The 10 scariest movies ranked according to science (and how scary they actually are)

6. Hereditary

• Release Year: 2018
• Director: Ari Aster
• Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd
• Scare Level, According to Us: 4/5
• Where to Watch: Streaming on Max, Amazon Prime Video with the Max add-on, available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV

Hereditary is one of my favorite horror movies of all time, and probably the best of the past decade. It’s certainly the best title on this list and I would consider it one of the scariest, too. The premise goes like this: A parent and wife named Annie is mourning the loss of her mother, who she had a complicated relationship with. After another major tragedy in the family, those left are tormented by some sort of demonic spirit in their home which may or may not have a connection to the late grandmother.

To say this movie is unpredictable would be an understatement. It’s incredibly original and features twists and turns that’ll leave you absolutely shocked by the end.

Though it doesn’t necessarily scare me much, I fully understand why Hereditary is considered a brutal horror film that will haunt audiences for a while to come. There is a lot of graphic violence and blood, but there are also many frightening scenes that are psychologically disturbing rather than visually. It’s a near-perfect movie and Toni Collette’s performance is one of the best in horror to date.

5. The Conjuring

• Release Year: 2013
• Director: James Wan
• Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver
• Scare Level, According to Us: 3/5
• Where to Watch: Streaming on Max, Amazon Prime Video with the Max add-on, available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV

The Conjuring received widespread attention when it hit theaters and was given an R-rating just for being scary. That’s right — there’s little-to-no profanity, sex, nudity, or drug use in the movie, but the MPAA determined it would get the R-rating “for sequences of disturbing violence and terror.” Of course, that got countless horror fans to the theater to check it out, including myself. But while the movie is decent in terms of overall quality, I remember being very disappointed when it came to the scare level.

The movie takes place in the early 1970s and follows the real-life paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who travel to Rhode Island to meet with a family who is experiencing disturbing events in their new home. There are creepy and entertaining moments throughout The Conjuring, and the performances are particularly strong. But in terms of being scary, it’s not so bad. It’s suspenseful, which could get your heart rate up, but there’s nothing that’ll stay with you.

The Conjuring was incredibly successful and spawned multiple sequels, all varying in quality. For better or for worse, the series is still going on, with The Conjuring: Last Rites currently in development.