These two movies were game changers. They kickstarted the new century of smart, cutting edge horror movies, and they forced me to seek out the true horror classics just as I was becoming mature enough to understand them. I had previously tried to watch The Silence of the Lambs when I was 10, and boy, was that a mistake. The psychological horror in that movie totally creeped me out and I wouldn't revisit it until I was in high school. But there were two classics that I did see at the right maturity level that totally blew me away: Psycho and The Exorcist(both at the top of my list). These are deep, complex movies that really get to the core of what scares you. Other classics followed after that: The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, Jaws, Alien. All these movies are character driven, emotionally challenging films made by the great directors of the 60s/70s era: Alfred Hitchcock(nearing the end of his long career), William Friedkin, Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg, and Ridley Scott. Whenever someone tells you that the horror genre is just a bunch of the same silly scary movies, you can mention these names, and others like them.
The obvious reason that many people react negatively to horror movies is that they don't like to feel scared. But that's what I love the most about the genre. Fear is one of those core human emotions too(as witnessed this summer in Pixar's Inside Out<out on Blu-Ray/DVD on tuesday>) and the reason people are so afraid to face their fears(really the simplest way to say it) is because of what they may find out about themselves. Fear brings out your most primal instincts, it makes you think about what you would be capable of doing in an every man(or woman) for themselves scenario. Who would you betray? Who would you kill? These questions terrify us, but the answers we give define who we are. I guess that's why the psychological horror genre is my favorite. Monsters and ghosts and demons can be very scary too(as seen on my list), but nothing scares me more than a movie that dives deep into a person's mind. And the less explanation into why the characters act how they act the better. The fun part is figuring it out by myself. That makes every viewing experience different, depending on what point of my life I'm at. Any recent experiences can help me relate to a character or view that character from a different perspective.
The 31 movies I chose present many different viewing experiences. There is a lot of psychological horror, but there are also some of the classic monster, ghost, and of course, creepy kid movies you'd expect from the genre. You'll find the classic titles everyone knows, and a couple of more obscure titles that are equally worthy of your time. Some of those lesser known movies on the list I watched for the first time in the past month just so I wouldn't leave any movie out solely because I hadn't seen it yet. So trust me, if they're on the list it's because they scared me, and you should try to find and see them however you can. There are movies from as recently as 2014 all the way back to the silent era. There are almost 100 years of horror movie history to be discovered. This list should be a great start for anyone who, like me, likes to experience fear at the movies. There are tons of other great horror movies out there, but for now, my list of the 31 Best Horror Movies will do. Let's begin with one of those 80s classics that started me on the path of horror movie fandom ...
31) Friday the 13th (1980) (dir. Sean S. Cunningham)
Known for: "Ki ki ki, ma ma ma". Jason's mother, Mrs. Voorhees, committing the murders(remember that just in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation to the one faced by Drew Barrymore in the opening scene of Scream). Kevin Bacon getting killed. Mrs. Voorhees hearing her son's voice in a sort of reverse Psycho scenario
Scariest Moment: The final surprise in the lake(ripped off from Carrie, but whatever)
30) What Lies Beneath (2000) (dir. Robert Zemeckis)
Known for: Zemeckis's visual style, as in the shot of an unconscious Michelle Pfeiffer from beneath the floor(Aside: with all the talk of Back to the Future in the past month, plus the premiere of The Walk at the same time, I realized that no one mentions this horror gem when talking about Zemeckis's excellent filmography. They should). Seeing dead people. Harrison Ford as the bad guy. Screenplay written by The Avengers's own Agent Coulson, Clark Gregg
Scariest moment: The bathtub scene. There's a reason why it's the movie's poster.
29) The Innocents (1961) (dir. Jack Clayton)
Known for: Seeing dead people again. Creepy kids. Excellent black & white cinematography. Sexual tension between Deborah Kerr's governess and the boy, Miles. The scary music that starts the film.
Scariest Moment: Final scene with the face of the dead servant, Quint, appearing outside the window.
28) Misery (1990) (dir. Rob Reiner)
Known for: Stephen King adaptation. Kathy Bates's Oscar winning performance. Ruining celebrities's trust in their fans forever.
Scariest moment: The sledgehammer scene. Ouch.
27) Eyes Without a Face (1960) (dir. Georges Franju)
Known for: The scary opening scene with a body being dumped into the river at night. The blank mask worn by the professor's daughter. The final murder
Scariest moment: The face removal scene.
26) The Descent (2005) (dir. Neil Marshall)
Known for: Claustrophobia. The opening car crash. Being the worst ad for cave exploring ever.
Scariest Moment: When the first creature appears inside the cave.
25) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) (dir. Robert Wiene)
Known for: Considered the first horror movie. The german expressionistic look with the jagged angles and shadows. Cesare the somnambulist. The twist ending at the insane asylum.
Scariest Moment: The first murder in the shadows.
24) Poltergeist (1982) (dir. Tobe Hooper)
Known for: "They're heeere". Another creepy kid. The self stacking chairs. The creepy clown. The tree. The exorcist lady("This house is clean"). The cursed cast(look it up). Produced, written, and unofficially directed by Spielberg. The Oscar nominated visual effects.
Scariest Moment: Hearing Carol Anne through the TV.
23) Repulsion (1965) (dir. Roman Polanski)
Known for: The first movie from Polanski's apartment trilogy. The apartment literally cracking up. The hands coming out of the walls of the hallway. The murders at the end. Catherine Deneuve's performance.
Scariest moment: Those creepy rape nightmares/fantasies.
22) The Blair Witch Project (1999) (dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez)
Known for: Being a huge box office hit. Starting the found footage genre craze in the late 90s. The actors filming the movie themselves. Never showing the titular Blair Witch(still scary, though).
Scariest moment: The ending scene with one of the guys mysteriously standing in the corner of the house.
21) Scream (1996) (dir. Wes Craven)
Known for: Reinventing the slasher genre for 90s audiences. The main characters referencing past horror movies, including some by the film's director, Wes Craven. The ending at Stu's house.
Scariest moment: The opening scene with Drew Barrymore, one of the scariest in horror movie history.
20) The Sixth Sense (1999) (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
Known for: "I see dead people". Haley Joel Osment's Oscar nominated performance. Cole's unique relationship with his doctor, played by Bruce Willis. One of the few horror movies nominated for Best Picture, and Shyamalan nominated for Best Director(sounds impossible now, right?). The twist everyone already knows.
Scariest moment: The opening scene.
19) Hour of the Wolf (1968) (dir. Ingmar Bergman)
Known for: The weird guests at the mansion. People walking up walls. The creepy necrophilia scene at the end. Ingmar Bergman's only horror movie.
Scariest moment: Killing the boy at the beach.
18) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (dir. Don Siegel)
Known for: 1950s paranoia. Lifeless bodies suddenly appearing all over the place. The pods. The glass half full/half empty ending. Being remade countless times, including in the 70s and in the 90s with a high school setting and an evil Jon Stewart(The Faculty).
Scariest moment: When the main characters realize their friends have turned into aliens.
17) Suspiria (1977) (dir. Dario Argento)
Known for: The witches running the ballet academy. The loud and disturbing score. The unique visual style. The dog attack. Killing the directress at the end.
Scariest moment: The first death scene, one of the best ever.
16) Don't Look Now (1973) (dir. Nicolas Roeg)
Known for: The opening drowning scene. Spooky Venice setting. The near death experience in the church. The two sisters. The sex scene. The warnings.
Scariest moment: The little dwarf in the red coat, or, as titled in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, "Don't Look Now, Because a Creepy-Ass Dwarf is About to Kill You!".
15) Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) (dir. John McNaughton)
Known for: Michael Rooker's intense, out of nowhere performance as Henry. A serial killer movie from the serial killer's perspective. Killing random people on the highway.
Scariest Moment: The home invasion scene
14) The Babadook (2014) (dir. Jennifer Kent)
Known for: Another creepy kid. A very scary children's book. Essie Davis's performance as the mother, Amelia. Killing the dog. Feeding the monster at the end.
Scariest moment: When Amelia finishes reading the re-taped book which predicts what she'll do to her family.
13) The Omen (1976) (dir. Richard Donner)
Known for: The creepiest of all creepy movie kids(I mean, he is the antichrist). Ruining the name Damien forever. The nanny's death("Damien! It's all for you"). Damien trying to kill his mother. The photographer's death. The ending, which depending on your political views could be interpreted to mean that George W. Bush is the devil. The Oscar winning original score.
Scariest moment: The nanny finishes the job and kills the mother at the hospital.
12) The Ring (2002) (dir. Gore Verbinski)
Known for: The opening scene, with the dead girl later being seen in the closet. The creepy tape. Another creepy kid. Samara being interviewed at the asylum. Brian Cox committing suicide.
Scariest moment: No doubt about it, Samara crawling out of the TV. I saw this movie for the first time alone in my house, at night, with all the lights turned off, and that made this scene one of the greatest I've ever experienced in any horror movie.
11) Peeping Tom (1960) (dir. Michael Powell)
Known for: The opening scene featuring the killer's POV shot. Killing the girl at the film studio. The voyeuristic killer, recording his murders, a topic that was way ahead of its time in 1960. The otherwise nice guy protagonist who could be Norman Bates's creepy British cousin. Was a flop when it premiered and it ruined the career of one of Britain's greatest directors, Michael Powell.
Scariest moment: The suicidal ending.
10) Halloween (1978) (dir. John Carpenter)
Known for: Michael Myers. Michael Myers hiding in the bushes. Michael Myers killing teenagers. Michael Myers disappearing at the end. The white mask. The scariest original score of any horror movie.
Scariest moment: The first person POV opening scene of young Michael killing his family.
9) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (dir. Tobe Hooper)
Known for: Leatherface. The dinner scene. The creepiest family in film history. The chainsaw, the hook, and the sledgehammer. The hitchhiker. The escape.
Scariest moment: Leatherface's first kill. From this moment up until the very last second this movie is nonstop terror.
8) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (dir. Jonathan Demme)
Known for: Anthony Hopkins's iconic performance as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster's equally excellent performance as Clarice Starling(both won Oscars). The only horror movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars. The forgotten villain, Buffalo Bill("It puts the lotion on its skin", still creepy). Every conversation between Lecter and Clarice("I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti"). The final face-off in the dark. Lecter negotiating with the senator("Love your suit").
Scariest moment: Lecter's escape.
7) The Shining (1980) (dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Known for: "Heeere's Johnny!". "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Jack Nicholson's full on crazy performance as Jack Torrance. The girls in the hall. The blood gushing from the elevator. The lady in room 237. The maze. Another creepy kid. The picture at the end. Stephen King adaptation(which he famously didn't like).
Scariest moment: "Redrum".
6) The Night of the Hunter (1955) (dir. Charles Laughton)
Known for: Robert Mitchum's performance as Rev. Harry Powell(nothing scarier than a phony preacher). The "love" and "hate" tattoos. The nightmarish mood as the kids escape from Rev. Powell. The wedding night scene. The only movie directed by Oscar winning actor Charles Laughton.
Scariest moment: When the kids see Rev. Powell riding on horseback on the horizon as they hide from him at night.
5) Alien (1979) (dir. Ridley Scott)
Known for: The tagline("In space, no one can hear you scream"). The alien killing off the crew one by one. Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ripley. Ash the robot.
Scariest moment: The chestburster. Iconic.
4) Jaws (1975) (dir. Steven Spielberg)
Known for: The poster. The score. The opening scene. The mostly unseen shark. "You're gonna need a bigger boat". Quint's story about the USS Indianapolis. Blowing up the shark. Starting the summer blockbuster era in Hollywood.
Scariest moment: The attack on the beach. Expertly filmed by Spielberg.
3) Rosemary's Baby (1968) (dir. Roman Polanski)
Known for: The iconic poster. The nosy neighbors, including an Oscar winning performance from Ruth Gordon. Mia Farrow's performance as Rosemary. John Cassavetes as the worst husband in the world. The pregnancy paranoia. Filming in the exterior of the Dakota building(where John Lennon would later be murdered).
Scariest moment: (Tie) Rosemary getting raped by a demon in her sleep("This is no dream. This is really happening!") and The ending("What have you done to its eyes?").
2) The Exorcist (1973) (dir. William Friedkin)
Known for: Again, the poster. "The power of christ compels you". The ouija board. Spiderwalk down the stairs. The spinning head. Tubular bells. The foul-mouthed demon inside little Reagan("Your mother sucks cocks in hell" might be the best movie insult ever). Father Karras to the rescue. One of the few horror movies nominated for Best Picture(had 10 total nominations and 2 wins).
Scariest moment: F*ck me scene. One of the most disturbing scenes I've seen in any movie.
1) Psycho (1960) (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
Known for: Perfection. Bernard Herrmann's score. Anthony Perkins's performance as Norman Bates. Janet Leigh's main character getting killed halfway through the movie(sorry to spoil it). "We all go a little mad sometimes". "A boy's best friend is his mother". "Mrs. Bates" in the fruit cellar. The classic twist(you probably know what it is already).
Scariest moment: The shower scene, of course. To this day I get scared of what's on the other side of the curtain.
