10 Best Supernatural Horror Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Horror movies often feel spookier when there's a supernatural element to them. Whether it be a creepy child who may or may not be related to the horned one, or a naughty spirit sneaking from room to room and making things go bump in the night, these types of films chill to the bone and keep everybody wide awake at night after watching them.

Honestly speaking, it's a tough job to determine the best of the best in this regard. The supernatural horror genre continues to be the gift that keeps on giving, so the contender list grows longer with each passing week. However, we have narrowed it down using the following criteria: The movies must have a positive critic and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. From there, we have applied personal experience in terms of the fright factor, asking how the films terrified us and their overall influence on the genre to determine the final ranking. Yes, there's some personal bias here, but it's fun to debate, so feel free to share your own rankings and suggestions.

With that being said, get out the rosary and the holy water, turn on all the lights, and don't eat cheese after midnight, because it's about to get sinister around here! Here are the 10 best supernatural horror movies of all time, ranked.

• Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
• Director: Richard Donner
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

There are so many bizarre things that happened on the set of "The Omen" that may lead you to believe that an insidious force was present during the production of this film. The Richard Donner-directed 1976 film creeps with an utterly terrifying premise: After being told that his baby died shortly after birth, U.S. diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) accepts a proposed switcheroo and doesn't tell his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), about it. They name the baby boy Damien (Harvey Stephens), and everything is hunky-dory for a while. As Damien grows up, however, sinister events start to happen wherever he goes. Eventually, the Thorns come to realize that Damien might be the Antichrist.

"The Omen" birthed a franchise that took the tale to bold new places, but the original still stands out as the main bloodcurdler. Through Donner's masterful eye, it captures the conflict of emotions that Robert and Katherine feel for Damien when they discover the truth about him. Even though he's a disciple of darkness, he's still their son, so they grapple with what to do. At the same time, Stephens puts on a haunting performance as Damien, making you weary of children the next time you see one acting suspiciously quiet. Unquestionably, Stephens' Damien is one of the pioneers within the creepy child horror subgenre.

• Cast: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage
• Director: Parker Finn
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Where to Watch: Paramount+

In the horror genre — or any other genre, really — it's rare that a sequel is better than the original film. However, filmmaker Parker Finn doubles the fear and quality in "Smile 2." The first film introduces the concept of an evil entity that feeds off trauma, while the sequel sees the focus turn to pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) as she's about to embark on a tour after a series of setbacks in her personal life. It isn't too difficult to see why the entity must be licking its lips at the prospect of toying with Skye.

Operating as both a biting social commentary on the exploitative nature of the entertainment industry and a deeper analysis of trauma, "Smile 2" isn't afraid to go to the places that its predecessor only touches on briefly. It also needs to be said that Scott steals the show as Skye, putting in a career-best performance here. The character struggles to determine what's real and what isn't anymore, while the entity proves this is no laughing matter and shoves Skye into an emotional meat grinder. Scott's portrayal of Skye is so good that there was a suggestion that she should have received an Oscar nomination for the role.

• Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor
• Director: Sam Raimi
• Rating: NC-17
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

Not every supernatural horror movie should require a mandatory change of underwear after you watch it. Sometimes, it's okay to fuse the story with a little camp and tongue-in-cheek humor, such as what happens in Sam Raimi's 1981 classic, "The Evil Dead." Make no mistake, the film loves its blood, guts, and gore, but it laid the groundwork for the horror comedy riot that was to come afterward. The fact we can talk about the funniest moments in the "Evil Dead" franchise says it all, really.

"The Evil Dead" introduces Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), who heads out with his pals to a cabin in the woods — because that's always a great idea in a horror movie, right? Anyway, Ash and his friends find a mysterious book and tape, so they decide to listen to the tape's contents. This turns out to be a horrible idea, as they inadvertently end up summoning demons that wreak havoc and destruction on their little getaway.

Here's a tip for any viewer, though: Don't watch "The Evil Dead" on a full stomach. There are a lot of gross scenes that may result in the food coming back up and splashing across the screen.

• Cast: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
• Director: Ari Aster
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

There are few movies that leave you asking "What the heck did I just watch... and should I speak to a priest about it?" quite like Ari Aster's "Hereditary." On the surface, it plays out like a typical supernatural horror: After Annie Graham's (Toni Collette) mother dies, she starts to uncover more about her mother's controversial past. The more she finds out, the more her family life starts to unravel. Thematically, "Hereditary" tackles the topic of generational trauma and how it's passed down — sometimes unwittingly. However, this movie takes the cruelty and pain then amplifies it by 10 and sets everything on fire. The Graham family goes through the most here, as "Hereditary" features disturbing moments galore.

What's most shocking about this film is how Aster isn't afraid to tear up the rulebook and defy traditional viewer expectations. By the end of the film, the audience has seen so much heartache and suffering that "Hereditary" burns an ever-lasting impression on the psyche. Look, this isn't exactly a fun horror flick to revisit every once in a while, à la "Friday the 13th" or "Scream." This is the kind of movie you watch once and say, "I'm good for life now. I don't ever want to see it again." Even so, just one watch of "Hereditary" will sit with you forever, giving you the heebie-jeebies whenever you think about this spine-chilling film.

• Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
• Director: James Wan
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
• Where to Watch: HBO Max

"Saw" masterminds James Wan and Leigh Whannell combine their horror sensibilities on "Insidious." The story follows married couple Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne), who try to figure out what happened to their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) after he seemingly falls into a coma. The doctors can't explain what's wrong with Dalton, but their world gets turned upside down as they learn more about Josh's past — especially his ability to astral travel to a place known as the Further, which is the space between the living and dead. Dalton inherited this ability from his father, and now he's trapped in this realm and unable to find his way back home.

Rather than rely on expensive special effects, "Insidious" takes an old-school approach to filmmaking. It utilizes impressive practical effects and a spooky score, while it also allows the viewer's mind to run wild and fill in the necessary gaps. This creates an unsettling experience that lingers throughout the movie, holding the tension throughout its entire runtime and gnawing at the audience's desire to see what happens to the Lambert family. This film lays the foundation for the franchise, but it must be said that the original is still the best of the "Insidious" movies. It's remarkable and commendable what it achieves with a $1.5 million budget.

• Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
• Director: Robert Eggers
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
• Where to Watch: HBO Max

In 2015, filmmaker Robert Eggers he unleashed his enchanting debut feature film, "The Witch," upon the world. Set in the 1630s, the folksy horror explores a Puritan family who settles on a farm near a forest. After a devastating event sees the youngest child taken from them, the family struggles with pain and loss. They begin to believe there's evil in the forest targeting them, but this only results in them turning against each other as they also face their own internal issues. Oh, there's also a goat named Black Phillip (voiced by Daniel Malik) that speaks to a few of them, but he isn't as cute as he sounds.

"The Witch" doesn't rely on jump scares or gore to get under the viewer's skin. Instead, it simmers and cooks evenly, turning the audience's mind into its greatest weapon. Of course, this all works because the tone is in sync with the outstanding performances from the likes of Ralph Ineson and Anya Taylor-Joy. One of the film's biggest fans is Stephen King. "'The Witch' scared the hell out of me," he posted on X in 2016. "And it's a real movie, tense and thought-provoking as well as visceral." If the king of horror says it's that good, it's best to just believe him.

• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

Stanley Kubrick remains one of the most visionary filmmakers of all time. While he might have deviated from the source material — much to the chagrin of author Stephen King — there's no disputing that the late auteur produced a masterclass in horror in 1980's "The Shining." Despite the film being decades-old, it continues to hold up — largely thanks to Kubrick's uncanny ability to capture a descent into madness, as well as the legendary performances of Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.

Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, while Duvall portrays his wife, Wendy. The Torrances head up to the Overlook Hotel with their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), where Jack takes a job as the winter caretaker, which looks to be easy work. During this period, Jack hopes to write his next novel, but Danny's clairvoyant abilities uncover a darker truth about the Overlook and its former guests. Isolated and surrounded by the spirits of the Overlook's history, as well as his own personal demons, Jack begins to grow more violent and sinister toward his family.

"The Shining" is a slow-burn story that uses its time wisely to set the stage for the carnage. When the menace reaches its boiling point, it explodes into not only a supernatural horror classic, but also one of the best movies of all time.

• Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor
• Director: James Wan
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Where to Watch: HBO Max

Horror hits harder when it's based on reality. While James Wan's "The Conjuring" doesn't tell you everything about the true story (and ignores the disputes about the Warrens' demonology credentials), this movie brings the terror closer to home. In this film, the Perron family moves into a lovely new home. Unfortunately for them, it appears to be haunted, as a bunch of supernatural events befall the family. Desperate and scared, the family turns to Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) for their assistance to cleanse their home of evil.

Wan lets loose here, zigzagging between a razor-sharp, eerie tone and into-the-ceiling jump scares. The filmmaker pays homage to all the horror directors who came before him by gathering all the best bits from other classic movies and incorporating it all into this stylish flick. Consequently, this plays out like a best-of compilation; but when it clicks, it fires off an unforgettable experience. Much like a theme park ride, "The Conjuring" is fun to revisit over and over again. Even when you think you know where all the scares are, the film finds a new way to get you. Unsurprisingly, this launched "The Conjuring" universe, which became the MCU of horror.

• Cast: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone
• Director: Scott Derrickson
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 64%
• Where to Watch: Paramount+

Like most supernatural horror films, Scott Derrickson's "Sinister" embodies the age-old phrase of "curiosity killed the cat," as the protagonist of this story couldn't leave well enough alone and hightail it to another time zone. Here, true crime novelist Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) and his family move into a new home. It doesn't take long until Ellison discovers a box of tapes depicting murders; but instead of doing the right thing and handing them over to the authorities, he decides to watch them to gain creative inspiration and figure out the full story. As he digs deeper, though, let's just say he gets more than he bargained for and learns his lesson the hard way.

"Sinister" lives up to its name, but it's also highly effective in how it takes the audience on a journey of discovery with Ellison. Everybody knows that they're stepping into dangerous ground, but you can't look away or stop exploring. The further you get into the story, the more harrowing and twisted it becomes. At this point, it's too late to turn back and run away. Hands down, "Sinister" is one of the scariest movies ever made, as it's certainly capable of leaving the viewer with many nightmares after watching it.

• Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
• Director: William Friedkin
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

Based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name, William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" doesn't mess around when it comes to its diabolical nature. This is the film that changed the onscreen depiction of demonic possession forever. From the spider walk to the head spinning and jaw-dropping levitation, nothing was ever the same in the horror genre after the debut of this movie in 1973.

"The Exorcist" sees actor Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) become worried about the erratic behavior of her daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). There's no medical reason for what's happening to Regan, and as the girl starts to demonstrate more demonic tendencies, Chris accepts the assistance of two priests to exorcize the demon Pazuzu that inhabits Regan.

For many, "The Exorcist" is the best horror movie of all time because it transcends the genre. It features practical effects that still look as convincing and terrifying as they did in the '70s, while its story — and certain scenes — continue to stir up discomfort in the audience. Life can be divided into two periods: before watching "The Exorcist" and after. While it's a frightening ordeal, one wishes they could go back and experience it for the first time again, because there's nothing quite like it.