The Crypt Charts
The Top 13 Horror Movies of 1989
The thirteen horror films of 1989 that the crypt judged worthiest, ranked by the Crypt Score.
Ranked by Crypt Score · Updated weekly · captured Jul 20, 2026
Eligibility: a title needs at least 2 rating sources and 1,000+ votes to chart — no thin-data entries.
The Woman in Black
1989 · Horror, Mystery, TV Movie · 100m · Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker, Pauline Moran
A lawyer travels to a small seaside town to settle the estate of a recently deceased woman, but soon becomes ensnared in something much more sinister.
Dead Calm
R1989 · Thriller, Horror · 96m · Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane, George Shevtsov
An Australian couple takes a sailing trip in the Pacific to get over the recent loss of their son. While on the open sea, they come across a sinking ship with one survivor who is not at all what he seems.
Apartment Zero
R1989 · Thriller, Drama, Horror · 124m · Colin Firth, Hart Bochner, Dora Bryan, Liz Smith
In a rundown area of Buenos Aires, at the dawn of the 1980s, Adrian LeDuc owns both a struggling movie theater and a shabby apartment building filled with eccentric, squabbling tenants. To make ends meet, Adrian takes in a roommate, Jack Carney, but soon begins to suspect that the quiet American is responsible for a series of political assassinations that are rocking the city.
Celia
1989 · Drama, Fantasy, Horror · 103m · Rebecca Smart, Nicholas Eadie, Mary-Anne Fahey, Victoria Longley
In 1950s Australia, young Celia is growing up with a sense of isolation and mistrust of the world that surrounds her. Her mother and father won't let her play with the kids next door because their parents are communists. Then her pet bunny is taken away because of rabbit overpopulation. And, more traumatizing yet, when her grandmother dies, she's the one to discover the corpse. To cope, she retreats into elaborate fantasies.
The 'Burbs
PG1989 · Comedy, Horror, Thriller · 102m · Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun
When secretive new neighbors move in next door, suburbanite Ray Peterson and his friends let their paranoia get the best of them as they start to suspect the newcomers of evildoings and commence an investigation. But it's hardly how Ray, who much prefers drinking beer, reading his newspaper and watching a ball game on the tube expected to spend his vacation.
Black Rainbow
R1989 · Mystery, Thriller, Horror · 103m · Rosanna Arquette, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce, Mark Joy
Martha Travis is a medium who makes contact with spirits "on the other side" and connects them with their loved ones still alive, in public performances. Trouble begins when she gives a message to Mary Kuron from her husband, Tom. But Tom isn't dead... yet. And Martha not only knows he will die, she also knows who killed him. And the murderer knows she knows...
Pet Sematary
R1989 · Horror · 103m · Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist
After the Creed family's cat is accidentally killed, a friendly neighbor advises its burial in a mysterious nearby cemetery.
Parents
R1989 · Horror, Comedy · 82m · Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Sandy Dennis, Bryan Madorsky
Michael is a young boy living in a typical 1950s suburbanite home... except for his bizarre and horrific nightmares, and continued unease around his parents. Young Michael begins to suspect his parents are cooking more than just hamburgers on the grill outside, but has trouble explaining his fears to his new-found friend Sheila, or the school's social worker.
Dr. Caligari
R1989 · Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction · 78m · Madeleine Reynal, Fox Harris, Laura Albert, Jennifer Balgobin
Mrs. Van Houten has shown signs of losing touch with reality, and her husband discusses possible treatment with Dr. Caligari, who says Mrs. Van Houten has a disease of the libido.
Intruder
R1989 · Horror, Mystery · 88m · Elizabeth Cox, Renée Estevez, Dan Hicks, David Byrnes
The overnight stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and slashed by a mysterious maniac.
I, Madman
R1989 · Horror, Thriller · 89m · Jenny Wright, Clayton Rohner, Randall William Cook, Stephanie Hodge
A bookshop clerk starts seeing the disfigured killer from her favorite 1950s pulp novels come to life and start killing people around her.
Warlock
R1989 · Horror, Fantasy, Action · 103m · Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E. Grant, Mary Woronov
In 17th century New England, witch hunter Giles Redferne captures an evil warlock, but the conjurer eludes death with supernatural help. Flung into the future, the warlock winds up in the 1980s and plans to bring about the end of the world. Redferne follows the enchanter into the modern era and continues his mission, but runs into trouble in such unfamiliar surroundings. With the help of a young woman, can Redferne finally defeat the warlock?
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