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The scariest films to watch on Halloween

Creepy, tense and properly frightening: the films that score high on atmosphere and suspense, not just gore. Pick one for 31 October.

Hereditary (2018) is number one on this list, with a Scare Scale score of 10.0 out of 10 from 1 rating. It's followed by It Ends (2026) and When Evil Lurks (2023).

31 films · Updated

Films in this list

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 film to watch on Halloween?
Hereditary (2018) is number one on this list, with a Scare Scale score of 10.0 out of 10 from 1 rating. It's followed by It Ends (2026) and When Evil Lurks (2023).
How is this list put together?
Rated horror films with an overall Scare Scale score of 6 or more, a creepy score of 5 or more and a suspense score of 5 or more, 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.