10 Fast-Paced Horror Movies That Keep You Entertained From Start To Finish

One of the most storied and beloved brands of film ever made, the horror genre has played host to some of the greatest movies of all time. Producing an array of lauded offerings that have the potential to haunt their viewers long after they’re over, this particular form of cinema has witnessed some of the most celebrated and influential movies in the history of popular culture, inspiring countless imitations and parodies through their unsettling themes, motifs, and characters.

Dotted among these electrifying offerings are a selection of fast-paced horror movies that keep their viewers entertained from start to finish. Leveraging incomparably high stakes, petrifying villains, and nightmarish subject matter to the fullest extent imaginable, many of these films are so relentlessly engaging that viewers would have to be made of stone to not find themselves enthralled by the high-paced outing unfolding onscreen. From horror stories that could feasibly take place in the real world to terrifying accounts of supernatural tormentors, the genre has a delightful habit of serving up some thoroughly gripping entries.

10

Green Room (2016)

Directed By Jeremy Saulnier

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Green Room

9.00

Thriller

Crime

Drama

Horror

6/10

Release Date

April 15, 2016

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Jeremy Saulnier

Writers

Jeremy Saulnier

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Anton Yelchin

    Anton Yelchin

  • Headshot Of Imogen Poots in The Los Angeles premiere of Prime Video`s Outer Range

    Imogen Poots

Green Room is a horror thriller that stars Patrick Stewart as a calculatingly devious club owner who is forced to deal with a group of punk rockers who witness a crime they shouldn’t have. Unable to find the breakaway success they hoped for, The Ain’t Rights end their tour at a strange, run-down club in the middle of the woods in Oregon. When the band bears witness to a crime in the club’s backroom, they find themselves prisoners to the club’s dangerous owner who intends to keep his business a secret – no matter who has to pay the price.

Studio(s)

A24

Distributor(s)

A24

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Earning glowing reviews, Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is one of the most impressive indie horror movies ever made. The 2016 film follows the Ain’t Rights, a punk band besieged by a gang of neo-Nazis after witnessing a murder at a gig. Led by the late Anton Yelchin, the movie is also notable for featuring Sir Patrick Stewart playing against type in exemplary fashion, taking on the role of the skinheads’ ruthless leader.

Collage of Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart in Green Room.

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Green Room: 9 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Horror Thriller

Green Room is a tense and memorable horror thriller. Fans might be surprised to know facts like the movie started as a short film.

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To say that Green Room is quite a fast-paced horror movie is akin to stating that Mike Tyson used to hit people quite hard. Racing from one nightmarish scenario to another, Saulnier’s picture is an adrenaline-soaked thrill ride from start to finish. The film’s blend of relentlessly high stakes and brutal violence lends to an invariably white-knuckle viewing experience, a state of affairs aided by the cast’s stellar performances.

9

Smile (2022)

Directed By Parker Finn

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Smile

R

Horror

ScreenRant logo

6/10

9/10

Release Date

September 30, 2022

Runtime

115 minutes

Director

Parker Finn

Writers

Parker Finn

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Sosie Bacon

  • Headshot Of Jessie T. Usher In The Premiere of Shaft

    Jessie T. Usher

A psychological horror film written and directed by newcomer Parker Finn, Smile is the story of a woman who, after witnessing a traumatic incident involving a patient, terrifying incidents keep occurring in her life. Sosie Bacon stars as Dr. Rose Cotter, the woman afflicted by these new realistic nightmares. The horrifying occurrences happen so frequently that Rose realizes she’ll have to confront past trauma to escape this new reality and survive the supernatural forces trying to kill her. 

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

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Following Sosie Bacon’s Rose Cotter as she is tormented by a grinning supernatural entity, 2022’s Smile proved to be one of the genre’s most exciting new arrivals. A major critical and commercial success, Parker Finn’s offering has already spawned a sequel, while Smile 3 is also in the works. Much of this success is due to the film’s electric pacing and unsettling visuals, a simmering cocktail of polished horror elements that never ceases to entertain and unnerve in equal measure.

Receiving effusive praise from critics, Bacon’s engrossing lead performance means that viewers quite literally live out Cotter’s waking nightmare. Consistently leaving audiences teetering on the edge of their seats, Smile’s meticulously implemented jump scares never fail to leave hearts pounding, without ever coming across as lazy or contrived. As such, there isn’t a dull moment to be found throughout Finn’s lauded picture.

8

28 Days Later (2002)

Directed By Danny Boyle

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28 Days Later

R

Drama

Horror

Sci-Fi

ScreenRant logo

8/10

15

8.3/10

Release Date

June 27, 2003

Runtime

113 minutes

Director

Danny Boyle

Writers

Alex Garland

Sequel(s)

28 Weeks Later

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Megan Burns

  • Headshot Of Cillian Murphy In The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

    Cillian Murphy

28 Days Later is a horror movie about the zombie apocalypse directed by Danny Boyle. After Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital in London, he discovers that the city is overrun by the undead, so he joins forces with other survivors to try and make it out alive.

Studio(s)

Searchlight Pictures

Distributor(s)

Searchlight Pictures

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The looming release of the long-awaited sequel 28 Years Later has likely come as a delightful piece of news for anybody acquainted with the franchise’s original outing, 28 Days Later. Led by Cillian Murphy, Danny Boyle’s 2002 offering depicts an apocalyptic world left in ruins by the outbreak of the Rage Virus, a highly contagious disease that leaves the infected in a permanent state of feral aggression.

28 Days Later Franchise Entries by Year

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score

28 Days Later (2002)

87%

28 Weeks Later (2007)

72%

28 Years Later (2025)

TBD

Widely regarded as one of the best and most influential British horror movies ever made, 28 Days Later combines sharp social commentary with one of the most terrifying zombie pictures ever made for a legitimately visceral viewing experience. The film’s furious pace and constant air of tension is carefully maintained across 113 nailbiting minutes, culminating in one of the finest subgenre offerings ever conceived.

7

No One Will Save You (2023)

Directed By Bryan Duffield

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No One Will Save You

PG-13

Horror

Sci-Fi

ScreenRant logo

7/10

8/10

Release Date

September 22, 2023

Runtime

93 Minutes

Director

Brian Duffield

Writers

Brian Duffield

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Kaitlyn Dever In The Los Angeles Premiere Of ‘Ticket To Paradise'

    Kaitlyn Dever

No One Will Save You is a sci-fi horror film by writer-director Brian Duffield created for Hulu. Kaitlyn Dever stars as Brynn, a young woman who struggles to connect with the world and spends her time at home honing her creative talents. However, Brynn’s peace is disrupted when her home is suddenly the stage of an alien invasion, forcing her to break out of her shell enough to fend off her would be extraterrestrial assailants.

Studio(s)

20th Century Studios, Star Thrower Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Hulu

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Notable for only featuring a few lines of dialogue, what 2023’s No One Will Save You lacks in instantly quotable soundbites, it more than compensates for in the thrill-seeking department. Brian Duffield’s sci-fi horror picture follows Kaitlyn Dever’s Brynn, a social outcast who is forced to fight off a terrifying home invasion by a mysterious group of aliens.

Brynn only has one line of dialogue throughout No One Will Save You.

An unabated joyride of emotional carnage and fully-fledged horror, No One Will Save You stamps its foot on the gas in the early goings and doesn’t remove it until the credits roll. Dever effortlessly captivates in the leading role, deftly balancing tender vulnerability with ferocious resilience to highlight the reasons behind her recent casting as The Last of Us’ iconic antagonist Abby. An ambitious and fresh take on the genre, this superb offering highlights that dialogue is not an iron-clad prerequisite for a thoroughly entertaining movie.

6

Train To Busan (2016)

Directed By Yeon Sang-Ho

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Train to Busan

Not Rated

Horror

Thriller

Action

9.8/10

Release Date

July 20, 2016

Runtime

118 minutes

Director

Sang-ho Yeon

Writers

Joo-Suk Park, Sang-ho Yeon

Cast

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jung Yu-mi

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Kim Su-an

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A front-runner for the greatest Korean horror movie of all time, 2016’s Train to Busan chronicles the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse from the perspective of passengers aboard the titular locomotive. Starring Squid Game alum Gong Yoo in the leading role as a father trying to get his estranged daughter to safety, Yeon Sang-Ho’s offering blends terrifying horror with a cutting social critique to produce a gripping horror movie that hurtles along like a bullet train with the brakes removed.

Train to Busan boasts an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

A host of rich and compelling characters seamlessly carry this exemplary zombie picture from one nightmarish scenario to another, a status quo aided by the uniquely claustrophobic atmosphere and terrifying visuals that the movie’s premise presents. The action is thrilling and the emotional heft is devastating, a chaotic medley of the highest stakes imaginable that invariably leaves viewers with bated breath.

5

The Descent (2005)

Directed By Neil Marshall

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The Descent

R

Horror

Adventure

Thriller

9.3/10

Release Date

August 4, 2006

Runtime

99 minutes

Director

Neil Marshall

Writers

Neil Marshall

Sequel(s)

The Descent Part 2

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Shauna Macdonald

    Shauna Macdonald

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Saskia Mulder

The Descent is a horror film that follows a group of thrill-seeking friends who find themselves fractured after one of them loses their husband and daughter in a car accident. Attempting to rejuvenate her friend Sarah and bring her back to the group, Juno convinces her to follow her and their friends to a mysterious cave system they find in the mountains. However, when they find themselves traped with no way out, she reveals she took them to an uncharted region with no chance of rescue, hoping to give them the adventure of the life time. Angry, fearful, and low on supplies, the group travels further into the caves only to discover they’re not alone.

Studio(s)

Lionsgate

Distributor(s)

Lionsgate

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Boasting a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 87%, Neil Marshall’s The Descent is widely viewed as one of the best horror movies of the 2000s. The 2005 film follows a group of friends who become trapped in a cave system, where they are beset upon by nightmarish humanoid creatures. A riveting offering of the highest order, The Descent’s claustrophobic setting in the bowels of the earth makes for heart-pounding viewing in and of itself, long before its protagonists encounter their terrifying foes.

The superb performances from the talented all-female cast lend a notable air of terrifying authenticity to this subterranean cinematic hell…

However, the creatures’ arrival and their subsequent attempts to rip the human interlopers limb from limb kicks the movie’s pacing into overdrive, heralding one of the most visceral and gripping viewing experiences of the century. The superb performances from the talented all-female cast lend a notable air of terrifying authenticity to this subterranean cinematic hell, while Marshall’s nerve-jangling action sequences are enough to prompt viewers to bite their fingernails down to the bone.

4

Evil Dead (2013)

Directed By Fede Álvarez

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Evil Dead

R

Horror

10/10

Release Date

April 5, 2013

Runtime

90 minutes

Director

Fede Alvarez

Writers

Fede Alvarez, Sam Raimi, Rodo Sayagues Mendez, Diablo Cody

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Jane Levy

    Jane Levy

  • headshot of Shiloh Fernandez

    Shiloh Fernandez

Evil Dead is a 2013 horror film directed by Fede Álvarez. A group of friends discover a mysterious book in a remote cabin, unwittingly unleashing supernatural forces that lead to a night of terror and survival. This remake of Sam Raimi’s 1981 classic stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, and Lou Taylor Pucci, delivering intense and gruesome scenes that redefine the horror genre for a new generation.

Main Genre

Horror

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One of the most beloved horror movie franchises of all time, Evil Dead returned from an absence of more than twenty years with an almighty bang. This took the form of Fede Álvarez’s debut directorial debut, 2013’s Evil Dead, a well received reboot that breathed new life into the seemingly stagnant franchise. Starring Jane Levy, the supernatural horror depicts the trials and tribulations of five friends at a secluded cabin, as they find themselves tormented by demonic forces.

Evil Dead Franchise Entries by Year

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score

The Evil Dead (1981)

86%

Evil Dead II (1987)

88%

Army of Darkness (1992)

68%

Evil Dead (2013)

63%

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

84%

Billed as “The Most Terrifying Film That You Will Ever Experience,” Alvarez made good on his word with an unholy triumph of a horror movie. Grabbing its audience’s attention by the throat in the very first scene, Evil Dead’s exhilarating concoction of gruesome violence and legitimately terrifying visuals holds on tight and doesn’t let go until the credits roll on this blood-soaked bonanza.

3

You’re Next (2013)

Directed By Adam Wingard

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You’re Next

R

Horror

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

8/10

6/10

Release Date

August 23, 2013

Runtime

94minutes

Director

Adam Wingard

Writers

Simon Barrett

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Sharni Vinson

    Sharni Vinson

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Nicholas Tucci

When Erin accompanies her boyfriend Crispin to his estranged family’s reunion, things quickly turn horrific when she and the other family members are attacked one by one, in brutal fashion, by assailants wearing the masks of a lamb, a fox, and a tiger.

Studio(s)

Lionsgate

Distributor(s)

Lionsgate

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A notoriously underrated hidden gem for the slasher subgenre, Adam Wingard’s You’re Next rarely gets the appreciation that it deserves despite a slew of excellent reviews upon release. Chronicling a hellish attack on a family reunion by a group of masked killers, the 2011 film follows Sharni Vinson’s Erin, the girlfriend of the family’s middle child, as she attempts to fight back against her terrifying tormentors.

…You’re Next’s rapid-fire cocktail of sick laughs, wicked suspense, and supremely graphic violence makes for a glorious romp of a horror film.

Featuring some of the more brutal onscreen kills in recent memory while gleefully leveraging a sense of macabre humor, You’re Next’s rapid-fire cocktail of sick laughs, eerie suspense, and supremely graphic violence makes for a glorious romp of a horror film. Boasting one of the more notable ass-kicking final girls that the genre has ever witnessed in Vinson’s survivalist expert Erin, Wingard’s picture has lost none of the entertainment factor that gained it cult classic status in the first instance.

2

Don’t Breathe (2016)

Directed By Fede Álvarez

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Don’t Breathe

R

Horror

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

7/10

10/10

Release Date

August 26, 2016

Runtime

88minutes

Director

Fede Alvarez

Writers

Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

Cast

See All

  • Headshot of Stephen Lang In the New York premiere of 'A Gentleman In Moscow'

    Stephen Lang

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Katia Bokor

In Don’t Breathe, three friends looking to escape their lot in life decide to act on information that could change their fortunes forever; a blind veteran with hundreds of thousands of dollars lives alone in a deserted neighborhood. When the trio decides to perform the heist on his home, who they thought to be a feeble aging man with no sight turns out to be far more dangerous and capable than they could have anticipated. 

Studio(s)

Sony

Distributor(s)

Sony

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Establishing himself as an electrifying modern horror director of the highest order with 2013’s Evil Dead, Fede Álvarez followed up his feature film debut with a sophomore outing that gave his foray into the storied horror franchise a run for its money. A home invasion flick with a devilish twist, 2016’s Don’t Breathe follows a failed burglary perpetrated by three young delinquents, who instead find themselves hunted through the property by its owner, a blind Gulf War veteran brought to life by Stephen Lang.

Providing an inspired take on the tried and tested home invasion flick formula, Alvarez’s taut and claustrophobic offering is just as enthralling as its 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes would suggest. A preeminent genre case study in how to do a lot with a little, Don’t Breathe’s relentless air of danger and hair-raising twists and turns means that viewers consistently find themselves holding their breath alongside Jane Levy’s Rocky.

1

Ready Or Not (2019)

Directed By Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet

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Ready or Not

R

Horror

Comedy

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

8/10

9/10

Release Date

August 21, 2019

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Writers

R. Christopher Murphy, Guy Busick

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Nat Faxon

    Nat Faxon

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Kate Ziegler

In Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s 2019 black comedy Ready Or Not, newlywed bride Grace Le Domas participates in a violent game of hide-and-seek with her fiancé’s family, who attempt to kill her during her wedding night as part of a long-standing ritual. The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace, Mark O’Brien as Grace’s husband Alex, Adam Brody as Alex’s brother Daniel, Andie MacDowell as their mother Becky, and Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, and Elyse Levesque as other members of the murderous family.

Studio(s)

Mythology Entertainment, Vinson Films, Radio Silence Productions

Distributor(s)

Fox Searchlight Pictures

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One of the most underrated movies currently streaming on Disney+, 2019’s Ready or Not never fails to amuse and enthrall in equal measure. The film follows Samara Weaving’s Grace, a young bride who finds herself hunted through her new husband’s ancestral home by his family. This twisted ritual unfolds courtesy of a Faustian bargain entered into by her in-laws with Satan, the guiding force behind the family’s considerable wealth and affluence.

Samara Weaving as Grace with a bloody face looking angry at the Le Domas family in Ready or Not

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Ready Or Not 2: Original Star Confirms Sequel Return

Samara Weaving offers an exciting update on Ready or Not 2, not only confirming she will return, but also teasing how far along dealmaking is.

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While it often comes across as more of a comedy than a legitimate horror movie, there are more than enough thrills in Ready or Not to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Exquisitely paced with trappings of wickedly dark humor, the Weaving-led offering is a chaotic crowd pleaser of the highest order. Subverting genre tropes with a healthy dose of cutting social commentary, the movie represents the quintessential horror comedy that will keep viewers entertained from start to finish.