25 Most Terrifying R-Rated Horror Movies You Can't Unsee, Ranked

But what happens when these shackles are torn off and the story is allotted to go into an R-rated territory? See for yourself after getting accustomed to these 25 horror masterpieces.

One of the things that you definitely expect from an R-rated horror movie is a certain level of gore. Or, rather, you expect a lack of any limit for it because the director is legally allowed to go ham and use tons of fake blood, as long as it fits the budget. But that also makes the gore more creative, more vivid, and sometimes even funny.

But gore is not the only thing that helps the movie land an R rating: sometimes it's its exploration of sexual themes, and in horror sex quite often goes hand in hand with violence, one used as a metaphor for the other and vice versa, heightening the impact of some scenes with an addition of spicy content.

And don't forget the language: it's hard to avoid profanities while being chased by zombies, and it's nice when characters are allowed to use them.

Here's the list of all the R-rated horror films mentioned here: Braindead aka Dead Alive (1992), The Fly (1986), Get Out (2017), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Suspiria (1977), Possession (1981), The Evil Dead (1981), Let the Right One In (2008), The Thing (1982), The Lighthouse (2019), Videodrome (1983), Hereditary (2018), The Conjuring (2013), Rosemarys Baby (1968), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Alien (1979), Psycho (1960), Carrie (1976), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Scream ( 1996), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978), Dawn of the Dead (1978), The Shining (1980), The Exorcist (1973).