Since her breakout role in Robert Eggers’The Witch(2015),Anya Taylor-Joyhas amassed an astonishing filmography, and all in just the span of a decade. In her powerful debut, she demonstrated an acting ability that exceeded her experience. Since then, she’s had an impressive career and has become one of the most in-demand actors in the industry. With her gripping performances, emotional range, unrivaled versatility, and incredible ability to elevate every film she’s in, it hardly comes as a surprise.
Her role as Beth Harmon in the Netflix miniseriesGambit Queen(2021) won her a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. Taylor-Joy is also known for starring as Emma Woodhouse inEmma(2020) and for her portrayal of Imperator Furiosa inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga(2024). Some of her other works includeThoroughbreds(2017),The Northman(2022), andThe Super Mario Bros. Movie(2023). Although she excels in everything from period dramas to thrillers to action movies to animated films,horroris where she shines brightest. FromThe WitchtoThe Gorge(2025), these are all of her horror movies, ranked.
8’Morgan' (2016)
Directed by Luke Scott, son ofacclaimed director Ridley Scott,Morganstars Taylor-Joy in the titular role as an AI-humanoid hybrid created by the genetic engineering company SynSect. After she attacks one of the scientists in the remote research lab that created her, Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), a corporate risk-management specialist, is called in to determine whether the facility should terminate Morgan or continue its project.
Big Ambitions, Little Payoff
Morgancomes off as an attempt to piggyback offEx-Machina’s (2014) success. The movie tackles the complex ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence and human experimentation, as well as free will, while asking the philosophical question of what makes a person a person. Thanks to an unremarkable plot and a rehash of ideas previously seen in works like the aforementioned movie, its efforts fall flat. The film’s only saving grace is Taylor-Joy, who manages to imbue her character with both menace and vulnerability. Mara is also great in her supporting performance.
7’The New Mutants' (2020)
The New Mutants
The New Mutantsis a spin-off film in theX-Menfilm series.The superhero actionhorror movie centered around a group of five young mutants: Illyana Rasputin aka Magik (Taylor-Joy), Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane (Maisie Williams), Sam Guthrie aka Cannonball (Charlie Heaton), Danielle Moonstar aka Mirage (Blu Hunt), and Roberto da Costa aka Sunspot (Henry Zaga). The movie follows them inside a secret, sinister institution, where they’re tested and confined, as they fight to work through their past traumas and escape.
An Underwhelming Superhero Movie
Although the long-awaited film held a lot of promise and had a fantastic cast, it failed to deliver in execution. The horror elements are strong in its first half, only for the movie to transform into a lackluster drama in its second half. There are a lot of things that don’t work, like a lack of suspense, the characters not getting enough compelling interactions, and a messy script. Despite being devoid of ambition, it’s still fun to watch Taylor-Joy wield the Soulsword and fight the Demon Bear.
6’Marrowbone' (2017)
Marrowbone
Marrowboneis a gothic horrorwritten and directed by Sergio G. Sánchez, the writer of 2007’sThe Orphanage. The English-language Spanish film follows a mother and her four children after they escape England for her childhood home in rural Maine, only for her to die months later. To not be torn apart, the siblings are forced to keep her death a secret until the oldest brother, Jack (George MacKay), turns of age for legal guardianship. Soon, they have to deal with both a pesky lawyer and a ghostly presence in their home. Taylor-Joy plays Allie, Jack’s love interest. Mia Goth and Charlie Heaton have supporting roles.
A Beautiful, Harrowing Tale
Marrowboneis immaculately shot and stunning throughout, with lush and evocative cinematography. Although the story may be one horror fans have seen played out in the past, it’s still a compelling one, with an atmosphere that’s spine-chilling from beginning to end. Its ending packs one hell of a gut punch.
5’The Gorge' (2025)
The Gorgehas become Apple TV+’s biggest film launch to date. It follows two elite snipers, former US Marine Levi Kane, played by Miles Teller, and Taylor-Joy’s Drasa, a Lithuanian covert operative. The two have been tasked with guarding a mysterious gorge from their respective watchtowers, opposite each other, for an entire year. Although they’re not allowed to have contact, they soon break the rules, and both mayhem and love ensue.
A Genre-Bending Film
As things blossom between the new lovebirds, they discover the true nature of their assignment, and they must fight to make it out alive together. While some may complain that the movie tries to be too many things at once, it works. Its unconventional mash of genres results in a triumphant action-packed sci-fi horror romance, which is only elevated by the charm of its central performances.
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4’Last Night in Soho' (2021)
Last Night in Soho
Last Night in Sohois another genre-bending project starring Taylor-Joy, blending psychological horror, time travel, and murder mystery.The British filmstars Thomasin McKenzie as Eloise Turner, a fashion design student who moves to London to pursue her dreams. When she moves into her new bedsit, she discovers she has the ability to be transported to the ’60s through dreams, where she comes across Sandie (Taylor-Joy), an aspiring singer. Eloise’s visions transform into something much more sinister as she learns more about the woman she’s connected with across time.
The Swinging Sixties
Taylor-Joy gives a seductive and intoxicating performance, opposite the doe-eyed, vulnerable McKenzie. The movie does a great job of evoking the ’60s, with a stunning set design that makes viewers feel like they have actually traveled in time — a true visual feast for the creative eye. The soundtrack is an excellent choice of hits from the decade, and kudos to Taylor-Joy for beautifully performing a number of songs for the movie.
3’Split' (2016)
M. Night Shyamalan’s stealth sequel to 2000’sUnbreakablewould later be followed up by the superhero thrillerGlass(2019).Splitstars James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man who has a severe case of dissociative identity disorder. Taylor-Joy is Casey Cooke, ateenager who he kidnapsalong with two of her friends (Haley Lu Richardson as Claire and Jessica Sula as Marcia), bringing them to a secret underground lair beneath the Philadelphia Zoo. In captivity, the girls meet all of his many personalities, learning that they’re all waiting for the emergence of the 24th, who he calls “The Beast.” The movie follows Casey as she tries to outsmart her way to freedom.
A Box Office Success
Split, an intense and unforgettable experience, is considered by many to be one of the writer-director’s best works. McAvoy stunningly portrays each of his character’s distinct personalities, transforming himself into someone else entirely with each one. The talented Taylor-Joy brings her character great emotional depth and vulnerability, stunning audiences with what she could do so early on in her career. The movie went on to amass $278.5 million at the box office on a budget of only $9 million.
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2’The Menu' (2022)
Directed by Mark Mylod,The Menuis ablack comedy horrorwith an ensemble cast that includes Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, Hong Chau, and John Leguizamo. Taylor-Joy stars as Margot, a young woman whose foodie date (Hoult) takes her to an exclusive dining experience on a private island by renowned chef Julian Slowik (Fiennes). The down-to-earth, street-smart, perceptive Margot stands out against the varied wealthy patrons. As the evening progresses, it’s clear that the chef will be serving something much more sinister than a multi-course meal.
Deadly Social Commentary
The Menuis an exceptionally stylish, intelligent, and tension-filled satire that touches on class disparity, the superficiality of the wealthy, consumerism, and the pretentiousness of high culture. With an elaborate menu rife with metaphors, the film also has much to say about how capitalism robs creatives from the joy and passion of creating art. Both Fiennes and Taylor-Joy received Golden Globes nominations for their extraordinary performances.
1’The Witch' (2015)
The Witchis a folk horror set in the bleak world of 1630s New England. It follows a devout Christian family who make a new home on the edge of a dark forest after they’re exiled from their settlement over a religious dispute. Taylor-Joy stars as Thomasin, the eldest teenage daughter. Ralph Ineson and Katie Dickie play her parents. The family also includes preteen son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) and young twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson). As the family settles into their new way of life, sinister events plague their new farm, making it clear an evil force lurks in the nearby woods. Unfortunately for Thomasin, her mother blames her for the family’s misfortune.
A True Masterpiece
Robert Eggers is fully committed to bringing to life a past that is so alien and haunting to modern audiences. Hisfeature debutis no exception. With an exceptional eye to detail and a commitment to lore, he transports audiences centuries back, evoking Puritan fears of witchcraft, inspiring pure, unadulterated terror. Taylor-Joy does some phenomenal acting in this chilling exploration of religious fanaticism, patriarchal oppression, repression, and familial trauma. The film contributes one of the greatest “good-for-her” endings to the horror genre.
