The Best English Horror Movies
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1Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt EklandIn The Wicker Man, Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) is drawn to the isolated Scottish island of Summerisle. His mission? To investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Yet, he finds himself plunged into a world of strange rituals and customs, led by the enigmatic Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). As Howie digs deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a chilling secret. The film, a classic in the horror genre, won Best Horror Film at the 1974 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Its blend of suspense and shock continues to captivate audiences today.More The Wicker Man
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- 2Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael GoughOn a search for his missing friend Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle. Upon arriving, Van Helsing finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing struggles to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.More Dracula
3David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin DunneWatch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialIn the genre-bending horror-comedy, An American Werewolf in London, college students David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) encounter a werewolf during their backpacking trip through Britain. After this harrowing incident, David wakes up in a London hospital only to learn of Jack's unfortunate demise. Nurse Alex Price (Jenny Agutter) becomes his caretaker and confidante, as he navigates through disturbing nightmares and horrifying transformations. Directed by John Landis, this film is renowned for its groundbreaking makeup effects by Rick Baker, which earned it an Academy Award in 1982. It successfully melds horror with humor while delivering a unique take on the classic werewolf lore.
4Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David WarnerIn the chilling classic, The Omen, Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) is an American diplomat who adopts a newborn child to replace his own son, lost at birth. Unbeknownst to his wife Katherine (Lee Remick), their new son Damien (Harvey Stephens) holds a sinister secret. As the boy grows, bizarre and horrifying events unfold around them. Directed by Richard Donner, this supernatural horror film won an Academy Award for its haunting score. A tale of prophecy and peril, The Omen weaves an intricate narrative that leaves viewers questioning the nature of destiny and evil.
5Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, Naomie HarrisIn the suspenseful thriller 28 Days Later, London bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakens from a coma in an abandoned hospital. He finds the city eerily deserted, save for infected humans ravaged by a mysterious virus. Meeting a small group of survivors, including the stalwart Selena (Naomie Harris), they navigate the post-apocalyptic landscape, clinging to hope. Directed by Danny Boyle, this film masterfully combines elements of horror and drama, presenting a chilling scenario of societal collapse due to a relentless pandemic. Its raw depiction of survival amidst chaos earned critical acclaim and notable box-office success.More 28 Days Later- #23 of 252 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
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- 6Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard JohnsonTrapped within the eerie confines of Hill House, Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris) is a participant in a paranormal investigation led by Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson). The supernatural thriller The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise, weaves a tale of psychological terror as Eleanor finds herself increasingly drawn to the mansion's mysterious past and its deceased inhabitants. As the investigation unfolds, so does the house's chilling grip on Eleanor's psyche, escalating towards an unnerving climax. Notably, Claire Bloom portrays Theodora, a character significant for her implied homosexuality - a bold move for cinema in 1963.More The Haunting
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- 7Vincent Price, Jane Asher, Hazel CourtThis film is a 1964 British horror film directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. The story follows a prince who terrorizes a plague-ridden peasantry while merrymaking in a lonely castle with his jaded courtiers. The screenplay, written by Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell, was based upon the 1842 short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, and incorporates a sub-plot based on another Poe tale, Hop-Frog.
- 8Daniel Radcliffe, Misha Handley, Roger AllamIn the eerie horror flick The Woman in Black, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a young lawyer, is tasked with settling the affairs of a deceased woman in a remote English village. The villagers live in fear of a spectral lady dressed in black, who haunts the abandoned estate Kipps is to handle. As he delves into the mystery surrounding this apparition, Kipps uncovers a tragic past laced with secrets and death. The chilling atmosphere and Radcliffe's compelling performance drive this Gothic tale forward, making it an unforgettable journey into the supernatural.
- 9Deborah Kerr, Martin Stephens, Pamela FranklinBased on the Henry James story "The Turn of the Screw," a psychological thriller about a woman who takes a governess job for two orphans in a Victorian home. She begins to see what she believes are ghosts and suspects the children's bizarre behavior is the result of supernatural powers.More The Innocents
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10Vincent Price, Elisabeth Bergner, Patrick MowerMonomaniacal witch hunter Lord Edward Whitman (Vincent Price) cruelly persecutes the peasants in his corner of Elizabethan England, manufacturing charges and meting out punishment without regard to justice. While trying to wipe out a coven of witches, he fails to take into account the possibility that real witches might have real power. He is unprepared when Oona (Elisabeth Bergner), the head of the coven, transforms a trusted member of Whitman's household into a vehicle of demonic vengeance.- 11Karlheinz Böhm, Moira Shearer, Anna MasseyLoner Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen (Anna Massey), the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making. She sneaks into Mark's apartment to watch it and is horrified by what she sees -- especially when Mark catches her.More Peeping Tom
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12Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy DavisShaun of the Dead is a British horror-comedy film, where Shaun (Simon Pegg) plays an ordinary salesman whose life spirals into zombie-infested chaos. His best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), joins him in this unexpected journey. The duo's lackadaisical attitude towards the undead apocalypse creates a unique blend of horror and humor, making it a standout in its genre. Directed by Edgar Wright, the movie received critical acclaim upon release for its clever script and memorable performances. It's not just about surviving zombies; it's also about rekindling relationships and seizing control of one's life amidst all the madness.More Shaun of the Dead- #169 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
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13Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight FryeIn the atmospheric film Dracula, Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) emerges from Transylvanian shadows, a creature of the night with a thirst for human blood. He travels to England, leaving a trail of terror in his wake. Renowned vampire hunter Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) is hot on his heels, intent on ending Dracula's reign of horror. The chilling narrative escalates as the count sets his sights on Mina (Helen Chandler), driving her friends and family into a desperate race against time. This iconic 1931 horror classic, directed by Tod Browning, won three Academy Awards and remains a staple in the genre.More Dracula- #77 of 375 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
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14Franka Potente, Jeremy Sheffield, Joe AndersonCreep is a 2004 independent British horror film written and directed by Christopher Smith, about a woman locked in overnight on the London Underground who finds herself being stalked by a hideously deformed killer living in the sewers below. The film was first shown at the Frankfurt Fantasy Filmfest in Germany on 10 August 2004.
15Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda StauntonIn post-World War I England a writer and sometime-ghost hunter (Rebecca Hall) investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.- 16Catherine Deneuve, Yvonne Furneaux, Ian HendryIn Roman Polanski's first English-language film, beautiful young manicurist Carole (Catherine Deneuve) suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen (Yvonne Furneaux), leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend (Ian Hendry), Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.
17Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland CulverArchitect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) goes to Pilgrim's Farm to see a potential client. When he arrives at the house, he gets the feeling that he has been there before. Once inside, he meets a group of people who seem oddly familiar. He tells them that he has dreamt about each one of them and begins to list events that occurred in the dream. Walter's revelations begin a conversation amongst the group, and each person admits to having experienced a strange, unexplainable event.
18Joan Fontaine, Leonard Rossiter, Alec McCowenThe Witches is a 1966 British horror film made by Hammer Films. It was adapted by Nigel Kneale from the novel The Devil's Own by Norah Lofts, under the pseudonym Peter Curtis. It was directed by Cyril Frankel and starred Joan Fontaine, Alec McCowen, Kay Walsh, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting, Gwen Ffrangcon Davies and Rudolph Walker. This was the final big-screen film role for Fontaine.
19Peter Cushing, Patrick Troughton, Madeline SmithFrankenstein and the Monster From Hell is a 1974 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It stars Peter Cushing, Shane Briant and David Prowse. Filmed at Elstree Studios in 1972 but not released until 1974, it was the final chapter in the Hammer Frankenstein saga of films as well as director Fisher's last film. The film was released on UK DVD+Blu-ray on 28 April 2014, with all previously censored scenes restored.
20Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Freddie JonesFrankenstein Must Be Destroyed is a British horror film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer Film Productions from 1969. The cast includes Peter Cushing, Freddie Jones, Veronica Carlson and Simon Ward. The film is the fifth in a series of Hammer films centering on Dr. Frankenstein, who, in this entry, tries brain surgery to save an associate who went mad.- 21Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Gail RussellWhile vacationing on the English coast, composer Rick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) find an an abandoned 18th-century house and decide to buy it. The owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), associates it with the tragic death of his daughter and is willing to part with it despite his granddaughter Stella's (Gail Russell) objection. The Fitzgeralds move in and soon find themselves, with the help of Stella, battling it out with two very prickly ghosts.
- 22Finn Atkins, Michael Fassbender, James GandhiDuring a romantic weekend getaway, a young couple confronts a gang of youths, and suffers brutal consequences.More Eden Lake
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- 23Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland, Herbert LomWhen Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) goes on a job interview at a British insane asylum, he learns that he must interview the asylum's inmates in order to be considered for the position. Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who is wheelchair-bound because of an assault by an inmate, tells Dr. Martin that he will consider him for the position if he can discover which of the inmates is Dr. Starr, a former head doctor at the asylum who suffered a nervous breakdown.More Asylum
24Christopher Lee, Nickolas Grace, Venetia StevensonA creepy classic! A young college student Nan Barlow visits the village of Whitewood, Massachusetts to do some research into New England witchcraft. Her tutor, Professor Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee), recommends the Raven's Inn, run by a Mrs. Newless. Nan finds the town loaded with low-hanging fog and occupied by the reincarnation of an infamous witch burned at the stake in the 17th century. This movie is also known as City of the Dead.More The City of the Dead- #34 of 55 onThe Best Horror Movies About Cults and Conspiracies
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25Dolly Read, Edward de Souza, Clifford EvansThe Kiss of the Vampire also known as Kiss of Evil, is a 1963 British vampire film made by the film studio Hammer Film Productions. The film was directed by Don Sharp and was written by producer Anthony Hinds credited under his writing pseudonym John Elder.
26Robert Hardy, Michael Hordern, Paul JonesDemons of the Mind is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Peter Sykes and produced Anglo-EMI, Frank Godwin Productions and Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Christopher Wicking, based on a story by Frank Godwin. It was released on 5 November 1972. The cast includes Gillian Hills, Robert Hardy, Patrick Magee, Michael Hordern and Shane Briant.- 27
Censor
Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas BurnsA British film censor links a disturbing horror movie to her sister's mysterious disappearance. 
28Vincent Price, Britt Ekland, Donald PleasenceThe Monster Club is a 1980 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Vincent Price and John Carradine. An anthology film, it is based on the works of the British horror author R. Chetwynd-Hayes. It was the final film from Milton Subotsky who was best known for his work with Amicus Productions; Amicus were well known for their anthologies but this was not an Amicus film. It was also the final feature film directed by Baker.
29Oliver Reed, Shirley Anne Field, Macdonald CareyThe Damned is a 1963 British science fiction film starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field and Oliver Reed. It was a Hammer Film production directed by Joseph Losey and based on H.L. Lawrence's novel The Children of Light.
30George Sanders, Nicky Henson, Beryl ReidA young biker gang leader makes a pact with the Devil and uses it to win himself eternal life. His gang follow suit and join him on a rampage across the country. Would-be immortals first need to kill themselves, and if their faith wavers at the last moment they do not come back.
