Anthropophagous
1980
8.0/10
The scariest classic horror films
Horror from before 1990 that still frightens people today, ranked by Scare Scale score.
Anthropophagous (1980) is number one on this list, with a Scare Scale score of 8.0 out of 10 from 1 rating. It's followed by Videodrome (1983) and Dressed to Kill (1980).
50 films · Average score 6.5 out of 10 · Updated
Films in this list
Videodrome
1983
8.0/10
Dressed to Kill
1980
7.2/10
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
1985
7.2/10
Hellraiser
1987
7.2/10
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964
7.2/10
Night of the Living Dead
1968
7.2/10
Prince of Darkness
1987
7.2/10
Psycho
1960
7.2/10
Repulsion
1965
7.2/10
Shock
1977
7.2/10
The Exorcist
1973
7.2/10
The Fury
1978
7.2/10
The Gate
1987
7.2/10
Absurd
1981
6.6/10
Baron Blood
1972
6.6/10
Damien - Omen II
1978
6.6/10
Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977
6.6/10
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
1988
6.6/10
Jaws 2
1978
6.6/10
Pet Sematary
1989
6.6/10
Poltergeist
1982
6.6/10
Poltergeist III
1988
6.6/10
Scanners
1981
6.6/10
The Changeling
1980
6.6/10
The Driller Killer
1979
6.6/10
The Evil Dead
1983
6.6/10
Warlock
1989
6.6/10
Witchcraft (Evil Encounters)
1988
6.6/10
Alien
1979
6.0/10
And Then There Were None
1974
6.0/10
Angel Heart
1987
6.0/10
Attack of the Blind Dead
1973
6.0/10
Day of the Dead
1985
6.0/10
Dead Ringers
1988
6.0/10
DeepStar Six
1989
6.0/10
Doctor Butcher M.D.
1980
6.0/10
Faces of Death III
1985
6.0/10
Friday the 13th Part III
1982
6.0/10
From Beyond
1986
6.0/10
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
1988
6.0/10
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
1989
6.0/10
Making Contact
1985
6.0/10
Onibaba
1964
6.0/10
Orca
1977
6.0/10
Phantasm II
1988
6.0/10
Psycho II
1983
6.0/10
Psycho III
1986
6.0/10
The Amityville Horror
1979
6.0/10
The Company of Wolves
1984
6.0/10
Seen one of these and think it's in the wrong place? Open the film and add your rating. Every score here comes from people who've watched it.
About this list
- What is the scariest classic horror film?
- Anthropophagous (1980) is number one on this list, with a Scare Scale score of 8.0 out of 10 from 1 rating. It's followed by Videodrome (1983) and Dressed to Kill (1980).
- How is this list put together?
- Rated horror films released in 1989 or earlier, ranked by overall Scare Scale score, highest first. Every score is the average of ratings from people who've watched the film, out of 10, and the list updates as new ratings come in.