The history of feature films begins in the 20th century, and horror was right there with movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. In the 30s, the genre really took off thanks to Universal monster movies such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Under Alfred Hitchcock, it transformed again, before creature features and the supernatural dominated the 70s, leading to the slasher wave of the 80s and late 90s. So many classic horror movies were made over the century, but these ten are perfection; no notes.
10
‘The Thing’ (1982)
The perfect winter horror movie, The Thing stars Kurt Russell as RJ MacReady, one of several men at an isolated research station in Antarctica who are attacked by an alien. If that’s not already bad enough, the alien is a shapeshifter able to take the form of the humans it attacks, leading to a story where no one can be trusted.
If you’ve never seen The Thing, you might be surprised that a reboot of an already popular movie made the list, but John Carpenter‘s version of the story digs deeper. Rob Bottin’s shocking practical effects are maybe the most memorable in horror history, but it’s the mystery and paranoia that holds it all together, leading to an ending fans are still debating over four decades later.
9
‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968)
George A. Romero is one of the most important filmmakers, period, regardless of drama. For this list, you could easily go with Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, but we’ll start with the one that started it all. At an abandoned farmhouse, Barbra (Judith O’Dea) and the heroic Ben (Duane Jones) board up the windows and doors with other members of the living, while outside, the living dead are scratching and clawing to get in.
Zombie movies already existed in a different form, but not like this. It’s Romero who created the modern take, with the dead rising to eat the flesh of the living, and only a headshot able to take them out. With Ben as the only Black character, there is a deeper political message at stake to go with an already terrifying movie. This is the first zombie movie, and it’s still the best today.
8
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)
Tobe Hooper‘s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre stars Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty, a young woman in Texas who ends up at the wrong house. Inside, a family of cannibals awaits, leading to a third act that is nothing but an extended chase scene, with a hysterical Sally screaming for her life as the horrific Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) chases her down with his trusty chainsaw.
Hooper made one of the most unnerving films you’ll ever see. It’s nonstop tension, and its grungy aesthetic creates a documentary-like feel. Some fans will complain about the gore, which is Hooper’s greatest trick of all. There is barely any bloodshed at all. The true horror is in the viewer’s mind, where we’re convinced that we’ve seen so much more. Kim Henkel‘s script goes beyond the terror, delivering a political message that might actually make you feel sorry for poor Leatherface.
7
‘Halloween’ (1978)
Four years before The Thing, John Carpenter co-wrote and directed his most famous film of all. Halloween is a simple story, with teenaged babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) being stalked on Halloween night in quiet Haddonfield, Illinois by the silent and ghostlike Michael Myers (Nick Castle). After an hour of slow burn tension, the last half hour grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go.
Halloween wasn’t the first slasher, but with its perfect final girl, a scary-as-hell monster, and one of the most recognizable scores, Halloween perfected the tropes started by similar films, launching a franchise that still lives on today. Slashers ruled the 80s, and it all began with the Shape.
6
‘Psycho’ (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock had already been around for decades before he made Psycho, based on Robert Bloch‘s novel of the same name. This one, though, is the film that comes to mind for most when you hear his name. In the film, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is a thief on the run when she ends up at a small motel owned by the bizarre Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman seems harmless enough at first, but nothing here is as it seems.
Psycho meant so much to film. It not only introduced one of the great villains in history in an early example of a slasher, but it has not one but two masterfully shocking twists. The slow build of suspense is unnerving, leading to an explosion of violence. Because of Psycho, generations have been scared of their own shower.
5
‘Alien’ (1979)
Before Ridley Scott‘s Alien, films about creatures from outer space were often hokey, with stories about flying saucers and little green men. This one challenged perceptions by relying on a story that crawls along, waiting as long as possible to show its monster. In Alien, the Nostromo spaceship accidentally brings an alien lifeform on board, and with the crew taken out one by one, it’s up to Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) to kill it before it kills her.
Ridley’s movie is part haunted house movie, part slasher. The dark set of the vessell is filmed with narrow halls and shadowy corners where anything could hide. Whereas James Cameron‘s sequel, Aliens, upped the horror with more monsters, Alien only needs one. The H.R. Giger-designed creature is terrifying with a form never seen before. The only thing better is the hero. Regardless of gender, Ripley is one of the most badass protagonists in movie history.
4
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Horror struggled in the early 90s, but The Silence of the Lambs more than made up for it, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Based on Thomas Harris‘ novel, Jonathan Demme‘s best movie focuses on young FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), who is so desperate to find serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), that she turns to help from another, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), resulting in a horror thriller that hits on multiple levels.
The Silence of the Lambs has the look and feel of a big-budget Hollywood movie, yet it still feels raw and gritty thanks to Demme’s direction. Filled with twists and turns and a panic-inducing ending, this one does everything right, but in his limited screen time, it’s Hopkins who steals every scene as a villain so charming that he pulls you in, even though you should be running away.
3
‘Jaws’ (1975)
1971’s Duel showed what Steven Spielberg was capable of. Four years later, he took that same approach and turned it up with Jaws, adapted from Peter Benchley‘s novel. It’s supposed to be a fun and innocent Fourth of July weekend in Amity, only for it to be interrupted by a killer great white shark. Three men go into the water to stop it, but not all of them will return.
Jaws does so much with so little. The robotic shark famously broke down often, which meant Speilberg had to rely on crafting tension through the unseen. That’s where John Williams‘ terrifying score comes in. What makes it so much more than a basic creature feature are its characters. Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) is an oceanographer in over his head. Half-crazy fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) is brave while also being his own worst enemy. And Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) must save the day despite his fear of water. Spielberg puts the viewer on the boat, making us live the horror with them.
2
‘The Shining’ (1980)
Take your pick on what Stephen King film adaptation is your favorite, but The Shining is the one that tops so many lists of the best horror movies ever made. Jack Nicholson stars as Jack Torrance, the new winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. Something evil lurks there, and as it turns Jack mad, it’s up to his young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), and his gift of the shine to save him and his mother, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), from Jack’s deadly breakdown.
The man who wrote the novel might hate this adaptation, but sorry, it’s his best because of what Stanley Kubrick pulls off. He turns a simple horror movie into a work of art with masterful direction, where building dread and a chilling score flow together in a setting that’s a character unto itself. Over forty years later, we’re still trying to figure out what it all means.
1
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Demonic possessions movies are so prevalent now that modern audiences have become desensitized to the subgenre. That wasn’t the case in 1973, when moviegoers had never seen anything like The Exorcist and were fainting in the aisles. Based on William Peter Blatty‘s novel of the same name (he also wrote the screenplay), the film focuses on young Regan (Linda Blair), a girl under the spell of something evil. Unable to find anyone who can help, her desperate mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), turns to two priests, Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) to save her daughter from the devil’s grip.
William Friedkin‘s directing builds the tension with some great shots (Merrin arriving in the fog is iconic), and the tense score is legendary. Every actor nails their role, but it’s Blair’s talent, along with some convincing makeup, that makes The Exorcist unforgettable with her portrayal of a child lost to the impossible. Even if you’ve seen every demon possession movie there is, this one hits different. It might just be the best horror movie ever made.
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