The 15 Scariest Movies of the Last 15 Years

You can only watch Hocus Pocus so many times. (Or so we’re told.)

And seeing as Disney has yet to announce a sequel, you may find yourself in search of another movie to watch this Halloween. Sure, there are plenty of classics to choose from, but why not try one of these truly frightening movies from the last decade and a half?

MORE: 13 Hilariously Horrible Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween

In no particular order…

1. The Babadook (2014)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: The boogeyman. The movie follows a single mother and her young son as they’re tormented by a picture book character come to life -- the titular Babadook -- and features a truly creepy take on the mysterious phone call.

2. Let the Right One In (2008)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Children. Take your pick: Either vampire children, who must kill to eat, or human children who just want to kill. Come for the terrifying kids, stay to watch someone pour acid on his own face.

3. The Conjuring (2013)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Dolls. There are plenty of paranormal frights to be found in this exorcism flick, but the biggest scare is Annabelle the doll -- hence, her own spin-off. Still, it’s worth watching the original.

4. The Woman in Black (2012)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Suicide. The crux of this one is darker than most horror films: The woman in black of the title lures small children to their own deaths. There really isn’t a silver lining; it’s just a depressing, scary movie.

5. 28 Days Later (2002)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Monkeys. It’s a zombie film that gives the undead a much-needed update -- spoiler alert: they're fast this time -- but it’s the chimpanzees infected with rage-inducing virus that haunt our nightmares.

WATCH: Colton Haynes Wins Halloween With Insane Ursula Costume

6. It Follows (2014)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Sex. The scariest part of It Follows is that you don’t actually know what follows. But after a sexual encounter, a teenager is suddenly haunted by something, or someone, and we certainly were on the edge of our seat to find out why.

7. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Zombies. Maybe there are more laughs in this horror-comedy, but the undead will give you a jump or two! And there are gruesome deaths aplenty! Really, we just love this movie and you should too.

8. Saw (2004)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Puppets. Before the endless onslaught of mediocre sequels, there was the original. And the original contained plenty to fear: Pig-masked kidnappers. Murderous puzzles. And a creepy old marionette named Billy that rides a tricycle.

9. The Strangers (2008)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: People. There is nothing more terrifying than senseless violence, and that’s the premise here: A couple is tormented and tortured by three complete strangers in masks, with no explanation as to why.

10. Corpse Bride (2005)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Commitment, for the adults out there. This one won’t keep you up at night, but the Tim Burton saga has enough skeletons, undead, and maggots popping out of eye sockets to spook a small child. And that’s fun too.

MORE: Look Back on Wes Craven's Scariest, Most Influential Horror Films

11. The Descent (2005)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Your best friend. The premise of the movie is simple: A group of female friends go spelunking in caves filled with humanoid monsters. It’s how they betray each other that will stick with you after the movie ends.

12. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: The monster under your bed. In true Joss Whedon fashion, there’s a lot going on here: Horror, comedy, oodles of clever one-liners, and, of course, zombies, giant snakes, werewolves, and a unicorn. That’s just naming a few.

13. Goodnight Mommy (2015)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Your own kids. We can’t get into details, or we will spoil the movie. Just know it’s about a mom who returns home after extensive plastic surgery and her twin boys start to suspect that, underneith the bandages, she’s not their mom anymore. Now go watch it!

14. Hostel (2005)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Traveling abroad. Director Eli Roth kicked off a modern resurgence of torture porn films with this gore-for-gore’s sake tale of two college students traveling across Europe who decide to bunk at the wrong hostel. It will make you never want to cut costs on a hotel again.

15. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Watch This One If You’re Scared Of: Being possessed by a demon. Nowadays, you can see the scares coming a mile away in whatever Paranormal Activity sequel they’re pumping out this year. Back when found footage was a fairly nouveau idea, the first installment utilized it to create some truly scary and, more importantly, surprising moments. Katie just standing next to the bed for hours? Still gives us chills.

From Beyoncé to Nick Jonas, check out the best celebrity costumes so far:

See the Top Celeb Halloween Costumes so Far...

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next

Related Gallery

The Best Celeb Halloween Costumes