A Geeky Guy's Guide To The Only Horror Movies He Can Watch
On more than one occasion, I have mentioned that I am the scardiest scaredy cat that ever got scared. As a result I avoid almost all horror movies. But every now and then a movie comes out that is so special that I feel I need to grit my teeth, and watch it through the spaces between my fingers that are covering my eyes.
Although it is a little late, I'd like to present my list of horror movies so entertaining or so part of the cultural zeitgeist that even a scaredy cat like me had to watch them. I decided to list them by year to avoid having to split hairs. Although I will note my favorite one.
Jaws (1975) I Saw this one as a kid and never forgot it. Although the shark is barely onscreen (thanks to the robotic shark constantly malfunctioning) this movie taught me that terror doesn't always have to do with what you are seeing. The best chills come from anticipating what might happen. Thanks to John Williams incredible score, I was scared almost the entire time. If you were a kid in the 1970s, I'm pretty sure it was a law you had to see this movie.
Halloween (1978) This is one of the movies on the list that I felt an obligation to see. Literally everyone my age has seen it so when I was around 18 I decided I had to watch it so I would not be left out. It scared the shit out of me but by today's standards it is rather tame. It was super influential on a lot of other movies, especially the Scream franchise.
Alien (1979) This one is definitely in my top 5. I love sci-fi so wrapping a horror movie inside of a sci-fi flick was a perfect combo for me. I have no idea why my parents let me watch this when I was ten years old, but lets just say it left a lasting impression.
An American Werewolf in London (1981) At teh time, this movie featured the most amazing special effects anyone had ever seen. The transformation from human to wolf was simply groundbreaking so I had to see it. Why I chose to watch it at night at my buddy's house when I was 11 is beyond me. The walk home through the alleys as dogs barked at me made me wet my pants.
The Thing (1982) A great psychological horror movie. Who is the monster? It could be anyone. This remake is still one of the best stories I've ever seen. I actually watched the original in black and white when I was very young, but this version blew it away.
The Fly (1986) I saw this movie in the theater when I was 15. I had seen the Vincent Price original about 100 times before and wanted to see an updated version. I wasn't really scared as much as I was grossed out but man Jeff Goldbloom did an amazing job in this one.
Manhunter (1986) I only put this on here because every list I ever see has Silence of the Lambs on it. Few people know about this Michael Mann film about Hannibal Lecter that came out several years before. It is far better than The Silence of the Lambs. And the music is sensational!
The Evil Dead (1987) This is one that my high school buddies forced me to watch. All of the fringe teens at the time swore by this movie. A lot of Chicago Industrial bands sampled this movie so I kind of had no choice. Because it mixes in some humor with the scares, this is one I'd watch again.
The Exorcist III (1990) I put this on here because it includes the scariest scene I have ever seen. I sheet walking with a device used to remove the head in an autopsy has haunted my dreams... and waking time for 35 years.
Scream (1996) A fun pop culture driven romp that both satirizes and improves upon early horror movie tropes. Everyone in the 90s had to see this one.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) The firs "found footage" movie to gain incredible popularity. It's gimmick worked very well, especially at the time when it was new. There aren't many scares in this... but the person standing in the corner haunts me!
The Sixth Sense (1999) I, and everyone else in the world, simply had to see this in the theater before it could be spoiled. M Night Shyamalan banked so much street cred with the final twist that he was able to make money making many many many terrible movies later. If you haven't seen it, you simply must watch the director's commentary so he can explain exactly how much thought he put into building this movie.
Signs (2002) Not many people like this, but I loved it. It really seems like he wrote this movie backwards so everything would tie together perfectly. I have never seen so many minute details come together to create something bigger.
The Ring (2002) People siad I had to see it... so I did. I literally had to stare at the floor of teh theater when the girl comes out of the TV. This terrified me... but it was indeed special and I was able to take part in many conversations about it.
28 Days Later (2002) 28 Weeks Later (2007) 28 Years Later (2025 ) These are incredibly well made and smart zombie movies. They are gory but they are also so exciting and fun that I could not look away.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) An incredibly clever take on the horror genre. it's like Scooby Doo and Mystery Incorporated got themselves into quite a pickle. It is funny and exciting.
World War Z (2013) The book is far better... especially if you listen to the audio book. this movie was more like a film inspired by the book world War Z but I still enjoyed the unique take and the fact that zombies were actually fast.
Happy Death Day (2017) A great mix of comedy and horror. it also had a little heart and was a cool tale of redemption. If you wanted to see a horror version of Groundhog's Day, this is it.
A Quiet Place (2018) This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I braved seeing this alone in an empty theater because I was so interested in the story. Every year around father's day I watch this love letter to dads with my kids. I have never seen a more moving or brave scream in my life.
Brightburn (2019) Thsi is my favorite Superman movie ever made. Ever wonder what would happen if a superhuman alien didn't grow up as the perfect child in Kansas? He would be scary as Hell!
Ready or Not (2019) Another one that perfectly mixes horror, over the top cartoonish gore and comedy.
Sinners (2025) I truly hope this one wins an Oscar for best picture this year. It was simply incredible. Even without teh horror aspect, thsi is an incredible story. The horror is just an exciting cherry on top.
What do you think of my list? Did I miss any?
I really love watching horror movies. I like the background the eerie sound huhuhuhuh. Even though I'm not on the entire action set but I felt scared when it started to hunt preys
I haven't watched many horrors, love the sixth sense. Think the last horror I watched was The Burning. That's going back a while
Signs is still one of my favorite M Knight movies. It was so good. I really like The Village too even though it was more suspense than horror. I guess the same could be said for Signs. Halloween is an absolute classic. I typically don't like watching scary movies, but I do enjoy reading about them online so I can see what the plot twist was. Personally, the ones that deal with demons and stuff like that get me a lot more than killers or other stuff.
It's very interesting that your ranking includes Jaws and Alien. Perhaps they aren't considered horror films per se, but their plots and unexpected appearances can be frightening, especially if you're focused on the movie.
A very good list of horror movies, although some aren't technically horror films, but their scripts might be the most compelling. Two that caught my attention were "The Cabin in the Woods" and "The Anglers," which I'll try to watch because if it's being considered for the 2026 Oscars, it must be very good. You're undoubtedly a great film expert, so I trust your recommendations.
As someone who also gets scared easily, it’s nice to see how you faced your fears and still appreciated these classic horror films. Great list ,makes me want to give some of them a try too.
A good list of horror
My best movie genres are horror movies, right from childhood.
These ones you put out here are fantastic.But there are some that would really put you at the edge of seat and give you real goosebumps and chill your spine.
EXORCIST is scary and the one that really gives me chilling vibe is TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE oh! It is so terrifying.But I can watch it at anytime,I am an adult now.
Anyway,thanks @hanshotfirst for jogging my memory.
Oh man I don't like horrors either I get scared so much and I don't like it
The only one in your list that I watched is world War z that I don't consider a full horror, more a sort of resident evil, I watched those too
I think it's really interesting how you balance classic and modern movies and explain why each movie is special to you.
I have also seen a lot of scary movies, but I watch them with friends and there is a lot of laughter and there are also some scenes that really scare me. So I will try to watch this movie on Sunday and tell you how I liked it and how my friends liked it.
I was hooked by the lead image. I always love watching horror movies and now I am just waiting for new releases. I have seen most of your presented movies. A Quiet Place is my favorite of all times. Silently cary and it would get your hair stand up the moment you watch the scenes. I love how you quickly present those movies and add some facts about it or reasons why you love it. Hmmm, before A Quite Place, I loved The Autopsy Of Jane Doe. Does it count? I guess it deserves to be added on the blog🥺 It was scary.
If you like sci-fi/horror then I think you should give Event Horizon a try. Even though it is a sequel, I would put Aliens on this list too. Still the best of the Alien sequels in my opinion. For comedy horror that is more comedy than horror (but still has some spooky parts and a few jump scares), you can't beat the original Ghostbusters. And there's Poltergeist. Tame by today's standards but terrifying at the time. Definitely a must see. I'm sure there's a bunch I'm forgetting.