In this fifth special edition KBZ article, we’re going to review the best horror films by decade for your Halloween movie night. We’ll select the best and scariest films from the 1970’s up to the most recent horror films from 2023.
These articles will act as more detailed companion articles to our previous Halloween articles which covered some lesser-known horror films to watch on Halloween. Our article on the Top Scariest Halloween Films for Adults You Haven’t Seen covered a mix of obscure and bone chilling horror while also breaking down some recommended horror films by popular horror subgenres. And we also have a list of the Top Scariest Halloween Films For Kids You Haven’t Seen if you’re looking for some tamer scares for various age groups.
This fifth article will cover the Best 2010’s Horror Films for Halloween and you can view articles as we release them from the list below:
- The Best 1970’s Horror Films for Halloween
- The Best 1980’s Horror Films for Halloween
- The Best 1990’s Horror Films for Halloween
- The Best 2000’s Horror Films for Halloween
- The Best 2010’s Horror Films for Halloween
- The Best Horror Films of 2020 for Halloween
- The Best Horror Films of 2021 for Halloween
- The Best Horror Films of 2022 for Halloween
- The Best Horror Films of 2023 for Halloween
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, we’re going to rank each film by how scary it is (and is known for). Though how ‘scary’ a film might be is subjective and older films might not be deemed scary by today’s standards, there are quite a few films that even decades later, will have you cringing in fear.
Second, we aren’t going to cover every sequel of every horror franchise out there. Horror is known for milking a franchise as much as possible with often increasingly subpar films. Unless a sequel or reboot is worth noting, we’ll be focusing on the initial iterations of these horror classics.
Third, we’ll try to make sure at least one film from every year per decade is included. Decades such as the 1980’s were top heavy with the amount of horror films released in the first half of the decade compared to the latter half.
And fourth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. We’re also only considering films released after 1970.
Our complete list of Horror Films for Halloween features over 167+ films from 1931 – 2023 and this is a good staring point if you’re looking for some of the best and classic Halloween Horror recommendations. And if you’ve seen most of the films on this list, we also have various articles reviewing the best obscure films by subgenre including the Best Body Horror films, the Best Space Horror Films, the Best Films about Ghosts and Hauntings, the Top Dark Fantasy Films and so on. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles on these special edition Halloween lists or future articles on recommended horror films by subgenre.
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The Best 2010’s Horror Films for Halloween
Honorable Mentions: Legion (2010), The Crazies (2010), I Saw the Devil (2010), Stake Land (2010), Let Me In (2010), Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010), The Skin I Live In (2011), You’re Next (2011), The Thing (2011), Prometheus (2012), V/H/S (2012), Bait (2012), Evil Dead (2012), The Colony (2013), World War Z (2013), Oculus (2013), Wither (2013), Horns (2013), The Babadook (2014), Creep (2014), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), As Above, So Below (2014), Tusk (2014), Annabelle (2014), It Follows (2015), The Witch (2015), Howl (2015), Freaks of Nature (2015), Bone Tomahawk (2015), Intruders (2015), Hush (2016), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), I Am A Hero (2016), The Wailing (2016), Under the Shadow (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Happy Death Day (2017), The Ritual (2017), Ghostland (2018), Mandy (2018), Lords of Chaos (2018), Apostle (2018), Overlord (2018), Bird Box (2018), Child’s Play (2019), Crawl (2019), Midsommar (2019), Little Monsters (2019), Color Out of Space (2019), It Chapter Two (2019) and Eli (2019).
Rank 20-1:
#20 Fright Night (2011) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#19 Halloween (2018) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#18 Don’t Breathe (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 The Cabin in the Woods (2012) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 Sinister (2012) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 IT (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#14 Kristy (2014) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#13 Goodnight Mommy (2014) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#12 The Purge (2013) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 Doctor Sleep (2019) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#10
The Void
Plot: In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman. As the horror intensifies, Carter leads the other survivors on a hellish voyage into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to end the nightmare before it’s too late.
Horror Subgenre(s): Cosmic Horror Films, Films About Cults, Psychological Horror Films, Films About The Occult & Witches
KBZ’s Take: Many films have tried (and failed) at emulating 80’s horror, but The Void does it in spades. It’s hard to describe this film as it oozes Lovecraftian horror elements, is a horror film about cults, and also has many survival horror elements. It’s the type of film where the deeper you go down the rabbit hole with its story, the more “WTF” you are going to be saying to the screen. It’s one of the best (and lesser-known) horror films that will provide quite a few scares on Halloween.
Additional Lists: Top Cosmic Horror Films You Haven’t Seen #2, Top Scariest Halloween Films for Adults You Haven’t Seen #5
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Martial law is declared when a mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival.
Horror Subgenre(s): Survival Horror Films, Films About Zombies, Horror Films From Korea, World Cinema Horror Films
KBZ’s Take: Zombie film lovers have likely seen this film and have it ranked in their top 10 of all time. For other film fans, it’s one of the best Zombie films out there with exciting action sequences set against some innovative Zombie scares.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#8
Hidden
Plot: A family takes refuge in a fallout shelter to avoid a dangerous outbreak.
Horror Subgenre(s): Home Invasion Films, Survival Horror Films
KBZ’s Take: Hidden is a mash-up of different subgenres that all result in one of the best post-apocalyptic films you will ever see. It’s part Apocalypse film, part Pandemic and Virus film and part Home Invasion horror film. Created by the Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things series) and similar in vein to A Quiet Place (2018), it’s about the family dynamic as they hide from ‘something’ that lurks above. It’s a very creepy and atmospheric film that will have you wanting to watch again to pick up on the clues to the ending prevalent throughout the film.
Additional Lists: Top Post-Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 2) #1, Top Survival Horror Films You Haven’t Seen #4, Top Pandemic and Virus Films You Haven’t Seen #6
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
Hereditary
Plot: When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
Subgenre(s): Films About Cults, Films About Folk Horror, Films About The Occult & Witches
KBZ’s Take: Hereditary came out of nowhere in 2018 to become one of the scariest films of the decade. It slowly builds a sense of dread that culminates in one of the most horrific endings of the horror genre. This is a great film to watch as a double feature with Midsommar (2019) which are both directed by Ari Aster. Just don’t expect any lighthearted horror with either film as they’re both as bleak and unsettling as you can get within the horror genre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A woman’s mother struggles with dementia but the family starts thinking something more sinister is at play.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About Exorcism & Possession, Films With Found Footage
KBZ’s Take: This is not only one of the best films of the Found Footage subgenre, but also one of the best Possession films you will ever see. The Found Footage format strengthens the scenes of the odd behavior of a family’s dementia-riddled mother. It has one of the most disturbing endings of all time with a terrifying scene you will never forget or ‘unsee’.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Exorcisms & Possessions You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Scariest Halloween Films for Adults You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#5
Insidious
Plot: A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About The Paranormal, Hauntings & Ghosts
KBZ’s Take: James Wan is behind two of the most successful horror franchises of all time – Insidious and The Conjuring. While there’s ongoing debate as to which series of films are ‘scarier’, it’s like debating if the sky is filled with clouds or has an abundance of clouds. They’re both scary though if jump scares are your thing, Insidious has some of the most effective and unpredictable jump scares of the entire horror genre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#4
Get Out
Plot: Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. 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 never could have imagined.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About Cults
KBZ’s Take: Get Out was another film that came out of nowhere in 2017 to become of the most successful horror films of that year. It’s also one of the best of the decade with politically charged social commentary that’s equal parts humorous and horrific. This is a great pick for Halloween night if you’re looking for a more thought-provoking type of horror film.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About Monsters, Survival Horror Films
KBZ’s Take: While most horror films are primarily about visual horror, A Quiet Place effectively uses silence and the lack of spoken word to create its horror. One misspoken or untimely sound unleashes the monsters that are some of the scariest of the horror genre. Though rated PG-13, this is a very scary and unsettling film that you’ll want to keep younger viewers away from.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About Exorcism & Possession, Films About The Devil, Demons & Hell, Films About The Paranormal, Hauntings & Ghosts
KBZ’s Take: While The Conjuring has it’s own share of terrifying jump scares (compared to its cousin Insidious), the film is much more rooted in narrative horror that compliment its frequent scares. You can’t go wrong with either franchise, but if you want horror that’s based on pseudo-factual paranormal investigations, go with The Warrens and The Conjuring film.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Father and son coroners receive a mysterious unidentified corpse with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to examine the beautiful young Jane Doe, they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying secrets.
Horror Subgenre(s): Films About The Occult & Witches
KBZ’s Take: This isn’t your typical film about Witches like The Witch (2015) but rather a slow burn horror film with an increasing amount of sense of dread and jump scares. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch are amazing in this film as the father and son coroners who soon realize they’re in over their heads with a Jane Doe corpse. This film also isn’t for the squeamish as it does show some elements of an autopsy but it’s what comes after that’s more terrifying. A great film if you want to scare yourself silly on Halloween Night.
Additional Lists: Top Scariest Halloween Films for Adults You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
