I woke up thinking about horror movies, specifically that r/horror is currently running a list of community favorites every year. I could have sworn I’ve done something like this in the past, and sure enough I did – in 2017. Time for an update! Consider the last two years and any time before 1980 – well, any year, really – in flux as there are still movies yet to be seen or, in some cases, rewatched.
Using IMDB’s idea of what horror looks like, these are my favorite horror(ish) movies per year. I skipped years where I hadn’t seen enough or enough relatively decent & memorable movies to make a solid decision.
* = one of my most favorite movies ever
1980 The Shining
1981 An American Werewolf in London
1982 Poltergeist
1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street
1985 Once Bitten* (Fright Night* #2)
1986 Little Shop of Horrors
1987 The Gate*
1988 Child’s Play / They Live
1990 Tremors*
1991 The People Under The Stairs*
1992 Death Becomes Her (Amityville: It’s About Time #2, Waxwork II #3)
1994 Brainscan* (Interview with the Vampire #2)
1995 The Langoliers* (The Day of the Beast #2)
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn* (The Craft #2)
1997 Cube
1998 The Faculty
1999 Ravenous*
2000 Little Otik* (Ginger Snaps #2)
2001 Session 9
2002 Cabin Fever (28 Days Later #2, May #3)
2004 Dawn of the Dead
2006 The Host
2007 The Mist* (REC #2, Paranormal Activity #3)
2008 Pontypool* (Let The Right One In #2)
2009 Dead Snow
2010 Trollhunter
2013 Willow Creek / Devil’s Pass tied in cinematic terribleness
2014 It Follows
2015 Circle (the one about the murder laser)
2016 Train to Busan (10 Cloverfield Lane #2)
2017 Mother! (a soft/reluctant favorite)
2018 Hereditary (Mandy #2, In Fabric #3)
2019 The Platform
2020 #Alive
2021 Titane
2022 Nope (Men #2)
2023 Late Night With The Devil / No One Will Save You
2024 The Substance ?
And adding for future me:
1970s
Alien, House (as in Hausu), Carrie
1960s
Rosemary’s Baby by default of not having seen many 60s horror movies
1920s-1950s
The Old Dark House