Top 10 horror movie posters of all time

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

To help get you in the Halloween mood, Solopress proudly present our favourite horror movie posters of all time! Turn down the lights and prepared to be scared…

10. Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead horror movie poster in the Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: When there’s no more room in Hell the dead will walk the Earth
Director: George A. Romero
Stars: David Emge, Ken Foree and Scott H. Reiniger
What the press say: “Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror films ever made – and, as an inescapable result, one of the most horrifying.” –Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Metacritic.com score: N/A
Released: 1978
George A. Romero Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romero

9. Suspiria

Suspiria horror movie poster in the Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: You will never again feel safe in the dark
Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini and Flavio Bucci
What the press say: “Dario’s use of the old Technicolor three-strip matrix system, combined with gels and lighting effects, achieved the nightmarish hues which distinguish this film.” –BBC
Metacritic.com score: N/A
Released: 1977
Dario Argento’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dario_Argento

8. Halloween

Halloween horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: The night he came home!
Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tony Moran
What the press say: “Crank up the sound, and be scared witless by horror’s greatest director.” -Empire
Metacritic.com score: 85
Released: 1978
John Carpenter’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carpenter

Movie trailer for Halloween on YouTube:

7. Rosemary’s Baby

Rosemary’s Baby horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: Adapted from Ira Levin’s horror bestseller
Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: John Cassavetes, Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon
What the press say: “Miss Farrow is quite marvelous, pale, suffering, almost constantly on-screen in a difficult role.” –The New York Times
Metacritic.com score: N/A
Released: 1968
Roman Polanski’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski

Movie trailer for Rosemary’s Baby on YouTube:

6. The Thing

The Thing horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: The ultimate in alien terror
Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Keith David, Kurt Russell and Wilford Brimley
What the press say: “A gross-out movie in which teenagers can dare one another to watch the screen.” –Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Metacritic.com score: N/A
Released: 1982
John Carpenter’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carpenter

5. Alien

Alien horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: In space no one can hear you scream
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt
What the press say: “Purely (brilliantly) manipulative editing and pacing.” -Time Out
Metacritic.com score: 83 out of 100
Released: 1979

4. Psycho

Official blurb: A new and altogether different screen excitement
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles
What the press say: “Widely regarded as Hitchcock’s best film, Psycho is certainly his most imitated and perhaps his most influential.” –BBC
Metacritic.com score: N/A
Released: 1960
Alfred Hitchcock’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock

Movie trailer for Psycho on YouTube:

3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: A typical summer afternoon drive becomes a terrifying nightmare
Director: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Allen Danziger, Edwin Neal and Marilyn Burns
What the press say: “Tobe Hooper’s pic is well made for an exploiter of its type…” –Variety
Metacritic.com score: 75 out of 100
Released: 1974

2. The Shining

The Shining horror movie poster in the Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: A masterpiece of modern horror
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall
What the press say: “It’s a horror story even for people who don’t like horror stories – maybe especially for them.” -Boston Globe
Metacritic.com score: 61 out of 100
Released: 1980

Movie trailer for The Shining on YouTube:

1. The Exorcist

The Exorcist horror movie poster in Solopress Printing and Design blog

Official blurb: The scariest film of all time
Director: William Friedkin
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow
What the press say: “Was and is a brilliant horror film, one with an archetypal ability to reach and disturb us.” –Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Metacritic.com score: 82 out of 100
Released: 1973
Official website: https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/exorcist/

Movie trailer for The Exorcist on YouTube:

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48 COMMENTS

  1. It never ceases to amaze me how they even manage to create an atmospheric air even in the posters! Creativity that knows no bounds.

  2. I love Argento’s Suspiria and its poster. ‘Audition’ by Takashi Miike also has a fantastic poster (it has several!). It features a Japanese lady with latex gloves and an incredibly frightening looking needle. Quite an arresting image.

  3. My son would love any of these posters – strange boy, not like his mum at all, I’m a scaredy cat!

  4. I think the Alien, Halloween and The Exorcist posters are the most iconic. Amazing posters for amazing films.

  5. I don’t think you can beat the atmosphere of those old greats like the “Boris Karloff” movies, they have a certain charm that is hard to replicate today. The posters themselves gave one a taste of the film before you got to see it on the big screen But without giving too much away beforehand, which seems to be the way with todays previews.

  6. This is a great collection of posters! You can sense the tension with some of them.

    A movie that thoroughly terrified me, which was totally unexpected (and maybe cos I watched it on my own) was The Faculty. The poster looks terrible though, so was glad not to go by that 🙂

  7. Oh I love Halloween,we go trick or treating then sit and watch a “scary movie” while eating all the sweets.The real horrors have to wait till the kiddies are in bed.One of my favs is Carrie but doesnt seem half as scary when you watch it years down the line!

  8. I love horror films, but the reputation on the Exorcist led me to avoid watching it for many years. I eventually bit the bullet & felt brave enough to watch. What an anti climax lol!! Not at all scary!
    I do love the movie posters though, however, I wouldn’t put them in my bedroom for fear of nightmares!

  9. Definitely agree on The Exorcist, was the first one that came to my mind when I saw this post subject. Do not find the poster for the Shining that great myself.

  10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of my favourite movies and the poster does it justice. Very simple but effective.

  11. The best poster hands down is for The Shining. The poster says a thousand words just from that image. And Jack Nicholson face pressed against the door is iconic.

  12. Even after all this time…I still don’t think that you can beat the Aliens poster (or trilogy) still a top fav of mine. Poor John Hurt, casually munching his spag boll. 🙂

  13. Defiantly The Shining is the scariest movie out there! As well as being the first scary movie i accenently watched as a child via VHS i will never forget the scene.. heres johney!

  14. Wow this brings back so many memories! I think I have most of these posters rolled up in my loft somewhere

  15. Would love to see a post on perhaps old copy show/film posters of even jazz posters as they often have some really innovative ides and graphic design.

  16. I think my favourite horror film is Troll 2. Mainly because it’s so bad, not scary and just utterly ridiculous.

  17. My favourite movie has to be Tucker and Dale vs Evil as it turns the horror genre on it’s head and is great fun

  18. Now winning this would make for a great evening with my best friend being scared out of our lives! 😀

  19. As a native of the USA (but 23 years in the UK) I am super excited about Halloween. Since few people over here really “get it” it’s nice to see you are on the case reminding us of these finely crafted movies (and posters!). Bring it on!

  20. Horror Movies – it is always one of those things when you scared of it but going for it! Weird feeling… Solo Press , you gave goose bumps with your posters! Great selection…

  21. LOVE these images. They don’t make posters like this any more or films for that matter! Wonder where you can buy original prints of these kind of posters? Any ideas?

  22. On a trip to the far east I saw a film called “Sars Wars”. Im not sure what was more scary – the film or the fact that everyone in the cinema was wearing a bright white mask whilst screaming.

  23. Great blog post….I used to love collecting old film posters. I think it’s a dieing art (pun) as contemporary horror film posters are largely forgettable IMO.

  24. It’s great how some of those posters were probably terrifying when they came out, and some still capture that spirit.

  25. I had the Halloween poster on my wall for ages, very iconic. And classic horror posters are always fun designs. I like Creature From The Black Lagoon too.

  26. My favourite is The Shining. The poster has captured Jack Nicholson’s maniacal character so much that it is almost as scary as the film.

  27. Oh my days – they all look so old! I remember the “shining” one – my sisters used to scare the living day lights out of me with it!

  28. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre one unnerves me even though it’s just a print. However, the The Shining one just looks pretty comical now, haha.

  29. The shining poster pretty much sums that movie up the best of all of them. I like solo press so if you need anyone to design for you to print with solo press then milkbottle designs give us a try. You guys are very fast and I quite believe you might be the fastest in the UK, like you say you are.

  30. Absolutely loving this top ten, the exorcist and shining posters are absolutely classic horror movies – next top 10 perhaps best worst film posters? 🙂

  31. I think that the seventies really were the heyday for horror posters, these days the syntax of the movies is so regulated that everything looks the same. They probably all come from getty anyway…

  32. I love dawn of the dead but that’s about it, too scared to watch the rest!
    Kid’s love Halloween though!

  33. Some of these I have seen and some not.
    But I remember going to a friend and watching Texas Chain Saw Massacre without telling my mum. She never did figure out why I couldn’t sleep for 3 nights!

  34. The suspiria trailer is brilliant! the style of some of the posters seems to be creeping their way back in with the simplicity like the Rosemarys baby one

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