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10 Highest-Rated Horror Movies On Rotten Tomatoes


Say what you will about the film and television review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, but the fact of the matter is people seem to put a lot of stock in what many critics describe as meaningless and arbitrary scores. Even those of us who could generally care less about ratings take notice when a highly publicized blockbuster boasts a measly 24% or a low-budget indie film scores a whopping 98%.

In honor of the Halloween season, we here at Epicstream decided to see which horror films performed best on everyone’s favorite spoiled produce-themed website. That means we’ve cast our own opinions to the wayside so we can simply let the numbers do the talking. With that in mind, here are the 10 highest-rated horror movies on Rotten Tomatoes:

Honorable mentions that tied for the #10 spot with a 98% rating: Let the Right One In, Eyes Without a Face, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, The Vanishing, The Loved Ones

  1. Aliens (98%)

    Director: James Cameron

    Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn

    The moon from Alien has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? That’s the question that Aliens looks to answer, packing a far more visceral punch than its predecessor. That’s because, for the sequel, director James Cameron decided to go a completely different route and make a fast moving, slightly tongue-in-cheek, boisterous action extravaganza. Remarkably, he was able to do that while still maintaining a stylistic and literary continuity that melds Aliens seamlessly with the first film.

  2. The Babadook (98%)

    Director: Jennifer Kent

    Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall

    After the violent death of her husband, a widow named Amelia struggles with life as a single mother, as well her son’s seemingly irrational fear of monsters lurking in their home. However, despite the very real horror The Babadook packs, this is ultimately a film about coping with loss, failure, and loneliness. These raw human emotions, which are terrifying in their own right, take precedence over cheap jump-scares, and the end result is a film that delivers thought-provoking, psychological horror at its best.

  3. King Kong (98%)

    Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper

    Cast: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot

    While this 1933 classic has spawned a number of reboots, imitators, and homages, nothing can really compare to the original King Kong. We all know the story: A film crew discovers a colossal ape on an exotic island, they capture him and bring him to New York to be put on display, and things naturally go wrong. However, much like a game of “Telephone,” the message of this story shines brightest in its original incarnation, largely due to the charm of the then-revolutionary stop-motion animation that brought the monstrous Kong to life.

  4. Under the Shadow (99%)

    Director: Babak Anvari

    Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi

    This horror film, jam-packed with social commentary, tells the story of a mother and daughter who find themselves haunted by a sinister force in war-torn Tehran in the 1980s. However, the horror of the evil djinn is trumped by the horrors of war and gender oppression in Iran, which help ground this supernatural thriller in a manner that’s all too real. And that’s not to say that the actual “horror” elements of the film don’t succeed, but it’s rare to find a narrative that so beautifully blends paranormal fright with sociopolitical strife. 

  5. Rosemary’s Baby (99%)

    Director: Roman Polanski

    Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon

    Pregnancy, paranoia, and occult occurrences are at the heart of Rosemary’s Baby, which tells the story of a young wife who becomes mysteriously pregnant after she and her husband move into a strange, new apartment. This film is utterly unnerving throughout, evoking feelings of curiosity, suspicion, and sheer terror upon learning the final revelation of the story. Backed up with outstanding performances by Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon, Rosemary’s Baby is worthy of every bit of praise its earned in the nearly 50 years since its release.

  6. Get Out (99%)

    Director: Jordan Peele

    Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford

    This year, Jordan Peele made his directorial debut with the massive sleeper hit Get Out. The idea of a black man meeting his white girlfriend’s parents doesn’t seem like the traditional foundation for a horror film, but leave it to one half of the Key & Peele comedy duo to use racial tension to set the stage for what’s arguably the creepiest, most uncomfortable thriller of the year. Plus, with this being Jordan Peele at the helm, there’s a tasteful dose of humor sprinkled within the narrative to add levity and help break up the tension just enough to give the audience some time to breathe. 

  7. Repulsion (100%)

    Director: Roman Polanski

    Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser

    Employing the timeless horror themes of paranoia and unrest, Repulsion manages to evoke an atmosphere filled with dread and fear without resorting to cheap scare tactics. Instead, it’s Carol’s bout with delusion and depression that evokes fear in the audience, which – coupled with the limited dialogue – helps complement director Roman Polanski’s brilliantly restrained narrative design. It just goes to show you that given the right story, what lurks in the shadows isn’t half as scary as the shadows, themselves.

  8. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (100%)

    Director: Robert Wiene

    Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher

    Released in 1920, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is one of the earliest examples of horror on the big screen. This silent-era film tells the story of an evil hypnotist who uses a somnambulist named Cesare to commit murders as the pair travel from town to town in the German carnival circuit. Hardly scary by today’s standards, the film still defies expectations, particularly when it comes to the stunning Dr. Suess-esque set pieces and the attempt to explore the mind of a madman. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is nothing short of an Expressionist masterpiece; a true work of art spawned from the earliest days of cinema.

  9. Frankenstein (100%)

    Director: James Whale

    Cast: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff

    Frankenstein brilliantly explores the fine line between genius and madness, as an obsessed scientist assembles a living being from the parts of exhumed corpses. The production and set design add volumes to the atmosphere and beauty of the film. Whale helps, as well, with some ingenious shots and sequences such as the "progressive close-ups" when we first see the monster. Younger viewers might have a difficult time watching Frankenstein if they’re not used to black and white, slower paced, understated films with a different approach to acting, but it’s one of those acquired tastes that’s absolutely worth acquiring.

  10. The Bride of Frankenstein (100%)

    Director: James Whale

    Cast: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive

    The Bride of Frankenstein is an eccentric, campy, technically impressive, and frightening picture that has aged remarkably well, telling the classic tale of Dr. Frankenstein tempting fate once again by creating a suitable mate for his monster. After initially refusing to do a sequel to Frankenstein, director James Whale would eventually falter when Universal agreed to let him have complete artistic freedom, and it was a big gamble that certainly paid off in the end.  The classic characters from Mary Shelley’s iconic novel truly come to life in this film, and few directors have managed to blend horror, comedy and pathos as successfully as Whale. More so than the original, this film is regarded as the high point of the Universal horror series and will forever serve as a testament to Whale’s genius.

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