Best Horror Thriller
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. It centers on a great white shark terrorizing a coastal town and its impact on the community. The movie’s innovative use of sound design and suspenseful storytelling established many conventions for the monster-film genre. Ja...
The Devils is a 1971 film depicting the controversial trial of Urbain Grandier, a French priest accused of witchcraft and demonic possession in Loudun. The narrative centers around Grandier’s downfall alongside the story of Sister Jeanne des Anges, whose repressed sexuality fueled the accusations ag...
Nosferatu is a 2024 American gothic horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers. It is a remake of F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film of the same name, which itself was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. The film features an ensemble cast including Bill Skarsgård as C...
Why this score?
Strong critical acclaim and craft awards attention, good ratings, but audience response more divided than top-tier horror-thriller classics.
Scoring methodology
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a 1970 Italian giallo film that marks the directorial debut of filmmaker Dario Argento. The plot follows an American writer living in Rome who witnesses an attempted murder in an art gallery and becomes entangled in a serial killer investigation. Starring Tony Mu...
Why this score?
Influential giallo landmark, strong retrospective acclaim, good user ratings, stylish debut with some conventional plotting limitations.
Scoring methodology
High school student Yuuichi Katagiri cherishes his close circle of friends, composed of four classmates: Yutori Kokorogi, Shiho Sawaragi, Makoto Shibe, and Tenji Mikasa. However, when the funds for the upcoming school trip are stolen, the incident causes Shiho and Makoto—who had been tasked with col...
Smile (2022) delivers a relentlessly unsettling experience centered around a contagious, supernatural curse. The films strength lies in its innovative visual language and the palpable sense of dread it cultivates. Sosuke Toges direction masterfully blends psychological horror with supernatural eleme...
Relic (2020) is a uniquely unsettling horror film that blends supernatural elements with the devastating reality of dementia. The film explores the disintegration of a family as they confront their matriarchs declining mental state and a mysterious presence within their ancestral home. Natalie Erika...
The Invisible Man (2020) is a science-fiction psychological horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell, a loose adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel starring Elisabeth Moss as a woman stalked by her ex.
Inside (À l'intérieur) is a 2007 French horror-thriller directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. The film centers on a pregnant woman, played by Alysson Paradis, who is terrorized in her home on the night before she is scheduled to give birth. It is associated with the wave of French extreme...
Why this score?
Cult French extremity favorite, high horror-critical regard, intense suspense and gore, limited mainstream appeal and smaller review base.
Scoring methodology
Rika Furude and her group of friends live in the small mountain village of Hinamizawa; in June 1983, they welcome transfer student Keiichi Maebara into their ranks, making him the only boy in their group. After school, they have fun playing games and spending each day living their lives to the fulle...
Black Phone 2 is a 2025 supernatural horror film continuing the Black Phone series. The story follows Finney, Gwen, and Ernesto as they investigate unsettling events at a winter youth camp linked to the spectral remains of the Grabber. Returning cast members include Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, J...
Hellbound is a South Korean television series set in 2022 where divine entities cause individuals to be judged and sent to Hell. The narrative features an ensemble cast reacting to the sudden appearance of these supernatural beings and their consequences. It was created by Yeon Sang-ho based on his...
My Bloody Valentine 3D is a 2009 horror film directed by Patrick Lussier, based on the 1981 Canadian movie. The story involves a killer in mining equipment terrorizing a small town during Valentine’s Day, linked to a decades-old murder mystery. Jensen Ackles and Jaime King star in this remake featur...
Suspiria is a 2018 supernatural horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino, serving as a reinterpretation of Dario Argento's 1977 Italian horror classic of the same name. Set in 1977 Berlin, the film stars Dakota Johnson as an American dancer who joins a prestigious dance academy secretly run by a cove...
Why this score?
Generally favorable but polarized reception, admired ambition and performances, criticized length, opacity, and uneven genre payoff.
Scoring methodology
Rogue is a 2007 Australian horror thriller written and directed by Greg McLean. Radha Mitchell plays a wildlife tour guide whose passengers become stranded on a small tidal island in Australia's Northern Territory, where a large territorial saltwater crocodile hunts them as the water rises. The film...
Crawl is a 2019 American natural-horror thriller directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. Kaya Scodelario plays a competitive swimmer who enters her childhood home during a Florida hurricane to find her injured father, portrayed by Barry Pepper. Rising floodwater and hun...
The Ring Two is a 2005 horror sequel to the 1991 novel by Koji Suzuki. The film revisits characters from the original, expanding the narrative within the established supernatural mythology. New cast members join Naomi Watts, David Dorfman, and Daveigh Chase in exploring the continued influence of Sa...
The Bequeathed is a South Korean television series exploring supernatural mysteries within a dark fantasy setting. Adapted from a webtoon, it centers around a family haunted by a malevolent spirit and their attempts to unravel a decades-old crime. The show’s unsettling atmosphere and intricate narra...
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a 2006 prequel exploring the origins of Leatherface’s family. Set four years prior to the original film, it follows a group of young travelers whose journey leads them into conflict with the Sawyer clan. Jordana Brewster and R. Lee Ermey star in this ins...
Bird Box is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic thriller directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock. The film follows people trying to survive after an unseen presence causes those who look at it to die, forcing the characters to travel and protect themselves while blindfolded. Released by Ne...
Why this score?
Not a comedy; thriller consensus is mixed-positive, commercially huge on Netflix but regarded as uneven and meme-driven.
Scoring methodology
The Nun II is a 2023 horror sequel exploring the demonic entity Valak’s continued threat within The Conjuring Universe. It expands upon established lore through new characters and locations, offering a supernatural thriller experience. This film primarily targets fans of horror-themed entertainment...
Prom Night is a 2008 horror-thriller film focusing on a group of teenagers targeted by a vengeful convict. The story reimagines elements of the original Prom Night series exploring themes of revenge and past wrongs. It’s notable for its slasher genre blend and features Brittany Snow and Scott Porter...
The Relic is a 1997 American monster horror film directed by Peter Hyams. The story takes place largely in a natural history museum in Chicago, where a chimerical creature known as the Kothoga begins killing people. The film combines a creature-feature premise with elements of a horror thriller and...
