sacrifices a bit of the horror of the first movie, but the plot twists are just as engaging, and it’s impressive they even managed to find a way to make the characters continue to grow by putting them back in the same situation as the first installment. Rachel Lynn Matthews, who had a bit part as the vapid Danielle in the first movie, gets a promotion to main antagonist for the sequel, and even if her character is a bit of a stereotype, she plays Danielle with such perfect comedic timing, I can’t imagine anyone would mind.”
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection47/59Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
Netflix’s excellent Fear Street trilogy makes for an epic Halloween movie night: There are plenty of scares, romance, laughs, and more scares to keep anyone entertained. The first film, 1994, is set in—you guessed it—the ’90s and was inspired by the decade’s best slasher flicks, like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It also introduces the trilogy’s central story: A group of teenagers set out to break the curse that has haunted their town for centuries.
Netflix/ Everett Collection48/59Fear Street Part Two: 1978
Set at summer camp, the second installment draws clear inspiration from Friday the 13th and further unpacks the mystery of Shadyside as a group of teens fight off their possessed, murderous counselor.
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection49/59Fear Street Part Three: 1666
The final chapter in the Fear Street trilogy goes all the way back to 1666. And with strong The Witch and The Crucible vibes, it might be the creepiest and darkest of the three.
Universal/ Everett Collection50/59Freaky (2020)
Imagine Freaky Friday, but instead of a lovable mother-daughter duo, it’s a shy teen girl and a psychopathic middle-aged male serial killer who switch bodies. The result is a hilarious, but no less gory, slasher.
IFC Films/ Everett Collection51/59The Rental (2020)
Warning: This movie will make you never want to check into an Airbnb again. Written, produced, and directed by Dave Franco, this psychological thriller is about two couples who embark on a fun weekend getaway…but things go awry when they discover a hidden camera installed in the shower.
Everett Collection52/59In the Earth (2021)
True story: I had to leave the theater while watching In the Earth, if that’s any indication of how scary this sci-fi horror movie gets. The film, about a scientist sent to a remote outpost to research a cure for a deadly virus, is a trippy kaleidoscope of sounds and visions. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before, or will likely see again.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection53/59Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama, Jennifer’s Body was not a box-office hit when it came out. But in the years since, the horror-comedy has gained a new appreciation for its feminist take on sexuality and the complex relationships between women. Megan Fox stars as a popular teen who becomes demonically possessed and starts killing her male classmates; Amanda Seyfried is the bookish best friend who must stop her.
Courtesy Everett Collection54/59Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)
Described as Knives Out for Gen Z, this bloody whodunnit is a smart satire on the social dynamics of 20-somethings today—just with, you know, more murder.
©Searchlight Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection55/59Fresh (2022)
The casting of Fresh is what makes it so…fresh. The first 30 minutes are better than any rom-com you’ve seen, with Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) and Sebastian Stan (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) at their most charming. As for the rest of the movie’s run time? Well, there’s a reason it’s on the list of best horror movies.
©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection56/59The Invitation (2022)
Another movie that starts out as a sweet romance before pulling the rug out from under you. This one stars Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) and Thomas Doherty (Gossip Girl) as two hot people connecting at a swanky wedding—but all is not as it seems.
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection57/59Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele does it again with this alien invasion film starring Keke Palmer alongside Daniel Kaluuya. As Palmer told Glamour, “We expose ourselves to so many spectacles online that it can sometimes alter the way we think about things positively or negatively…. And this movie does it in a unique way that’s fun, exciting, and within the horror genre.
“Although the audience is going to see the spectacle viewpoint, they’re also going to see the viewpoint of grief and siblingship, and they’re going to see the viewpoint of film and how the people behind the film should be more acknowledged. I’m excited to see everyone’s biggest takeaway because it represents how you see and view the world. It’s interesting that how we view art says more about us than it does the art itself, and I think that’s the coolest thing Jordan does.”
Courtesy Everett Collection58/59X (2022)
Mia Goth plays dual roles as the main protagonist and antagonist in this ’70s-set slasher about the cast and crew of an adult film who find themselves increasingly creeped out by the elderly couple that owns the farm where they’re filming.
Courtesy Everett Collection59/59Pearl (2022)
After you finish X, you’ll be happy to know there’s a prequel starring Mia Goth as a young Pearl that’s filmed in the style of a classic Hitchcock thriller à la Psycho.
