Some of the best teenage horror movies’ most horrifying events have taken place in a high school toilet, where the killer may be hidden in any of the stalls.
However, parties are undoubtedly a popular location as everyone is having fun, and their guards are down, making it easy for someone to conceal in plain sight.
Being a teenager is stressful and bringing in terrifying elements makes for an interesting story. In many ways, being a teenager is an ideal setting for horror movies.
Adolescence is also a rough, insecure stage, and it makes dealing with slashers or the supernatural much more affecting.
You can watch numerous best teen movies, from a few legendary ’90s teen horror movies to a few more recent movies that depict stories about high school students.
1. Christine (1983)
- Director: John Carpenter
- Star casts: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, and Alexandra Paul
- IMDb ratings: 6.7
This is one of the best teenage horror movies. As a result of the collaboration between John Carpenter and Stephen King, this movie adaptation of the author’s well-known story of the cursed vehicle stands out as one of the genre’s greatest efforts.
It’s no surprise that the frightening Plymouth Fury becomes the obsession of an awkward high school student. As his sexual desire rises, so does his darkening libido.
2. Ginger Snaps (2000)
- Director: John Fawcett
- Star casts: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, and Kris Lemche
- IMDb ratings: 6.8
This Canadian horror movie has become a cult favorite and follows the story of two sisters whose lives alter forever when Ginger turns a werewolf and Brigitte is left to pick up the pieces.
It’s an unsettling story about how difficult it is to be a teenager, with characters like the sisters dealing with menstruation, peer pressure, and cruel peers.
3. Summer of 84 (2018)
- Director: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell
- Star casts: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, and Caleb Emery
- IMDb ratings: 6.7
To solve the cases of numerous missing teenage boys, a group of teenagers is persuaded by one of their own to believe that a friendly local police officer in their community is a serial killer.
As clearly inspired as Summer of 84 is by relatively lighthearted detective fiction from the period and as heavily as it plays into the stereotypes of the ‘Kids on Bikes’ subgenre being used by movies and TV shows like Stranger Things.
This future story is far darker than most and has left an undeniable impact on the teen horror niche in a short period. This is among the best teenage horror movies.
4. Warm Bodies (2013)
- Director: Jonathan Levine
- Star casts: Nicholas Marion, Teresa Palmer, and John Malkovinch
- IMDb ratings: 6.8
Jonathan Levine’s adaptation of Isaac Marion’s novel of the same name, a comic twist on the revived zombie movie trend, has amassed many fans.
To some extent, they’re following in the footsteps of Edgar Wright and Shaun of the Dead. However, their unusual romance between two rival worlds has helped make ‘Rom-Zom-Com’ a hit with a larger audience.
5. Prom Night (1980)
- Director: Paul Lynch
- Star casts: Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Casey Stevens
- IMDb ratings: 5.3
The movie tells a common horror story of a killer who seeks revenge for a tragedy that happened years earlier, but that’s a wonderful setting since it takes place on prom night.
Teenagers place a great deal of stock on the success of this dance, and because everyone is fully dressed, the horror appears all the more dramatic.
6. Phenomena (1985)
- Director: Dario Argento
- Star casts: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, and Daria Nicolodi
- IMDb ratings: 6.8
Phenomena is one of the best teenage horror movies out there. Movie fans have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the recent work of Dario Argento, the famed Italian horror director who was once dubbed the “Italian Hitchcock.”
However, his 1985 supernatural horror movie is an amusing stepping stone between the atmospheric style of his earlier blockbusters and the horrific outrageousness that would eventually be his creative ruin.
7. Final Destination (2000)
- Director: James Wong
- Star casts: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, and Kerr Smith
- IMDb ratings: 6.7
Teenager Alex takes a major risk by sticking out from the crowd and making a disturbance as he and his classmates board a trip to Paris.
Instead of merely disregarding his instincts, he says that he thinks that the plane will crash, indicating that he doesn’t care about being cool or famous.
8. It Follows (2014)
- Director: David Robert Mitchell
- Star casts: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist and Olivia Luccardi
- IMDb ratings: 6.8
This is one of the best teenage horror movies. David Robert Mitchell exploited the fear of the unknown to build a sense of dread in his audience with the 2014 thriller, It Follows.
In it, a girl realizes she’s gotten cursed after a harmless sexual experience, by which an unseen spirit with malevolent intents begins following her.
The teenager and her friends must then strive and stay alive while avoiding passing on the curse through additional physical contact.
It’s a picture with themes that refer to the repercussions that might come with one’s actions, which is especially apparent in the adolescent years.
It’s horrifying to consider that a bad choice may leave you vulnerable to a long-lasting illness with life-threatening consequences.
9. The Faculty (1998)
- Director: Robert Rodriguez
- Star casts: Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, and Laura Harris
- IMDb ratings: 6.5
An ideal high school story is told long before Casey and his friends discover that aliens are attacking their professors.
No one feels like they’re well-liked by their classmates and everyone is simply waiting for the bell to ring so they can go home and forget about school.
As soon as the teachers begin to behave weirdly, the movie has something to say about the student-teacher bond and relationship.
10. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
- Director: Drew Goddard
- Star casts: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, and Anna Hutchison
- IMDb ratings: 7.0
A group of teens heads to an isolated house in the woods for a holiday when they learn that the property is holding some awful things.
Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods is based on an old plot, but it’s been given a fresh spin in his latest novel. The movie pokes fun at all the clichés of horror movies without turning into a comedy.
There are still moments of humor throughout the picture. This movie, The Cabin in the Woods, combines the greatest elements of previous horror classics into a single work of fiction.
11. Fright Night (1985)
- Director: Tom Holland
- Star casts: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, and Amanda Bearse
- IMDb ratings: 7.1
Another movie that brilliantly balances horror with comedy is the widely regarded 1985 cult classic vampire movie, Fright Night.
To track down his vampire neighbor, a young man recruits the services of a washed-up actor from a horror television show.
One of the best things about Fright Night is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. While there is plenty of body horror in the picture, it is done lightheartedly, making for an enjoyable horror movie experience.
Fright Night’s legendary status led to a 2011 remake starring Colin Farrell. However, the new picture fell short of the charm of the original.
12. Scream (1996)
- Director: Wes Craven
- Star casts: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette
- IMDb ratings: 7.3
Wes Craven’s 1996 classic horror movie Scream introduced the legendary Ghostface serial killer to the world in a horror movie that’s become associated with the teen horror subgenre.
A masked assassin stalks and kills a group of teens while engaging in mind games centered around horror movie trivia.
It’s disturbing because Scream’s violent villain is a real person, providing the idea that the events in the movie are plausible, making it that much more chilling.
13. The Lost Boys (1987)
- Director: Joel Schumacher
- Star casts: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, and Dianne Wiest
- IMDb ratings: 7.2
A vampire cult classic in the teen horror movie scene, The Lost Boys follows a single mother who arrives in a new town with her two young kids.
The kids quickly learn that the place is home to a deadly vampire presence. A vampire hunting team befriends the younger son, while a local gang that enjoys riding motorcycles, partying, and sucking the blood of the unwary engages the elder son.
When it comes to The Lost Boys’ look and feel, director Joel Schumacher does an excellent job of evoking the vibe of a late 1980s California beach town. The picture is quite hokey at points, yet that just adds to its charm.
