Cinema history has given us an untold number of truly noteworthy horror films, from ghost stories like Poltergeist and The Conjuring; zombie movies like 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead; slashers like Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street; and psychological horror flicks like Misery and The Babadook. Despite being critically acclaimed and fan-favorites from the genre, what makes those films so similar to each other? None of them made it onto IMDb User’s Top 250 of all time. Which raises the question, what did? There are weirdly only ten true-blue horror movies on the list, but a few that have horror elements but aren’t typically considered members of the genre weren’t considered including the likes of Rear Window, Aliens, Requiem for a Dream, A Clockwork Orange, Dial M for Murder, and The Terminator. Here are the ten best horror movies according to IMDB’s Top 250.

There have been many attempts to replicate the pure power and success of William Friedkin’s , both within and outside of the IP. None of them have been able to hold a candle to it. IMDb voters may have put it all the way down at number 229, but there’s a more than fair argument that this is truly the greatest straightforward horror film of all time.