Though the 21st century has produced some truly fantastic horror movies, films like The Witch (2015), Get Out (2017), and Hereditary (2018) that will undoubtedly be talked about for generations to come, fans of the genre would be doing themselves a great disservice if they were to limit their watching to only films made within their own lifetime.
A great horror film often leaves its audience hungry for more, which is why the wide world of film history can be such an engaging topic of study; after all, the great stories of our time echo the stories of the past. And though contemporary horror, or “elevated horror” as a handful of film prudes would refer to it, has found new ways to engage controversial or complicated topics by utilizing the tropes of this titillating genre, longtime fans will assure you that this is not a new convention; it’s been there since the beginning, simmering below the blood-soaked surface.
here is OUR ever-growing list of CLASSIC HORROR MOVIES WORTH WATCHING!
PSYCHO (1960)
Director ….. Alfred Hitchcock
Cast ………. Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
Marion Crane steals 40,000 dollars from her job and drives toward Fairvale, California to meet up with her boyfriend. A rainstorm forces her to seek shelter at a motel run by a strange young taxidermist named Norman and his overbearing mother.
Once checked in, Marion showers to remove the grime of a morally ambiguous day, then she’s stabbed to death with a knife. As her blood swirls down the drain, we realize this is not Marion’s story; it’s a terrifying tale from the madness at Bate’s Motel.
The quick and ruthless murder of Janet Leigh’s character in Psycho has become one of, if not the most, iconic scenes in film history. Audiences of the time were dragged into dark, unknown territory when the protagonist was shockingly killed early in the film, and the thrill it produced helped horror transition into a new era, where the macabre of the past was dragged into the modern world.
Alfred Hitchcock insisted that theaters only allow patrons in at the beginning of the film to preserve its integrity (a convention that has since been made standard, but at the time added to the film’s mystique), and even now few films or television shows successfully subvert expectations as well as this legendary thriller.
ALSO WATCH: The Birds (1963), Get Out (2017), Parasite (2019)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
Director ….. George A. Romero
Cast ………. Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman
Two strangers barricade themselves in a thought-to-be secluded house. Just outside the door, a horde of undead ghouls shuffle about, waiting for an opportunity to devour more human flesh. How will they survive this… NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!
George A. Romero created the flesh-eating, slow-moving zombies we all know and love today in this micro-budget masterpiece, which happens to never actually say the word “zombies”. Night of the Living Dead is the ultimate testament to D.I.Y. horror; made by a small but dedicated group of free-thinking filmmakers, and shot just outside of Pittsburgh, strict budget restrictions ended up resulting in a daring and fresh take on the horror genre.
This seemingly schlocky film went on to inspire countless other movies, as the concept of a man-eating corpse spread throughout the collective unconscious and soon became a world-wide phenomenon that remains ingrained in a surprising amount of our culture.
Romero has said on multiple occasions that he cast Duane Jones as the film’s main protagonist based solely on the merit of his acting ability, and that the fact that he’s African American was never a factor. Still, the decision to make the lead a black man gives the film exponentially more meaning considering the time and place it was released, and is an excellent example of why we should be conscious of casting choices.
ALSO WATCH: Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Shawn of the Dead (2004), One Cut of the Dead (2017)
THE EXORCIST (1973)
Director ….. William Friedkin
Cast ………. Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
Actress Chris MacNeil loves her daugher, Regan, a pleasant 12-year old girl with a positive demeanor. Which is what makes her recent transformation so disturbing. Her face is bloating like a corpse, and she uses a deep, terrible voice to swear violent and sexual things at her mother. Things have gotten so bad that Chris is forced to strap Regan, or whatever’s inside Regan, to a bed. An ancient evil has taken her hostage, only an exorcism will do.
The Exorcist, based on the 1971 novel written by William Peter Blatty, ultimately is a tale of good versus evil, the battle between men of God and the powers of Satan. You can easily see why any “true believer” would immediately single out this film as sacrilege with its shocking language and grotesque imagery, but even for non-religious viewers the film carries a deep-seeded darkness that is impossible to deny.
Whether through its uncanny editing, its masterful use of sound and practical effects, or the countless real-life horror stories that emerged regarding the making of the film, The Exorcist has built an unrivaled reputation as, not just a film that depicts evil, but also a genuinely evil film. It was a dark, crowd-pleasing blockbuster that was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture which until then had never been considered for a horror movie.
ALSO WATCH: The Babadook (2014), The Wailing (2016), Dark Water (2002)
THE WICKER MAN (1973)
Director ….. Robin Hardy
Cast ………. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento
After receiving a disturbing letter calling for the investigation of a missing child, Police Sergeant Neil Howie flies to the peaceful, yet peculiar, island of Summerisle. Songs are sung, love is made, dances are danced, but the devout Sergeant Howie remains firm in his quest to find the secret ugliness buried within this pristine society.
Not all scary movies are dark and dreary. The Wicker Man builds a sense of dread all while drawing us into the strange, but inviting, customs of the people of Summerisle. A beautiful soundtrack, an idyllic landscape, heaps of naked pagans, all add to the allure of the community, and quickly we find ourselves wanting to join their upcoming May Day festivities even though we know something is not quite right.
The film has grown from its B-movie status and has blossomed into the quintessential folk horror it has become today. The performance from Edward Woodward as Sergeant Howie contrasts well with the film’s setting, Christopher Lee - eager to break away from his role as Dracula - shines as the flamboyant Lord Summerisle, and the soundtrack plays such a pivotal role establishing the world of the film that it’s fair to categorize this as a folk horror musical.
ALSO WATCH: Over the Garden Wall (2014), Midsommar (2019)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Director ….. Tobe Hooper
Cast ………. Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen
An idyllic summer afternoon drive becomes a nightmare when five youths find themselves in a hellish wasteland called Texas, where outsiders are slaughtered and served like barbecue.
The frenzy that is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has become the template for countless slashers that followed it, and the film has regularly been referred to as the scariest of all time.
While that latter claim is subjective, there’s something undeniably nightmarish about Tobe Hooper’s family of cannibals. Working on a shoestring budget in blistering heat with real-life dead animal remains as props, the miserable state of the cast and crew added to the film’s aura of terror. Perhaps the most shocking element of this cult classic is its effective restraint; despite Hooper’s best efforts to construct his film to comply with a “PG” rating, the MPAA originally gave The Texas Chain Saw Massacre an “X”, and the film was banned in the UK along with the word “chainsaw” for years after its release.
ALSO WATCH: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Raw (2016)
SUSPIRIA (1977)
Director ….. Dario Argento
Cast ………. Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Eva Axén
A young American ballet student arrives at the Freiburg Dance Academy in Germany during a torrential downpour just as another young dancer runs from the school in terror. Is this just a result of a rigid curriculum, or a hint at something more sinister? The discovery of the fleeing student’s body the next day suggests the latter.
Italian horror cinema is filled to the brim with helpless female victims, however, in Dario Argento’s first installment of his The Three Mothers Trilogy we unravel the mysteries of an occult dance school through the mesmerizing and mesmerized eyes of Suzy Bannion (played by Jessica Harper).
The lead is a woman, the villain is a woman, and overall a large majority of the cast are women in this rare example of an early scary movie that passes the Bechdel test. Though the film doesn’t relish its murder the way a giallo might, there is still plenty of creative carnage for fans of old school gore. The story is unique yet simple, allowing the audience to be fully engage with the film’s fantastical use of color and the unforgettable score by Goblin.
ALSO WATCH: Inferno (2016), Black Swan (2010), Climax (2018), Suspiria (2018)
ERASERHEAD (1977)
Director ….. David Lynch
Cast ………. Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph
Spencer returns to his home and is informed of an invitation to a family dinner with his girlfriend and her parents. He joins their meal of “man-made” chicken and is then cornered by his girlfriend’s mother. She informs Spencer that her daughter has already given birth to his premature child, though there seems to be some confusion whether it’s a child at all.
Many horror films can be described as nightmarish, none more so than David Lynch’s debut film, which exists on its own unconscious plane. Produced by the American Film Institute and a handful of donations over a five-year span, the dreamlike and uncanny nature of Eraserhead allowed Lynch to express his fear of becoming a father by creating a queasy tension in even the most mundane of actions. Every sound, expression, and gesture has been carefully crafted to subconsciously disturb the viewer, building a long-running unease that dissects a minute of screen time into a thousand nauseating moments.
The film’s shoestring surrealism made a name for itself on the midnight movie market, and word is that Stanley Kubrick himself showed the movie to his cast and crew to inspire them on the set of The Shining.
ALSO WATCH: The Holy Mountain (1973), Mulholland Drive (2001), Donnie Darko (2001)
THE SHINING (1980)
Director ….. Stanley Kubrick
Cast ………. Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
A young boy named Danny asks his imaginary friend named Tony why he doesn’t want to go to the hotel. Tony, who lives in Danny’s finger, reveals the terror that will fall upon Danny, his father, and his mother when they reach their remote destination. Scenes of unadulterated horror flash before Danny’s eyes all while the siren call of the Overlook Hotel beckons to his father.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining can be many things: it’s a powerful ghost story set in a labyrinthian haunted house; it’s a metaphor for alcoholism, patriarchy, and a million other themes; some even say it’s a confession from Kubrick himself admitting he helped fake the moon landing. But stripped down to its core it’s a masterfully crafted horror film that aims to subliminally engage the fear centers of the unconscious.
The two leading men, Jack Nicholson and an oblivious Danny Lloyd (who shares the name of the character he’s playing), deliver broad, engaging performances that help heighten the drama, but it is the unfairly maligned Shelley Duvall that truly sells the terror of the tale. As the film wares on you like a lost shuffle through a hedge maze, the cavernous rooms take on an aura of evil.
Stephen King may not be a fan of this adaptation of his work, but for students of film this is a must-watch example of the mental manipulation a master filmmaker is capable of creating.
ALSO WATCH: Clockwork Orange (1971), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Doctor Sleep (2019), Room 237 (2012)
The Thing (1982)
Director ….. John Carpenter
Cast ………. Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David
A group of American researchers in Antarctica take in a stray sled dog that reveals itself to be a shape-shifting extraterrestrial organism that aims to kill, absorb and assimilate every living creature it encounters.
John Carpenter’s Sci-Fi horror classic is a rare film that combines the artful restraint of a well-paced thriller with over-the-top, top-of-the-line practical effects. Carpenter’s shape-shifting alien erupts into a mind-boggling lovecraftian mass when discovered or attacking, then calmly rejoins the crew as a perfect doppelganger of its prey. The result is a movie monster that intrinsically mirrors the ebb and flow of a horror film.
There is no better argument in support of practical effects than comparing The Thing (1982) with its direct prequel, The Thing (2011).
ALSO WATCH: Alien (1979), The Fly (1986), The Mist (2007)
Threads (1984)
Director ….. Mick Jackson
Cast ………. Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, David Brierly
News of rising tensions between the US and the Soviet Union reaches the residents of Sheffield, who mostly carry on with their day-to-day lives. The threat seems dangerous but distant, until a nuclear warhead detonates over the North Sea. Those that survive the initial blast soon learn to envy the dead as it becomes clear the apocalyptic attack unraveled not only the city of Sheffield, but the fabric of society.
Perhaps the scariest film on the list, Threads walks the line between horror film and public safety announcement. This is a film with a clear motive: to prevent nuclear war by depicting its aftermath in the most realistic and effective manner possible. Renowned scientists like Carl Sagan were interviewed by the filmmakers to clarify what is to be expected should the worse come to happen in the nuclear arms race, and the finished product greatly benefits from this verisimilitude.
The brilliance of the film is its focus on the average citizen, choosing to zoom in on the mother with her deceased infant as opposed to a global view. The pre-bomb portion of the film serves as a striking contrast to the post-bomb portion, and after your first viewing you’ll likely be a different person than you were before. Despite its grisly content, the film was aired on BBC Two and later on TBS in America, leaving viewers around the globe asking themselves if what they watched was a warning or an inevitability.
ALSO WATCH: Come and See (1985), The War Game (1966), The Plague Dogs (1982)
BRAINDEAD (1992)
Director ….. Peter Jackson
Cast ………. Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody
Lionel has always been a mummy’s boy, even when she became a flesh-eating walking corpse, but now he’s fallen for a shopkeeper’s daughter named Paquita, and if he wants things to work out with her then he’ll need to make sure his mother doesn’t get to her first.
With all this talk of “elevated horror”nowadays, it’s important to reserve some space for movies that simply want to make you lose your lunch. Peter Jackson is best known for his transcendent The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but to many fans of the genre he’ll always be celebrated for creating one of the goriest films of all time.
Braindead, or Dead Alive as it’s known in the US, utilizes practical effects that stand the test of time due to Jackson’s vivid imagination and dark comedic wit. In fact, focusing solely on its gore would be a disservice to the film, because it also serves as a hilarious farce, which amplifies its late-night party potential. If you’re looking for a splatterfest, you simply cannot do better than this gem from New Zealand.
ALSO WATCH: Evil Dead 2 (1987), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Train to Busan (2016)
RINGU (1998)
Director ….. Hideo Nakata
Cast ………. Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Ino’o
Reiko, a newspaper reporter, uses her skills of investigation to track down a cursed videotape that is said to kill anyone who watches it seven days later. A mixture of morbid curiosity and paranormal beckoning leads Reiko to play the tape, and after witnessing its ghostly content she realizes the countdown has begun…
The movie that brought Japanese horror to the global stage, Ringu helped films like Dark Water (2002) and Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) gain a world-wide audience, and also inspired a wave of unfortunate American remakes in the process. Though 1998 seems a little too recent to earn the “classic” title, this film has been deemed worthy by critics and box-offices since its debut. Its heavy reliance on dead technology (VCRs, Videotapes, landline phones, etc.) from the pre-internet era serve as a perfect homage to the days when one had to track down their horror films in real life.
For those rare few who haven’t seen it and have somehow managed to avoid its many parodies, track it down and run to your television to watch it immediately - the ending will astound you.
Some of the best horror set pieces have the power to forever change the way we feel about real-world places - like Jaws (1975) and the ocean, or Psycho (1960) and the shower. Ringu is the perfect movie to scare you at home because at the end you’ll be left with an ominous black screen, and just like the victims in the film, you’ve now seen the cursed tape.
ALSO WATCH: Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), The Blair Witch Project (1999), REC (2007)