watchdarkly

Horror by Mood

The Goriest Horror Movies

Ranked by gore score

FilterGore ≥ 7 · every film that matches
By Alan WilleyLast updated

Every film on this list scores 7 or higher on watchdarkly's 0–10 gore axis — the dimension that measures graphic violence and blood, independent of how frightening or atmospheric a film is. The list is ranked by gore score, highest first.

01
Martyrs (2008) poster

Martyrs (2008)

Gore
10.0
Fear
3.0
Atmosphere
5.0
Overall
7.5

A young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child leads her and her best friend, also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.

02
The Loved Ones (2009) poster

The Loved Ones (2009)

Gore
9.0
Fear
3.0
Atmosphere
7.0
Overall
7.0

When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.

03
Terrifier (2016) poster

Terrifier (2016)

Gore
9.0
Fear
5.0
Atmosphere
7.5
Overall
7.0

A maniacal clown named Art terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.

04
Hostel (2005) poster

Hostel (2005)

Gore
8.8
Fear
3.5
Atmosphere
7.1
Overall
6.3

Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

05
Evil Dead Burn (2026) poster

Evil Dead Burn (2026)

Gore
8.6
Fear
5.0
Atmosphere
7.0
Overall
7.2

After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life... live on even in death.

06
Predator 2 (1990) poster

Predator 2 (1990)

Gore
8.6
Fear
2.0
Atmosphere
6.0
Overall
6.8

A police chief in the war-torn streets of Los Angeles discovers that an extraterrestrial creature is hunting down residents - and that he is the next target.

07
Evil Dead (2013) poster

Evil Dead (2013)

Gore
8.5
Fear
6.0
Atmosphere
8.0
Overall
8.0

Mia, a drug addict, is determined to kick the habit. To that end, she asks her brother, David, his girlfriend, Natalie and their friends Olivia and Eric to accompany her to their family's remote forest cabin to help her through withdrawal. Eric finds a mysterious Book of the Dead at the cabin and reads aloud from it, awakening an ancient demon. All hell breaks loose when the malevolent entity possesses Mia.

08
Hellraiser (1987) poster

Hellraiser (1987)

Gore
8.5
Fear
6.0
Atmosphere
8.0
Overall
8.0

A hedonistic man finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons a group of gruesome beings known as the Cenobites. These otherworldly entities open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.

Your verdict

Think the ranking's wrong?

Score these films yourself. Your ratings build your taste profile, and Watch Darkly learns it to recommend more.

Free · takes a minute
09
Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) poster

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)

Gore
8.5
Fear
7.1
Atmosphere
8.2
Overall
8.0

The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

10
哭悲 (2021) poster

哭悲 (2021)

Gore
8.3
Fear
4.0
Atmosphere
6.0
Overall
8.0

A young couple is pushed to the limits of sanity as they attempt to be reunited amid the chaos of a pandemic outbreak. The streets erupt into violence and depravity, as those infected are driven to enact the most cruel and ghastly things imaginable.

11
Friday the 13th (1980) poster

Friday the 13th (1980)

Gore
8.0
Fear
6.0
Atmosphere
7.0
Overall
7.0

Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

12
Obsession (2025) poster

Obsession (2025)

Gore
8.0
Fear
6.7
Atmosphere
8.2
Overall
8.4

After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

13
Evil Dead Rise (2023) poster

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Gore
8.0
Fear
7.5
Atmosphere
7.8
Overall
7.9

A reunion between two estranged sisters gets cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

14
Predator (1987) poster

Predator (1987)

Gore
8.0
Fear
3.0
Atmosphere
8.0
Overall
8.0

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

15
Smile 2 (2024) poster

Smile 2 (2024)

Gore
8.0
Fear
7.6
Atmosphere
9.5
Overall
8.6

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

16
Malignant (2021) poster

Malignant (2021)

Gore
8.0
Fear
6.5
Atmosphere
7.5
Overall
7.1

Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities with a mysterious tie to her past.

17
The Thing (2011) poster

The Thing (2011)

Gore
8.0
Fear
6.0
Atmosphere
8.0
Overall
6.7

When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.

18
The Descent (2005) poster

The Descent (2005)

Gore
8.0
Fear
8.5
Atmosphere
8.0
Overall
8.2

After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other.

19
Event Horizon (1997) poster

Event Horizon (1997)

Gore
8.0
Fear
7.5
Atmosphere
8.5
Overall
7.8

In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship Event Horizon which disappeared mysteriously seven years before on its maiden voyage. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors.

20
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) poster

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Gore
8.0
Fear
9.0
Atmosphere
9.0
Overall
8.1

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

21
Haute tension (2003) poster

Haute tension (2003)

Gore
7.8
Fear
3.0
Atmosphere
6.0
Overall
7.5

Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.

22
Thanksgiving (2023) poster

Thanksgiving (2023)

Gore
7.8
Fear
4.0
Atmosphere
7.5
Overall
7.0

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan.

23
Alien: Romulus (2024) poster

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Gore
7.7
Fear
6.7
Atmosphere
8.6
Overall
7.5

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

24
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) poster

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Gore
7.6
Fear
5.0
Atmosphere
7.5
Overall
6.0

After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a chainsaw-wielding killer and his family of equally psychopathic killers.

25
The Substance (2024) poster

The Substance (2024)

Gore
7.5
Fear
2.5
Atmosphere
5.5
Overall
7.0

A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

Common questions about the goriest horror movies

What's the goriest horror movie?
The film at the top of this list, ranked by watchdarkly's 0–10 gore axis (graphic violence and blood), independent of how frightening or atmospheric it is.
Does a high gore score mean a movie is scary?
Of course not. Gore and fear are scored separately and one is not indicative of the other — a splatter-heavy film can rank near the top and still score low for fear. If it's frightening you want, see the scariest list.
What counts toward a film's gore score?
Graphic, on-screen violence, blood & gore: practical effects, kills, body horror, torture, the visible stuff that makes you squeamish. It's the most objective of watchdarkly's axes because it's literally what's shown, not how it makes you feel.
Are the goriest horror movies the most violent?
Not exactly. Gore measures blood and graphic detail; a film can be brutal, cruel, or punishing without being especially bloody, e.g. a horrific scene that unfolds but we can't see everything (implied). Sometimes the result is a more visceral feeling than excessive bodily fluids and organs. So a high gore score means "the most graphic," not necessarily "the hardest to watch."