Back in October, an article circulated about 11 films Martin Scorsese listed as the “scariest movies of all time.” When I read it, I fell into the same trap as most do: I got enraged without the context that the list was (coincidentally) 11 years old. Though the original list (published on The Daily Beast) isn’t even online anymore, every year, someone writes a listicle with their thoughts, such as what IndieWire did in 2010.

My frustrations at the list are still as accurate now as they would have been when the article first posted, though. How come the most recent movie is from 1982? How come literally all the films were written and directed by white men? With Scorsese, both of these have an immediate response of “You know why.”

The list is suspect because it is fuel for two dubious takes: that horror just ain’t what it used to be, and a part of that is because of “diversity.” So it got me thinking to come up with a counter list. What made up my list of 11 horror films that fit three criteria:

1. It’s scarier than anything on Scorsese’s list.
2. It was made more recently than 1982.
3. It was either written or directed by someone who wasn’t a white man.

This was an incredibly easy list to make.

1. Tales from the Hood (1995)

Director: Rusty Cundieff
Writers: Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott
Country: USA

Tales from the Hood is an anthology of four horror stories with a focus on the African American story, all told by Clarence Williams III while chewing up the scenery as Mr. Simms. He tells these stories to four drug dealers who are there for “the shit.” Well, Mr. Simms has “the shit,” for you, boys. This was a favorite of mine growing up, and its influence on contemporary Black Horror, such as Lovecraft Country, is easy to identify. An absolute much watch.

2. Ringu (1998)

Directory: Hideo Nakata
Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay), Koji Suzuki (novel)
Country: Japan

Ringu, or The Ring, is as iconic as Sadako, the ghost girl that climbs out of televisions to take any that dare act as voyeurs on her cursed VHS tape. Ringu not only spawned Western remakes and its own Japanese franchise, it also helped bring the attention of Japanese horror to the entire world. It’s an absolute shame that Scorsese left this one off of his list, as it was 11 years old at the time of his initial article and its impact was thoroughly felt. (Check out our review of the recently released Ringu collection on Blu-ray.)

3. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras & David Munoz
Country: Spain/Mexico

It’s impossible to talk about horror today without talking about Guillermo del Toro. His love of monsters can be felt from his adoration of Hellboy, the Creature in The Shape of Water, the Kaiju of Pacific Rim, and the ghostly Santi in The Devil’s Backbone. Taking place in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War in an orphanage, this was del Toro’s third film and is a truly atmospheric piece that explores his love of monsters and their lairs. While any piece by del Toro would be a welcome addition to this list, The Devil’s Backbone is one of his more underappreciated pieces that could always use more love.

4. Noroi: The Curse (2005)

Director: Koji Shiraishi
Writers: Koji Shiraishi, Naoyuki Yokota
Country: Japan

Found-footage films are a dime a dozen nowadays, but when The Blair Witch Project brought the horror genre to the forefront of popular culture in 1999, it was a true phenomenon. In 2005, Koji Shiraishi made Noroi: The Curse, which many still agree is the best found-footage film Japan has produced, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. When a paranormal researcher disappears after his house burns down, the “documentary” follows the clues left behind in the books and documentaries he left behind. Few films really feel like a puzzle where it’s hard to see the big picture until the very end when it all comes together with horrifying clarity. Noroi does, and it’s worth celebrating.

5. The Babadook (2014)

Director/Writer: Jennifer Kent
Country: Australia

Our first film that was released after Scorsese’s list, The Babadook is a phenomenal horror film that, like many others on this list, has captivated an impossibly large audience. Originating from Australia with writer/director, Jennifer Kent, The Babadook follows a woman grieving over her husband’s death while trying to care for her son. A pop-up storybook called Mister Babadook pops up, and the haunting begins. A paranoid and claustrophobic film, The Babadook is phenomenal in how it treats trauma and grief and truly shows how horror can elevate the genre.

6. The Invitation (2015)

Director: Karyn Kusama
Writers: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Country: USA

If The Babadook is paranoid and claustrophobic, than The Invitation is an agoraphobic being ripped out of its house kicking and screaming. A group of friends are invited to visit an old friend who has fallen off the map after she joins a cult. One of the friends – her ex-husband – keeps getting bad vibes and is told he’s imagining stuff. OR IS HE?! Directed by Karyn Kusama, it has gorgeous and brutal visual storytelling that draws out the tension so taut that when it snaps, you know someone’s going to lose an eye.

7. Train to Busan (2016)

Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Writer: Park Joo-suk
Country: South Korea

I had mentioned Train to Busan as a movie to watch in my last horror article, but I felt it deserved its own attention. Train to Busan is a zombie apocalypse movie. Like some of its more clever relatives, the film doesn’t focus on why this happened because, it honestly doesn’t matter. What matters are the people. Following a rather callous father and his surprisingly compassionate daughter as he tries to get her to her mother for a birthday visit, the apocalypse happens all around them while they’re secluded on a train. It’s very unusual for me to cry at a horror film, but Train to Busan made me do just that, and I know I’m not the only one. For as horrific as the zombies are in this film, the hope is that much more beautiful.

8. Get Out (2017)

Director/Writer: Jordan Peele
Country: USA

Get Out is a landmark film in cinema, raking in accolades in a way that very few horror films are able to do. Jordan Peele shocked the world with this film, which he described as “a horror film but [with] a satirical premise.” In it, a Black photographer goes to meet the parents of his white girlfriend… and I gotta stop there in case you are one of the three people in the country who haven’t seen it. I would absolutely dare Martin Scorsese to make his list again and exclude Get Out.

9. Aterrados (2017)

Director/Writer: Demian Rugna
Country: Argentina

I love horror. Love it. I love getting scared from the safety of my home. Most of the films on this list don’t actually scare, but they made this list because they are great horror. Aterrados earned its place on this list because it made me a little nervous to turn the lights off at the end of the day. Honestly, I was unnerved just looking for an appropriate image to add for it in this article. In the film, we follow supernatural investigations in a small neighborhood in Buenos Aires as a rift into another dimension slowly leaks nightmares through to ours. It has some separate horror stories that come together in the end and is absolutely worth the watch. The writer/director, Demian Rugna, has remarked that he’s taking the pandemic lockdown to work on polishing up a script for the sequel, and I don’t know if I’ll be ready for it.

10. Impetigore (2019)

Director/Writer: Joko Anwar
Country: Indonesia

Impetigore was one of the films my partner picked for our Jar of Spooky back in October, and what a welcome surprise it was. It’s a ghost story set in rural Indonesia that follows a woman who thought she had lost all connections to her family. She goes in search for answers (and a possible inheritance) to a village desperately deep in the jungle that seems to be suffering from some plague that kills newborns. As we learn more about the plague and how her family might be related, the protagonist finds answers she really isn’t ready for. A savage horror story about the lengths one will go for family, Impetigore is worth the watch.

11. Us (2019)

Director/Writer: Jordan Peele
Country: USA

When I asked myself, “Do I really want to put Jordan Peele on this list twice?” it was impossible to say no. Both Get Out and his sophomore film, Us, are uniquely perfect examples of how the best horror is not behind us but ahead of us. It also demonstrates that its not just a realm for white men. Based loosely off of a Twilight Zone episode, Us follows a family trying to go on vacation when a family of their doppelgangers confronts them. It’s a masterful look into the “shadow self,” and yes, I’m still upset that Lupita Nyong’o wasn’t at least nominated for Best Actress. If you haven’t seen Us yet, you’re doing yourself a disservice.