The 13 Best Fantasy Horror Movies Of All Time
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Escape into terrifyingly fantastical worlds and vote up the best fantasy horror movies of all time.
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An atmospheric and haunting period piece that dives head first into the grim and fantastical world of colonial America, themes and elements of religion and the supernatural blend together to create one of the most poignant and powerful coming of age tales the world has ever seen in The Witch. The directorial debut of Robert Eggers follows a devout family who are banished from their community and forced to live on the outskirts of civilization, only to uncover they aren’t alone, and their prayers won’t keep them safe outside the walls of reality.
More The Witch
- #57 of 397 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
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Guillermo Del Toro transports audiences into a dark and twisted world that blurs the lines of fantasy and reality in his spellbinding tale of love, power, survival, and war within Pan’s Labyrinth. Set in a post-civil war Spain, this magical film follows a young girl who uncovers a secret and mystical labyrinth that leads her to a world filled with strange creatures and deadly foes lying in wait around every corner. With a haunting atmosphere and jaw-dropping visuals, Pan’s Labyrinth manages to expertly weave elements of horror and fantasy to create a world so rich that many will never want to leave, but so terrifying that none will ever want to stay.
More Pan's Labyrinth- #48 of 252 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
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A visually stunning masterpiece from the twisted mind of Dario Argento, Suspiria blends surreal dreamscapes, fantastical elements, and show-stopping images of horrific gore to create a world as sinister and unpredictable as horror fans have ever seen. This haunting mystery follows a young woman who travels to Germany’s most prestigious dance academy only to find out that a coven of witches has overtaken it and will do whatever it takes to keep the power they have. Backed by one of the most iconic and beloved scores in cinematic history thanks to prog-rock band Goblin, the film uses gorgeous sets, lush colors, and lavish lighting to create a sense of wonder that ultimately turn into a hallucinatory nightmarish journey into the depths of human desire.
More Suspiria- #249 of 397 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
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A haunting gothic romance with a supernatural twist, Crimson Peak is the true definition of what beautiful magic the realms of fantasy and horror can create when interwoven. Following a young woman who marries an eccentric wealthy man, the film showcases the move from one world to another as the home of Sir Thomas Sharpe is far more sinister than it appears. With dark and sinister spirits that roam the halls and dark and devilish secrets around every corner, the world of Crimson Peak is a powder keg ready to explode. Combining lush visuals and gorgeously crafted sets, the haunting narrative comes to life in painstaking detail as beauty and dread fill the screen.
More Crimson Peak- #133 of 252 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
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- #20 of 27 on27 Films Stephen King Has Awarded His Personal Stamp Of Approval
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- Army of Darkness
- Universal Pictures
The third and final chapter in the original Evil Dead trilogy, Army of Darkness starts off right where the previous film ends, with series protagonist and ultimate horror hero Ash Williams trapped in medieval times, desperate to return to his own timeline. The beautiful blending of horror, humor, and fantasy is showcased brilliantly thanks to director Sam Raimi’s fantastic directing style combines with whimsical creates reminiscent of classic Ray Harryhausen stop-motion monstrosities. A wonderfully campy and outlandish time, Army of Darkness sets out to be an unforgettably wild ride, and succeeds with flying colors.
More Army of Darkness- #445 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
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An ingenious spin on the classic tale of forbidden romance, Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water is an incredibly loose adaptation of the classic Universal Monsters tale of Creature From the Black Lagoon that dares to ask the question, what if a monster and a woman fell in love. With Del Toro’s trademark blend of surrealism, fantasy, and horror on pitch-perfect display, the film blends a backdrop of the Cold War to tell the tender and sweet relationship between a mute woman and a mysterious amphibious creature held captive and experimented on. While some look at the movie and scoff thanks to a ludicrous premise of a woman falling in love with a fish man, those who are willing to open their minds and enter this fantastical world, will be rewarded with one of the most haunting and beautiful stories of love ever told.
More The Shape of Water- #66 of 96 onThe Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
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One of the most visually stunning films to release in decades, The Green Knight is a stunning and remarkable adaptation of the Arthurian legend that brings to life the tale of Sir Gawain, a young and arrogant knight who must embark on an epic quest in order to save his life. Blending elements of fantasy and horror, the film expertly weaves a world filled with mysticism and magic while remaining grounded and realistic. The film not only honors the classic tale it is based upon, but it also manages to elevate and perfect it, creating a gripping tale that delves into questions of legacy, pride, honor, and the darkness within humanity.
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- House
- Toho
Inarguably one of the most bizarre and outlandish films of all time, House is a wildly inventive and surreal haunted house movie with one sole purpose, to create a narrative so absurd and horrifying, it stays with audiences for the rest of their lives. Following a group of schoolgirls who find themselves trapped and under the mercy of supernatural forces in their country home, the film manages to use experimental filmmaking techniques, psychedelic visual styles, and a bizarre sense of humor to transport audiences into this nightmarish and fantastical world of terror. With an eccentric sense of charm, the film has firmly established itself as a cult classic and one of the best weird horror films of all time.
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Claustrophobic, hallucinatory, and deranged, The Lighthouse manages to be one of the most uncomfortable and disturbing films of all time while simply showing two men on a rock slowly losing their minds. Robert Eggers continues his tradition of weaving masterful tales that combine horror and fantasy in the nightmarish and maddening film that will have audiences questioning their own sanity. This bizarre and masterful psychological thriller combines seafaring folklore with tense homoerotic undertones, despair, and paranoia that masterfully visualizes what it means to completely lose one's sense of self and humanity.
More The Lighthouse- #152 of 252 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
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- Kwaidan
- Bungei
10From the mind of Masaki Kobayashi, Kwaidan is a visually stunning anthology series of Japanese ghost stories that expertly combine elements of folklore, horror, and fantasy to create an eerie and atmospheric cinematic experience unlike any other. With four sinister tales, each more horrifying than the last, the film manages to have an incredibly distinct style for each tale, with beautiful sets and lush colors used to create a dreamlike quality for audiences to get absorbed into. Intrigue, paranoia, and terror film each tale in a film that has established itself as a timeless classic that fuses horror and fantasy better than nearly any film that came before or after it.
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- Mad God
11Revolutionary visual effects artist Phil Tippett created a living, breathing nightmare in Mad God, a film that was nearly 30 years in the making. This masterful stop-motion extravaganza transports audiences into a surreal, nightmare-fueled world filled with some of the most horrifying, disturbing, grotesque, and sinister creations humanity has ever seen. A film that feels more like a fever dream than anything else, there are themes of depression, anxiety, outrage, anger, and macabre sprinkled throughout the film, but this wonderful spectacle of horror simply wants to blur the lines between nightmares and reality and does so in one of the most jaw-dropping and revolutionary ways imaginable.
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- The Lure
- WFDiF
12A bewitching and blood-soaked musical that uses fantasy and horror as a backdrop for a tale of lust, love, and revenge, The Lure is a spellbinding film that uses beauty and tranquility as the ultimate weapon of terror. Telling the tale of two mermaid sisters who are forced to work and perform at a seedy nightclub, the film uses the dark and sinister folklore of mermaids to create an intoxicating experience filled with hypnotic sounds and mesmerizing visuals. Serving as a cautionary tale of desire and the dangers of flying too close to the sun, The Lure is one of the most underrated fantasy horror films that more than deserves a watch.
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- The Love Witch
- Oscilloscope Laboratories
A magical homage to the 1960s Technicolor world of the past, The Love Witch is a film that seems as though it was ripped out of time with its fantastic set designs, saturated color pallet, and psychedelic undertones. The film tells the tale of a modern-day witch who uses her hypnotic powers to seduce and manipulate men for her own benefits and desires, but audiences soon learn there are deadly consequences to her actions. The Love Witch is a fantastic blast from the past that explores themes of love, obsession, and female empowerment in a way that isn’t too over the top, but manages to be a captivating and enthralling experience that will remind many horror fans of a lost time in cinema.
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