Best Horror Movies of the 1950s

1. 1
   Godzilla 1954

   Directed by Ishirō Honda · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Cinemax
   7.5

   7.6 · 1.2K votes
2. 2
   Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956

   Directed by Don Siegel · Streaming on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+
   7.4

   7.5 · 1.3K votes
3. 3
   The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957

   Directed by Jack Arnold · Streaming on Darkroom
   7.3

   7.5 · 593 votes
4. 4
   Dracula 1958

   Directed by Terence Fisher · Streaming on Hoopla, TCM
   7.1

   7.2 · 742 votes
5. 5
   The Fly 1958

   Directed by Kurt Neumann · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV
   6.9

   7.0 · 636 votes
6. 6
   The Bad Seed 1956

   Directed by Mervyn LeRoy · Streaming on fuboTV, Philo, Kanopy
   6.9

   7.1 · 278 votes
7. 7
   Night of the Demon 1957

   Directed by Jacques Tourneur · Streaming on Philo, Fandor, Night Flight Plus
   6.8

   7.0 · 326 votes
8. 8
   House of Wax 1953

   Directed by André de Toth · Streaming on HBO Max
   6.8

   6.9 · 406 votes
9. 9
   Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954

   Directed by Jack Arnold · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, FlixHouse
   6.7

   6.8 · 900 votes
10. 10
    Them! 1954

    Directed by Gordon Douglas · Streaming on IndieFlix, Plex Channel, Fawesome
    6.7

    6.8 · 492 votes
11. 11
    The Hound of the Baskervilles 1959

    Directed by Terence Fisher · Streaming on JustWatch TV Free, JustWatch TV Plus, The Roku Channel
    6.7

    6.8 · 397 votes
12. 12
    House on Haunted Hill 1959

    Directed by William Castle · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, JustWatch TV Free, fuboTV
    6.7

    6.7 · 649 votes
13. 13
    The Tell-Tale Heart 1953

    Directed by Ted Parmelee
    6.6

    7.2 · 91 votes
14. 14
    The Thing from Another World 1951

    Directed by Christian Nyby · Streaming on The Roku Channel, TCM, Fawesome
    6.6

    6.7 · 723 votes
15. 15
    The Curse of Frankenstein 1957

    Directed by Terence Fisher · Streaming on fuboTV, Hoopla, TCM
    6.6

    6.8 · 365 votes
16. 16
    Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean 1957

    Directed by Ishirō Honda
    6.6

    8.6 · 21 votes
17. 17
    The Mummy 1959

    Directed by Terence Fisher · Streaming on HBO Max, TCM
    6.5

    6.7 · 275 votes
18. 18
    The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms 1953

    Directed by Eugène Lourié
    6.4

    6.6 · 211 votes
19. 19
    The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1956

    Directed by Jean Delannoy
    6.4

    6.7 · 125 votes
20. 20
    A Bucket of Blood 1959

    Directed by Roger Corman · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo
    6.4

    6.6 · 171 votes
21. 21
    Tarantula 1955

    Directed by Jack Arnold
    6.4

    6.5 · 315 votes
22. 22
    Dementia 1955

    Directed by John Parker · Streaming on Kanopy, FlixHouse, Plex
    6.4

    6.7 · 87 votes
23. 23
    Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 1956

    Directed by Terry O. Morse · Streaming on Criterion Channel, Cinemax, Darkroom
    6.4

    6.5 · 294 votes
24. 24
    The Revenge of Frankenstein 1958

    Directed by Terence Fisher · Streaming on fuboTV, YouTube Free, Tubi TV
    6.4

    6.6 · 159 votes
25. 25
    The Quatermass Xperiment 1955

    Directed by Val Guest · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, YouTube Free
    6.4

    6.5 · 241 votes
26. 26
    The Mad Magician 1954

    Directed by John Brahm · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV
    6.4

    6.9 · 51 votes
27. 27
    Rodan 1956

    Directed by Ishirō Honda · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Cinemax
    6.4

    6.5 · 198 votes
28. 28
    The White Reindeer 1952

    Directed by Erik Blomberg · Streaming on Philo, AMC Plus, AMC+
    6.3

    6.6 · 89 votes
29. 29
    The Monolith Monsters 1957

    Directed by John Sherwood · Streaming on Fawesome, Tubi TV
    6.3

    6.5 · 90 votes
30. 30
    The Tingler 1959

    Directed by William Castle · Streaming on fuboTV, FlixFling, YouTube Free
    6.3

    6.4 · 206 votes
31. 31
    Quatermass 2 1957

    Directed by Val Guest · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel, Fawesome
    6.3

    6.4 · 154 votes
32. 32
    It Came from Outer Space 1953

    Directed by Jack Arnold · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Fawesome
    6.3

    6.3 · 265 votes
33. 33
    The Vampire 1957

    Directed by Fernando Méndez · Streaming on Pluto TV
    6.3

    6.6 · 51 votes
34. 34
    Lake of the Dead 1958

    Directed by Kåre Bergstrøm · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel, Eternal Family
    6.2

    6.6 · 48 votes
35. 35
    Ghost Story of Yotsuya 1959

    Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa · Streaming on Philo, AMC+, Hoopla
    6.2

    6.5 · 64 votes
36. 36
    The Vampire's Coffin 1958

    Directed by Fernando Méndez · Streaming on Pluto TV
    6.2

    6.6 · 38 votes
37. 37
    The Cuckoo Clock 1950

    Directed by Tex Avery
    6.2

    6.8 · 24 votes
38. 38
    The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome 1954

    Directed by Kenneth Anger
    6.2

    6.4 · 73 votes
39. 39
    A Short Vision 1956

    Directed by Peter Foldès
    6.2

    6.8 · 26 votes
40. 40
    Return to Youth 1954

    Directed by Juan Bustillo Oro
    6.2

    7.4 · 11 votes
41. 41
    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man 1951

    Directed by Charles Lamont · Streaming on Philo, AMC Plus, AMC+
    6.2

    6.3 · 123 votes
42. 42
    Scared Stiff 1953

    Directed by George Marshall · Streaming on MGM Plus
    6.2

    6.5 · 45 votes
43. 43
    The Blob 1958

    Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. · Streaming on HBO Max, Philo, YouTube TV
    6.2

    6.2 · 698 votes
44. 44
    20 Million Miles to Earth 1957

    Directed by Nathan Juran · Streaming on fuboTV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla
    6.2

    6.2 · 179 votes
45. 45
    Lust of the Vampire 1957

    Directed by Riccardo Freda
    6.2

    6.3 · 85 votes
46. 46
    The Black Castle 1952

    Directed by Nathan Juran
    6.2

    6.4 · 50 votes
47. 47
    The Stranglers of Bombay 1959

    Directed by Terence Fisher
    6.2

    6.5 · 32 votes
48. 48
    Gigantis, the Fire Monster 1959

    Directed by Motoyoshi Oda
    6.2

    6.4 · 41 votes
49. 49
    Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1953

    Directed by Charles Lamont · Streaming on Philo, AMC Plus, AMC+
    6.1

    6.2 · 100 votes
50. 50
    Dracula in Istanbul 1953

    Directed by Mehmet Muhtar
    6.1

    7.0 · 11 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Black Cat Mansion 1958

   Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa
   6.1

   6.5 · 19 votes
2. 2
   Return to Glennascaul 1952

   Directed by Hilton Edwards · Streaming on Criterion Channel
   6.1

   6.4 · 29 votes
3. 3
   Black Pit of Dr. M 1959

   Directed by Fernando Méndez · Streaming on Pluto TV
   6.1

   6.4 · 25 votes
4. 4
   The Man and the Monster 1959

   Directed by Rafael Baledón
   6.1

   6.4 · 16 votes
5. 5
   The Man Without a Face 1950

   Directed by Juan Bustillo Oro
   6.1

   6.4 · 17 votes
6. 6
   White Witch Doctor 1953

   Directed by Henry Hathaway
   6.1

   6.5 · 11 votes
7. 7
   Donovan's Brain 1953

   Directed by Felix E. Feist · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, FlixFling, Fawesome
   6.1

   6.2 · 42 votes
8. 8
   The Vampire 1957

   Directed by Paul Landres · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor
   6.1

   6.2 · 35 votes
9. 9
   The Ghost of Yotsuya 1959

   Directed by Kenji Misumi · Streaming on AMC Plus, AMC+, Shudder
   6.1

   6.3 · 14 votes
10. 10
    Jack the Ripper 1959

    Directed by Robert S. Baker · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Shout! Factory TV
    6.1

    6.2 · 26 votes