There are some horror movies that were so iconic, influential, and acclaimed that we just can’t live without them. While there are plenty of disposable and forgettable scary movies released each year, occasionally, there are films that make such an enormous impact that they become part of the tapestry of pop culture for decades to come.

Many of the best horror films ever made have earned the esteemed status of being entirely irreplaceable and have been rewarded with major accolades like Academy Awards and preservation in the National Film Registry. The history of horror includes many all-time great movies, and it’s important to recognize their unmatched legacy and enduring influence.

10

Psycho (1960)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho marked a turning point in the horror genre, as more intense, Sєxually transgressive movies started to gain popularity. With Anthony Perkins as the iconic serial killer Norman Bates, this controversial classic was a masterclass in filmmaking that got everything right, from its unmatched performances to an unnerving and memorable score.

From its shift in perspective from the victim to the killer to its iconic shower scene, Psycho has not lost any of its immense power more than six decades later. By introducing psychological horror to mainstream cinema and reinventing what audiences could expect from a scary movie, Psycho changed the game and continues to influence the genre to this day.

9

Night Of The Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1968)

Directed by George A. Romero

The zombie genre as we know it today would look incredibly different if not for the influence of George A. Romero and Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Telling the story of seven people trapped in a rural farmhouse after the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ rise from their graves, Romero’s ghouls popularized the modern depiction of zombies as flesh-eating supernatural foes.

Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ marked the beginning of an incredible movie franchise that cataloged the zombie apocalypse across decades. While later installments like Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ were also essential viewing for any horror movie enthusiast, it’s important to recognize where it all started and just how much Romero set the tone for practically all subsequent zombie media.

8

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Directed by Roman Polanski

As a film dealing with feminism, paranoia, and satanic cults, Rosemary’s Baby was a dread-inducing domestic horror about a woman whose existence became a total nightmare. With Mia Farrow as the тιтular Rosemary, the slow-burning terror of this Roman Polanski classic was all the more frightening because of the way it grounded demonic rituals with a sense of realism.

With the seemingly kindhearted elderly neighbor Minnie even winning Ruth Gordon an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Rosemary’s Baby proved that horror movies could be both terrifying and gain acclaim from the Academy. With dark themes including paranoia, bodily autonomy, and unseen evil hiding behind every corner, Rosemary’s Baby was an important contributor to horror being taken seriously as art.

7

The Exorcist (1973)

Directed by William Friedkin

The legacy of The Exorcist speaks for itself, as, to this day, it’s still remembered as perhaps the scariest movie ever made. With stories of audience members literally fainting in theaters due to the shocking nature of what they were witnessing, this adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s original novel struck a chord with viewers and was one of the most controversial films of its era.

As the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, The Exorcist laid the groundwork for all future possession stories, as Linda Blair’s terrifying performance as a possessed child was unlike anything viewers had ever previously seen. While lots of older horror movies feel dated and no longer frighten viewers, The Exorcist remains truly terrifying.

6

The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre (1974)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

While Psycho marked the beginnings of the slasher genre, it was Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre that truly pushed audiences well outside their comfort zone. Telling the story of a group of teenagers being pursued by a family of cannibals, the killer Leatherface has endured as one of horror’s most iconic villains.

With a power tool as a murder weapon, watching Leatherface tirelessly chase his victims made for truly nail-biting viewing. As the film that originated many major horror movie tropes, such as the final girl, The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre was an indispensable classic that has earned its esteemed place in horror history.

5

Halloween (1978)

Directed by John Carpenter

There’s a reason that the babysitter killer Michael Myers has returned time and again as the Halloween franchise continued with endless sequels, spin-offs, and retellings. As a true classic from director John Carpenter, Halloween took all the lessons learned from previous slasher movies and condensed them down into one of the most effective horror movies ever released.

With Jamie Lee Curtis giving a career-defining performance as Laurie Strode and the ever-present, brooding, and almost supernatural threat of Myers lording over her, Halloween was a tension-filled glimpse into a genuine nightmare. By laying the blueprints for slashers as we now know them, Halloween set the stage for decades of masked killers, final girls, and suburban terrors in horror.

4

The Shining (1980)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

While the novel’s original author, Stephen King, may not have been happy with Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, most agree it stands as one of the greatest adaptations of all time. With Jack Nicholson as a recovering alcoholic whose sanity is slowly overtaken by the spirits of the Overlook H๏τel, this psychological descent into madness made for a powerful viewing experience.

Add to Nicholson’s deranged performance Shelley Duvall’s unmatched portrayal of the long-suffering wife Wendy Torrance, and you’ve got one of the most unsettling depictions of domestic horror ever captured on screen. While many might argue if the Overlook was actually haunted, nobody can deny The Shining’s place as one of the best horror films ever made.

3

Scream (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

As a thrilling blend of scares and satire, Scream revitalized horror in the late 1990s by imbuing it with a sense of self-aware metacommentary. While the story of Sidney Prescott and the town of Woodsboro being tormented by a masked killer was nothing new, the way the film humorously subverted the tropes of the horror genre felt fresh and original.

Director Wes Craven has already proved himself a master of terror with classics like The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, but Scream brought something entirely new to the table. The way this film deconstructed the very nature of horror movies struck a chord with viewers who connected with its postmodern style.

2

Get Out (2017)

Directed by Jordan Peele

It’s hard to understate just how much Jordan Peele’s career pivot from one half of the comedy duo Key & Peele to one of the most exciting horror directors of the modern age was. With Get Out, Peele delivered an instant classic that tackled race in the United States with a sharp satirical edge that was both clever and frightening.

Telling the story of a young Black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family, what started as eerie and uncomfortable soon devolved into a nightmare of epic proportions. Get Out was funny, scary, and thought-provoking all at once, and immediately signaled Peele as an exciting new voice in the world of horror cinema.

1

Hereditary (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

It’s not often a horror movie is released that is immediately recognized as on par with the genre’s greatest releases. However, Ari Aster achieved just that with Hereditary, a story of family trauma that featured one of the greatest horror performances of all time from Toni Collette as the grieving mother Annie Graham.

As a thematically rich story of Satanism, Hereditary put a modern spin on classics like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby and signaled the breakout success of Aster, leading to more acclaimed releases like Midsommar. As A24’s biggest success up to that point, Hereditary was a groundbreaking horror film and one of the best movies of the 21st century.