“Horror crashes through boundaries and challenges the prohibitions of taste and thinkability in a way few other genres can match,” said film critic Peter Bradshaw. “Horror demonstrates the Guignol potential of cinema and the brutal way it can toy with the viewer.”

These are the 25 greatest horror films according to the critics of the Guardian and Observer.

Psycho

(1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

Amazon
–

Rosemary’s Baby

(1968)

Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon

Amazon
–

Don’t Look Now

(1973)

Director: Nicholas Roeg
Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason

Amazon
$23.49

The Wicker Man

(1973)

Director: Robin Hardy
Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento

Amazon
–

The Shining

(1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

Amazon
–

The Exorcist

(1973)

Director: William Friedkin
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair

Amazon
–

Nosferatu

(1922)

Director: F.W. Murnau
Stars: Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Ruth Landshoff

Amazon
–

Let the Right One In

(2008)

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar

Amazon
–

Vampyr

(1932)

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel

Amazon
$39.95

10.

Peeping Tom

(1960)

Director: Michael Powell
Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer

Amazon
–

11.

The Innocents

(1961)

Director: Jack Clayton
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins

Amazon
–

12.

Ringu

(1998)

Director: Hideo Nakata
Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi

Amazon
$29.99

13.

The Haunting

(1963)

Director: Robert Wise
Stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson

Amazon
$13.98

14.

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

(1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger

Amazon
–

15.

Dead of Night

(1945)

Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton
Stars: Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver

Amazon
–

[amazon template=custom_thumbnail&asin=B00N5ND6PU&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Wiene The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]

16. [amazon text=The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari&template=custom_title&asin=B00N5ND6PU&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Wiene The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (1920)

Director: [amazon text=Robert Wiene&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Robert Wiene] Stars: [amazon text=Werner Krauss&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Werner Krauss], [amazon text=Conrad Veidt&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Conrad Veidt], [amazon text=Friedrich Feher&template=custom_search&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Friedrich Feher]

[amazon text=Amazon&template=custom_text_price&asin=B00N5ND6PU&multi_cc=1&search_text=%TITLE%&title=Wiene The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]

17.

Halloween

(1978)

Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran

Amazon
–

18.

Bride of Frankenstein

(1935)

Director: James Whale
Stars: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive

Amazon
$10.33

19.

Diabolique

(1955)

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse

Amazon
–

20.

Audition

(1999)

Director: Takashi Miike
Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki

Amazon
–

20.

Horror of Dracula

(1958)

Original title: Dracula
Director: Terence Fisher
Stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough

Amazon
$2.00

22.

The Blair Witch Project

(1999)

Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

Amazon
$9.73

23.

Evil Dead

(1981) /

Evil Dead II

(1987)

Evil Dead
Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor
Evil Dead II
Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks

Amazon
– Amazon
–

24.

Carrie

(1976)

Director: Brian De Palma
Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving

Amazon
$5.50

25.

Les Vampires

(1915)

Director: Louis Feuillade
Stars: Musidora, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque

Amazon
–

The Guardian (founded in 1821) is a British national daily newspaper, and the Observer (founded in 1791) is its Sunday sibling. They are amongst the most influential papers in the world. The Guardian and its journalists have won numerous journalism awards, especially in the last decades.

Source: The Guardian
Last checked on: 16 January 2016
Image: Psycho

The Metaindex

A Directory of Experts' Choices

Top 25 horror movies, by the Guardian and Observer’s critics

Psycho

Rosemary’s Baby

Don’t Look Now

The Wicker Man

The Shining

The Exorcist

Nosferatu

Let the Right One In

Vampyr

Peeping Tom

The Innocents

Ringu

The Haunting

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Dead of Night

Halloween

Bride of Frankenstein

Diabolique

Audition

Horror of Dracula

The Blair Witch Project

Evil Dead

Evil Dead II

Carrie

Les Vampires

Psycho<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00J2R3W52" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Rosemary’s Baby<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B008MPQ0G8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Don’t Look Now<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00PVBCMMW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Wicker Man<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00G3DA63Y" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Shining<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B000UJ48WC" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Exorcist<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00DYRNGQ6" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Nosferatu<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00EO2I6RO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Let the Right One In<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B001MYIXAW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Vampyr<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00180R06I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Peeping Tom<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00E99JRXE" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Innocents<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00L3ZB27Q" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Ringu<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B000088NQR" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Haunting<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00DBNLBAQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Texas Chain Saw Massacre<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00L22H2IS" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Dead of Night<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00GDEZMFU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Halloween<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B000UR9QHQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Bride of Frankenstein<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00DNUSFUG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Diabolique<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B004NWPY1Q" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Audition<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B002C8YSCE" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Horror of Dracula<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00006G8K0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

The Blair Witch Project<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B003Y5H59M" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Evil Dead<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B003IY48PS" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Evil Dead II<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B005J9ZE5I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Carrie<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B001D8W7CW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Les Vampires<img data-lazy-fallback="1" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=e0680b-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B0083Q4K68" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Psycho

Rosemary’s Baby

Don’t Look Now

The Wicker Man

The Shining

The Exorcist

Nosferatu

Let the Right One In

Vampyr

Peeping Tom

The Innocents

Ringu

The Haunting

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Dead of Night

Halloween

Bride of Frankenstein

Diabolique

Audition

Horror of Dracula

The Blair Witch Project

Evil Dead

Evil Dead II

Carrie

Les Vampires