Even in the modern cultural landscape, where horror cinema has transcended genre film and is pretty much considered to be mainstream, it can be hard for frightening movies to get their proper critical due. All too often, horror films get dismissed as being just a bunch of jump scares and derivative attempts to terrify people. While it’s true that tons of tepid horror films get released (we’re talking about the likes of “The Devil Inside” and “One Missed Call,” two of the worst horror movies of all time), that’s the case with every genre on the planet. The greatest horror movies can still go toe-to-toe with the peak of any other cinematic genre. Thankfully, top film critics are often keen to remind the general populace of the unique wonders and creative accomplishments of the best horror films. However, it’s still rare that a horror film receives unanimous praise: On Rotten Tomatoes, only nine horror films (as of this writing) have secured an absolutely perfect 100% rating on the Tomatometer.

What’s especially exciting about these nine motion pictures is how varied they are. Rather than just being nine directorial efforts from the same director or the same corner of the horror genre, these fantastic movies all hail from wildly different eras of cinema history and utilize different aesthetics. Whether it’s found footage titles or silent cinema horror, these particular movies go all over the map to get exciting results. At the end of the day, scary features can look like anything — it’s often about mining the mundane for unexpected terror. These nine titles vividly reflect that reality with their accomplishments. The only perfectly-reviewed horror movies on Rotten Tomatoes are a stirring testament to both this genre’s unique prowess and horror’s potential to thrill and inspire in equal measure.

The 2010s was not a peak era for “Frankenstein” adaptations. 2014 brought the reviled “I, Frankenstein” and its tedious take on Mary Shelley’s text. Then came the Thanksgiving 2015 box office flop “Victor Frankenstein,” which wasted top talents James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe on absolute cinematic swill. However, not every mid-2010s “Frankenstein” adaptation was doomed to end up in the discount DVD bin. A few months before “Victor Frankenstein” debuted, writer/director Bernard Rose’s “Frankenstein” arrived on the horror scene. This title focused on a new iteration of Frankenstein’s monster, Adam (Xavier Samuel), who is here created by a pair of married mad scientists. Rose’s screenplay is all about Adam encountering the darker corners of humanity with fresh eyes.

This obscure take on “Frankenstein” hasn’t scored many Rotten Tomatoes-approved reviews, but the reviews it does have all seriously praise it. In particular, this “Frankenstein” adaptation was lauded for its imaginative take on what would happen if Frankenstein’s monster was created in the modern world. Rose’s blending of intellectual and schlocky sensibilities was also a recurring source of praise in reviews, which echoed the adulation the filmmaker received when he helmed the original “Candyman” in 1992. There have been many versions of Frankenstein’s monster in the movies, but this particular take on the character sticks out for all the right reasons. This cult favorite “Frankenstein” adaptation provided a welcome contrast to the shoddy mid-2010s movies adapting the same material and is a must-see for fans of Shelley’s seminal novel.

In the pantheon of 1980s slasher movies, “The Slumber Party Massacre” never quite became as big as “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th.” However, this title endured as enough of a cult favorite that a modern film cashing in on its brand name was inevitable. Such a project emerged in 2021, helmed by Canadian screenwriter and director Danishka Esterhazy, the mind behind the wacky horror comedy “The Banana Splits Movie.”

Like so many modern horror movies reviving franchises of years gone by, “Slumber Party Massacre” played with the saga’s legacy. In this case, new character Dana (Hannah Gonera) ends up getting stuck (with her pals in tow) in a town where original “Massacre” baddie the Driller Killer once rampaged and tormented Dana’s mom. This collision of the past and present was widely praised by critics, who especially appreciated how “Slumber Party Massacre” wasn’t afraid to be fun and silly, a hallmark of Esterhazy’s work.

Even with how much of a cult status the original film has garnered, an overly serious take on this material would have benefitted nobody. Instead, there’s a playfulness to this legacy sequel, which critics appreciated. Praise was also heaped on the unpredictable script and the many gnarly, gore-filled moments. It could have become just another bizarre slasher movie, but Esterhazy tows the line between tacky and terrifying perfectly. It’s no wonder 2021’s “Slumber Party Massacre” blew the critical reception of so many other horror legacy sequels out of the water. 

Actor and director Irving Pichel’s varied filmmaking career took him all over the place. Westerns, war movies, dramas, science fiction flicks — he had many strings to his bow. Interestingly, his debut directorial effort was also his first foray into horror. “The Most Dangerous Game,” an adaptation of the Richard Connell short story of the same name, concerns a man washing up onto an island where a wealthy figure is obsessed with hunting what he considers the perfect prey: other human beings. So begins a chilling cat-and-mouse game where stranded big game hunter Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) tries evading the cunning Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks).

More than 90 years after its debut, the critical track record of “The Most Dangerous Game” remains unblemished. Vintage and modern reviews are equally enthusiastic about the confidence Pichel exuded behind the camera in his first filmmaking effort. The feature’s expert building of tension has been hailed as one of the reasons why “The Most Dangerous Game” is so frighteningly absorbing, as have the excellent performances of McCrea and his co-star Fay Wray, who plays fellow shipwreck survivor Eve Trowbridge. One thing’s for sure: The leads aren’t sleepwalking through this story. They deliver the kind of richly detailed performances you would expect to find in the top drama films from this era.

“Creep” unexpectedly became a cult favorite when it launched in 2014. Part of its success came from the way it centers much of the frights on an unexpected source: A serial killer played by the film’s screenwriter/leading man Mark Duplass. Known for his mumblecore indie films rather than being the heir to the Hannibal Lecter throne, Duplass makes for a perfectly chilling horror baddie. Seeing a guy who exudes believable normalcy also be so nonchalant about violence and possessing women really is shocking, and “Creep” leaves a lasting impression.

Once the “Creep” character of Aaron (Duplass) had been established, he couldn’t just be a one-off villain. Thus, Duplass and director Patrick Brice penned a “Creep 2” script. This time, Aaron lures YouTuber Sara (Desiree Akhavan) to his domicile so that she can chronicle his existence on camera for 24 hours (if she doesn’t, she’ll instantly get killed). This bizarre concept for a horror movie rife with tension (much of it based on whether or not Aaron will remain chill around Sara for long) was a hit with critics.

The endlessly compelling rapport between Aaron and Sara especially received kudos from viewers far and wide, while similar adoration was expressed towards the uniquely eerie atmosphere “Creep 2” conjured up. Most of all, “Creep 2” was viewed as a fantastic extension and expansion of the original film rather than a hollow retread. Once again, Duplass turned out to be the riveting horror icon people never knew they needed. “The character Duplass and Brice have created fascinates and amuses consistently here,” said The Hollywood Reporter in a glowing review. “Full of himself one moment, disarmingly self-critical the next, and afflicted by neuroses he may or may not be explaining honestly, Aaron is both funny and unsettling.”

Thanks to the works of trailblazers like George Méliès, horror storytelling has existed in cinema since the medium’s nascent days. The possibilities for delivering incredibly distinctive scares in this visual artform have been apparent from the start, meaning the silent era of filmmaking was full of horror features. One memorable title that every horror fan should see is “The Golem: How He Came into the World.” This Paul Wegener and Carl Boese directorial effort was a landmark title in the German Expressionism movement, in addition to being just a chilling motion picture in its own right.

Drawing from Gustav Meyrink’s 1915 text “The Golem,” the film chronicles the work of Rabbi Loew (Albert Steinruck) in 16th-century Prague as he builds and brings a Golem (Paul Wegener) to life so it can protect the local Jewish population. However, problems quickly arise since the Golem has been possessed by the malicious spirit Astaroth. This plot informed a movie that critics are still praising more than a century after its theatrical debut. While time can ravage certain movies once deemed classics, “The Golem” has only grown in estimation over the decades as people realize just how heavily it influenced (both visually and narratively) all corners of horror cinema.

The striking production design and imagery, not to mention the unnerving and varied performance from Wegener as the titular entity, have also been routinely praised. “The Golem” perfectly exemplifies how great horror storytelling has always existed within movies. The New York Times reviewed the German flick in 1921, calling it “Fascinating, exciting to the imagination, and yet so unfamiliar in all of its aspects that it always seems remote, elusive even, when one would like to get closer to its meaning.”

If you came to this list looking for a zombie flick that will take you completely by surprise, then stop reading and watch “One Cut of the Dead,” one of the scariest Japanese horror movies of the last decade. Trust us — it’s best to go in blind. If you want to know the hook, then read on, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. So what’s it all about? This indie horror-comedy from Shin’ichirō Ueda is an inspired riff on the found-footage subgenre that begins by depicting a ramshackle cast and crew trying to shoot a zombie film. As is often the case with film sets, nothing is going as planned. In order to get the results he wants, director Takayuki Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) ends up unleashing real zombies on the cast, who suddenly have to go from remembering their lines to fighting for their actual lives.

“One Cut of the Dead” is an inspired commentary on how toxic filmmakers will treat humans as disposable in the name of making a buck. However, what made critics do cartwheels for this feature was also the genuinely frightening scares intertwined with the darkly humorous satire. The commitment to simulating an unbroken take for all the zombie mayhem (hence the title) also garnered praise. Ueda’s script pulling the rug out from under viewers to reveal further meta-layers only made “One Cut of the Dead” an extra riveting and unpredictable creation. The Los Angeles Times called the film “A master class in endless narrative inventiveness and an ode to the resourceful and collaborative spirit of hands-on filmmaking.”

One fascinating recurring fixture across critically acclaimed horror movies is their willingness to delve into challenging and relevant socio-political matters. In confronting topics that many other movies would avoid like the plague, these horror titles reach an unexpected level of thematic depth, imbuing tremendous gravitas to unforgettable frights. A prime example of this is the 2020 title “His House,” which centers a ghost story around the hardships of South Sudanese refugees trying to adjust to their surroundings in an unwelcoming town on the outskirts of London. Scares here do not come from killers wearing hockey masks, but rather the fates of Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) and Bol (Sope Dirisu) being in the hands of nonchalantly racist social workers like Mark (Matt Smith).

Writer-director Remi Weekes is extremely skilled at making the human drama of “His House” plenty compelling on its own terms, even before it’s revealed that ghostly visions are tormenting Rial and Bol. Amplifying the absorbing nature of these characters is the outstanding lead performances, particularly Mosaku in her riveting turn as Rial. There are several motion pictures about tormented immigrant experiences even in the horror realm, but the imagery of “His House” instantly made it a one-of-a-kind artistic accomplishment. In a glowing review, the Los Angeles Times pointed out that “The script’s cleverest gambit is to blur our sense of what kind of movie we might be watching — a thriller about a haunted house or a portrait of the dehumanization of the refugee experience?”

“Where the Devil Roams” is a Depression era horror film about a group of sideshow carnival workers travelling the country. They also happen to be serial killers. Their troupe is dying, and so are the people who happen to cross paths with them. Unabashedly low budget and vicious in its slayings, “Where the Devil Roams” deeply impressed critics, with the trio behind it coming in for high praise: It’s written and directed by its three stars, Toby Poser, John Adams, and their daughter Zelda Adams, collectively known as the Adams Family.

Zelda’s sister Lulu Adams is also a member of this filmmaking family unit. All four worked on the 2021 indie hit “Hellbender,” which, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%, almost made this list. “Where the Devil Roams” goes 3% better, with a perfect score on the Tomatometer. The Adams Family went to the next level with this gripping movie, including refining their gruesome practical effects and dreary atmospheres. Some critics even lauded a complicated tone that asked audiences to get emotionally invested in the carnie serial killers.

The overarching theme in reviews is that the Adams Family aim for a unique tone and never deviate from the vision. “Their collective filmmaking eye is still so compellingly intentional and full of riches,” wrote Nick Allen for RogerEbert.com. “Whether it’s with the desaturated color palette or later full black and white, the Adams are so gifted at filming bleak Americana, corpses, cloudy days, and rotting hands.”

“Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror” is different to the rest of the films on this list: It’s a documentary, but one that horror fans cannot afford to miss. This fascinating doc focuses on the complexities of folk horror movies, one of the richest veins for horror storytelling out there. It explores how folk horror came to dominate pop culture, from its origins to its modern renaissance in titles like “The Witch” and “Midsommar.”

Rather than settling for surface-level name drops of familiar horror movies, this 193-minute odyssey dives into various deeply specific cultural benchmarks from the history of folk horror. This allows the documentary makers to insightfully explore profoundly different manifestations of this material as well as what recurring themes across these stories keep luring people to the folk horror domain. It’s a labor of love for the creators, and it really shows.

Director Kier-La Janisse’s strong sense of pacing across this epic documentary, as well as how the production unearths new layers of thematic importance in deeply familiar works like “The Wicker Man,” secured widespread applause from critics. Writing for RogerEbert.com, Kristy Puchko pointed out how “the enthusiasm of all involved is absolutely infectious” before calling the doc “a resplendent treasure for horror lovers, sure to excite, inspire, and awe.”