Best Horror Movies by Year Since 1920
Look, we know that it’s the time of year when everyone and their sister has a list of the best horror movies of all time. This time out, we at Rotten Tomatoes decided to take a slightly different tack. Using our weighted formula, we compiled a list of the best-reviewed fright fests from each year since 1920 — the year The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which created the template for horror cinema, was released. This wasn’t an easy assignment — there were several years, like 1932 and 1960, that boasted a slate of classic films (and a few others, like 1937 and 1938, in which we had trouble finding any solid contenders). What was the best horror flick the year you were born? Check out our list — if you dare.
#<span>1920</span>
96%
96%
#<span>1921</span>
100%
100%
#<span>1922</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1923</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1925</span>
90%
90%
#<span>1926</span>
91%
91%
#<span>1927</span>
94%
94%
#<span>1928</span>
100%
100%
#<span>1929</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1930</span>
67%
67%
#<span>1931</span>
94%
94%
#<span>1932</span>
98%
98%
#<span>1933</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1934</span>
89%
89%
#<span>1935</span>
98%
98%
#<span>1939</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1940</span>
79%
79%
#<span>1941</span>
91%
91%
#<span>1942</span>
92%
92%
#<span>1944</span>
100%
100%
#<span>1945</span>
96%
96%
#<span>1946</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1947</span>
63%
63%
#<span>1948</span>
90%
90%
#<span>1949</span>
96%
96%
#<span>1953</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1954</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1955</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1956</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1957</span>
83%
83%
#<span>1958</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1959</span>
80%
80%
#<span>1960</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1961</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1963</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1964</span>
91%
91%
#<span>1965</span>
96%
96%
#<span>1966</span>
81%
81%
#<span>1968</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1969</span>
86%
86%
#<span>1970</span>
81%
81%
#<span>1971</span>
88%
88%
#<span>1972</span>
64%
64%
#<span>1973</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1974</span>
85%
85%
#<span>1975</span>
97%
97%
#<span>1976</span>
94%
94%
#<span>1977</span>
94%
94%
#<span>1978</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1979</span>
93%
93%
#<span>1980</span>
84%
84%
#<span>1981</span>
85%
85%
#<span>1982</span>
88%
88%
#<span>1983</span>
89%
89%
#<span>1984</span>
94%
94%
#<span>1985</span>
89%
89%
#<span>1987</span>
88%
88%
#<span>1988</span>
96%
96%
#<span>1989</span>
88%
88%
#<span>1990</span>
86%
86%
#<span>1991</span>
95%
95%
#<span>1992</span>
69%
69%
#<span>1993</span>
89%
89%
#<span>1994</span>
88%
88%
#<span>1995</span>
85%
85%
#<span>1996</span>
78%
78%
#<span>1997</span>
83%
83%
#<span>1998</span>
98%
98%
#<span>1999</span>
86%
86%
#<span>2000</span>
82%
82%
#<span>2001</span>
93%
93%
#<span>2002</span>
72%
72%
#<span>2003</span>
87%
87%
#<span>2005</span>
75%
75%
#<span>2006</span>
87%
87%
#<span>2007</span>
93%
93%
#<span>2008</span>
98%
98%
#<span>2009</span>
92%
92%
#<span>2010</span>
88%
88%
#<span>2011</span>
91%
91%
#<span>2012</span>
92%
92%
#<span>2013</span>
86%
86%
#<span>2014</span>
98%
98%
#<span>2015</span>
95%
95%
#<span>2016</span>
91%
91%
#<span>2017</span>
98%
98%
#<span>2018</span>
96%
96%
