25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See

The horror genre can feel overwhelming for some — it’s full of classics, sure, but also schlock-fests, perfectly average genre exercises and, frankly, more than a few extremely bad knock-offs. But if you’re looking to catch up the essential horror bona fides, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve put together a list of 25 horror classics that every serious film fan should see, providing a wide range of influential films from 1920 all the way up to 2017.

This is by no means a complete list — there are There are so many other optionsGreat horror films worth checking out. This is a great place to start if you’re looking for the best horror movies.

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Decla-Film

Robert Weine’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”This film has been called the “first true horror film” and is known for its dark visual style. The German silent film tells about several murders that a hypnotist orders to be committed using a somnambulist. In its bizarre style, the movie heavily relies on German expressionism. It features unusual angles and contrasts, with shadows and streaks light. Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer, and Carl Mayer wrote the classic film. They were both pacifists at the time. See the twist ending and feel it for yourself. – Loree Seitz

“Nosferatu” (1922)

nosferatu
Film Arts Guild

“Nosferatu,”Also known for being the first ever vampire movie, joins “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,”As another important silent German expressionist film and sets the stage for the likes more “Dracula” adaptations, “Twilight”The film includes almost every vampire movie ever made. Directed by F. W. Murnau, the adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula”The classic story of a vampire who succumbs to his bloodlust gets him in trouble. Thomas Hunter is sent to Transylvania by his boss to meet a client named Count Orlok, who has plans to buy property close to Hutter’s home, but he becomes concerned with his potential new neighbor when his wife’s life becomes threatened and Orlok checks off all the suspicious boxes of being a vampire. – Loree Seitz

“The Invisible Man” (1933)

the-invisible-man-1933-image
Universal Pictures

With dozens of films and more than a dozen bonafide classics among them, Universal’s monster movies offer no shortage of essential films for horror lovers to watch. But if you’re wondering where to begin with Universal’s monsters, you can’t go wrong with James Whale, and if you’re wondering where to start with James Whale, you can’t go wrong with “The Invisible Man.”It may not be the most celebrated or well-known entry in the nation, but it’s certainly one of the most recognizable. “Frankenstein” “The Old Dark House” director’s filmography, the 1933 film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ tale of madness and monstrosity is slick and scary, to this day. Starring Claude Raines as a scientist who turns himself invisible – and into a murderous madman – “The Invisible Man”It holds up extremely well and, as an added bonus, the sequels offer a fascinating glimpse at early Hollywood franchising. – Haleigh Foutch

“Psycho” (1960)

psycho
Universal Pictures

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”The masterful editing of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) revolutionized the genre. Hitchock wasn’t nicknamed the Master of Suspense for nothing — the infamous shower sequence is one of many that have earned their place in film history. The story opens through the eyes and perspective of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who is on the run from the law but stops at the Bates Motel. Resist the urge to look up the ending — once you see the final shot, you’ll never forget it. – Harper Lambert

“The Birds” (1963)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” is yet another horror staple that elevated the genre by taking advantage of the industry’s technological advancements. The film, which was nominated at the 36th Academy Awards for Best Special effects, focuses on the unexplained bird attacks that took place in Bodega bay, CA. Based on a story by Daphne du Maurier Melanie, a socialite, tries to clear the air by giving a gift to Mitch’s family in Bodega bay. She is attracted to each other and decides to stay. But the town quickly becomes an area for violent, frequent attacks by all kinds of birds. Although the number of attacks by birds has increased substantially since 1960, their effects still persist. “The Birds”Many people were too scared to even speak the words. “Bodega Bay.” – Loree Seitz

“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
Paramount

Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby”With its feminist focus and psychological twist, horror has been elevated. Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon, the film centers on Rosemary, a young woman married to Guy, an actor, as the pair move into a new apartment building rumored to be haunted, and their introduction to their elderly neighbors who are plagued by death and tragedy doesn’t help. Rosemary is pregnant, and she experiences a strange hallucination from Satan. Tortured with pain from the pregnancy, even Rosemary herself becomes terrified to wonder what this baby will do if it’s born. – Loree Seitz

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
Image Ten

George A. Romero, also known as the Godfather Zombies, made a directorial debut with this 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead;”A must-see film for horror, zombie and independent cinema fans alike. Filmed on a small budget by ambitious first-time directors. “Night of the Living Dead” ultimately became a box office sensation – one of the most profitable movies of its era. It was also the first movie to introduce the zombie genre. The film is a horror classic that lasted decades and has a haunting tale about strangers who seek refuge from the flesh-eating undead in an isolated farm. Only to end up fighting each other with terror, greed, and self-preservation. – Haleigh Foutch

“The Exorcist” (1973)

the-exorcist-image
Warner Bros.

“The Exorcist”This pioneering combination of two genres, demonic possessions (or haunted children) is an innovative one. William Friedkin’s 1973 classic revolves around a young girl named Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) who starts exhibiting a pattern of disturbing behaviors. Chris, her desperate mother (Ellen Burstyn), seeks help from the church to exorcise the evil spirits that live within her daughter. The devil that lives inside her daughter was not only extinguished, but also a lot of other things. “The Exorcist”They had a significant cultural impact that sparked intense debates about censorship and inspired generations of horror filmmakers. – Harper Lambert

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974
Vortex

If “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”You may associate the film with blood-and-guts executions. However, it is actually quite graphic in its violence. All of “Texas Chainsaw”s horrifying magic lives within suspenseful situations and the all-consuming fear on the actors’ faces. Director Tobe Hooper’s film kicks off when Sally (Marilyn Burns) and some friends visit her grandfather’s grave and end up encountering a family of serial killers. Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his kin begin to take aim at the group, kidnapping a few in their blood-soaked warehouse. One of the quintessential slashers of the ‘70s, “Texas Chainsaw” spawned an entire franchise, including a 2022 remake and protégé horror movie “X.” – Harper Lambert

“Jaws” (1975)

Jaws
“Jaws” (Universal)

A film that can make you rethink your decision to visit a beach. “Jaws”This film is a classic in many respects. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film was a famously difficult shoot, but the lack of a working shark to show off onscreen forced the director to get creative, and an entire approach to horror was born. What’s scary about “Jaws”This is what you need don’t see – a fin here, a buoy there, all portending dangerous evil just under the water’s surface, letting your mind fill in the blanks for the terror below. “Jaws”It is one of the most influential films ever made: it helped to create the “summer blockbuster,” it jump-started the career of one of cinema’s greatest director and it’s still influencing movies that are made today. Oh, and it’s scary as heck. – Adam Chitwood

“Carrie” (1976)

carrie-sissy-spacek
United Artists

Brian De Palma’s Stephen King adaptation “Carrie”The film is best known for its bloody prom scene. However, it is also a powerful performance vehicle for Sissy Spacek as her mother and Piper Laurie playing her. Both received Oscar nominations. This is the story about a young, outcast girl who experiences constant bullying at school and at home. Then she discovers that her telekinetic abilities are real. De Palma’s filmmaking here brings Carrie’s powers to life in a visceral manner decades before CGI was a thing. This is a classic. “teen horror” film. – Adam Chitwood

“Halloween” (1978)

Halloween 1978
Jamie Lee Curtis “Halloween”

It’s all the more impressive that the “Halloween”The franchise has lasted so long because the first film, a genuine indie, was made with a small budget by a group of young filmmakers. And yet, John Carpenter’s original remains unmatched in both quality and spookiness. It’s still the scariest of the bunch, as Carpenter’s chronicle of a masked man going on a killing spree on Halloween night brilliantly uses the towering figure of The Shape to impose an unsettling quality throughout the film. But the movie’s secret weapon is Jamie Lee Curtis as one of the OG final girls. – Adam Chitwood

“Alien” (1979)

alien sigourney weaver
20th Century Fox

Unnerving body horror, ground-breaking sci fi, slow-burn “haunted house” movie, Freudian psychosexual nightmare, pioneering creature feature and grim satire of corporate greed, Ridley Scott’s “Alien”This film is a masterpiece of exploring the diverse genres of cinematic storytelling. Sigourney Weber stars as Ellen Ripley (a blue-collar role). “space trucker”Fight for her life against the acid-blood-spewing, face-hugging, chest bursting life cycle of an unknown alien creature (since dubbed “Xenomorph”) H.R. Giger’s inimitable creature design is one for the ages, and so is Scott’s seminal 1979 space horror film. – Haleigh Foutch

“The Shining” (1980)

"The Shining" (1980)
“The Shining” (Warner Brothers)

Stanley Kubrick’s beloved adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel is about the horrors of writer’s block, haunted hotels and being cooped up with your family, depending on how you look at it. Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and a never-before-seen Wendy play the couple Jack Nicholson who becomes the winter caretakers for the Overlook Hotel. Jack’s young son begins experiencing bizarre premonitions. Wendy must defend him against his lust to murder. From “Here’s Johnny!” to the shot that made the Steadicam famous, there’s plenty to love about “The Shining”Even if King hated it). – Harper Lambert

“Friday The 13th” (1980)

Friday the 13th 1980
Paramount Pictures

A group of teens gets together, has sex, then starts getting killed one-by-one. It’s a trope now, but with 1980’s “Friday the 13th,”It was a new twist on the slasher genre which launched an entire franchise. Spoiler alert! Jason Voorhees is actually the director. NotThe killer in this first “Friday the 13th” film (he doesn’t arrive until the sequel), and yet the film is spooky and campy in the best way. – Adam Chitwood

“An American Werewolf in London” (1981)

An American Werewolf in London
A London American Werewolf

We could have just as easily filled the “horror comedy”Slot with an “Evil Dead”Movie, but “An American Werewolf in London”Bonus points are awarded for being an influential and incredible werewolf film. Filmmaker John Landis’ 1981 film toes the line between horror and comedy perfectly as it follows two American backpackers who are attacked by a werewolf while traveling in England. One dies, and the other is left to question whether he’ll soon turn into a werewolf all while being haunted by the rotting corpse of his best friend. Rick Baker created this groundbreaking makeup effect that has set the bar for future werewolf transformations. – Adam Chitwood

“Poltergeist” (1982)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
MGM

Steven Spielberg brought his sci-fi and horror-loving tendencies together with 1982’s “Poltergeist,”This was co-written by Spielberg and produced by him. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”Tobe Hooper, director, assumed the role of director. This classic supernatural horror film is mixed with a haunted home movie. A family lives in fear when a supernatural presence appears to them. While debates persist as to how heavy Spielberg’s hand was in the direction of the film, it’s filled with unmistakable flourishes from Hooper that up the ante of the horror here. – Adam Chitwood

“The Thing” (1982)

The Thing
Universal Pictures

Take a batch of hardened and isolated men, drop them in the arctic with a shape-shifting alien, throw in some of the best practical effects work in film history — directed by horror GOAT John Carpenter, no less — and what do you get? A relentless, stone-cold classic, that’s what. It’s also a technical filmmaking masterpiece. Starring Kurt Russell with an all-star cast including Wilford Brimley (Character Actor) “The Thing” follows a team of research scientists thrust into terror and all-consuming paranoid dread when their research site becomes host to an otherworldly menace that can take — and grotesquely reshape — the form of living creatures. It could be you, it could be me, or the dog. “The Thing”It is always ready to eat and constrict its next victim. – Haleigh Foutch

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

"Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)
“Nightmare on Elm Street” (New Line)

Wes Craven would make more horror classics (notably “Scream”He was also the creator of one of the most famous slasher characters in history. “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”This is a brilliant idea. What if you could be terrorized by a serial killer in your dreams? Craven is visually much more compelling than other 80s slashers. He plays with dream logic and conjures unforgettable images such as Johnny Depp falling into his bed. The bed then spews out an exorbitant quantity of blood. Freddy Kruger was, naturally, a horror legend for the ages. – Adam Chitwood

“The Blair Witch Project” (1999)

The Blair Witch Project
Haxan Films

Many great horror films were made with a small budget. “The Blair Witch Project”The film was deliberately recreated to look like a student film with bone-chilling effects. The film begins with the information that everything you’re about to see was retrieved from a video camera left behind in the woods. Through handheld footage that is grainy and blurry “Blair Witch”This is the story about three students trying to make a documentary about Blair Witch. The movie is a testament to the power of a simple premise the suspense that can be generated from showing only enough to send the audience’s imagination into overdrive. It’s also credited for the resurgence of the found-footage technique, as seen in later films like “Paranormal Activity” and “Cloverfield.” – Harper Lambert

“Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

the-silence-of-the-lambs-jodie-foster
Orion Pictures

Few images are more famous than Dr. Hannibal Lecter wearing a face-mask and a straitjacket. Jodie Foster portrays the tough FBI agent Clarice starling. Anthony Hopkins plays the serial killer and cannibal who she enlists in order to catch Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Jonathan Demme’s groundbreaking psychological horror relegitimized horror as a genre deserving of awards attention (it also won Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay). More importantly, it’s an unflinchingly dark study of human nature that is as entertaining (and quotable) as it is terrifying. You may find it hard to eat your popcorn towards the end. – Harper Lambert

“Candyman” (1992)

Candyman
Propaganda Films,
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Although there was very little bloodshed on screen, it is still a classic slasher movie. “Candyman”The film is haunted by a dark romance that tells a story of corruption, decay and other evils from the past. Tony Todd stars as the iconic hook-handed title character alongside Virginia Madsen as Helen, a student whose research into urban legends leads her right to the deadly embrace of the Candyman – the vengeful spirit of the son of a slave who was tortured and murdered for loving a white woman. Inspired by Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden”Directed by Bernard Rose, 1992’s film discusses race in America. However, the film invites complex conversations and is grounded in Todd’s commanding, majestic performance. “Candyman”It is as mature and classy as the horror movies get. – Haleigh Foutch

“Scream” (1996)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
Paramount Pictures

Part parody, part genuine horror, “Scream” pays homage to the teen slashers of the two decades preceding it – including those by its director, genre maestro Wes Craven. The ‘90s hit reinvented the wheel with its brash self-awareness of genre tropes, fulfilling some while subverting others (e.g. killing off its biggest star in the opening scene). Yet “Scream” delivers on its title by committing to the bit with a terrific cast of characters, led by the kick-ass Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). When a mysterious killer named Ghostface starts picking off her horror-obsessed classmates one by one, Sidney may be the only one equipped to stop him – if she really has what it takes to be a Final Girl. Don’t be surprised if you end up covering your eyes even as you’re laughing. You can also use the “if” button to make it even more fun. “Scream” is your speed, it’s worth checking out the sequel. – Harper Lambert

“Saw” (2004)

Saw (2004)
Lionsgate

It doesn’t matter what your feelings are about the “Saw” franchise and the torture horror trend it inspired, there’s no denying this is one of the most influential horror movies of all time – and it’s not nearly as blatantly grotesque as the films that followed in its wake. One of the most influential horror movies ever made is actually one of “Saw’s”Its ability to leave the imagination open to interpretation is what makes it most powerful (a stark contrast to flesh-mashing sequel films). “Saw”This noir thriller is dark and spooky, with a lot of horror traps that the detectives are trying to uncover. It’s an essential for how it inspired the next decade of horror (to put a point on it, largely sloppy, fleshy movies all about the torture rather than the mystery or the message), but it also introduced James Wan (and writer Leigh Whannell), who has become arguably the most influential modern voice in horror. From “Saw”To “Insidious”The “Conjuring”Wan is a franchise that has produced many of the most popular horror films and franchises in our time. It all started with “Saw.” – Haleigh Foutch

“Get Out” (2017)

25 Classic Horror Films Everybody Should See
Universal

Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”The director’s debut was an amazing social commentary that shocked horror fans and filmmakers. The film follows a Black man named Chris, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who travels to Upstate New York to visit his white girlfriend’s family for a weekend. Chris is assured by his family that they voted for Obama. But Chris starts to feel something is wrong when the Black community acts strangely and Chris suspects his girlfriend is lying. Its lasting cultural impact and commercial success are still recognized today by the American Film Institute. – Loree Seitz

Latest News

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here