Psycho might be one of the most important and groundbreaking horror films of all time, but many other movies had a profound impact on the genre. Adapted from the novel by Robert Bloch, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece is often considered one of the original slasher movies, and it ushered in a new era for horror.

With its shocking twists and graphic depiction of violence, Psycho was a far cry from the relatively tame horror films that dominated the previous decade. It represented a shift in society, and was an early warning of the tumultuous 1960s that would follow. Many filmmakers took note, and borrowed heavily from Hitchcock’s unique vision.

The history of is dotted with other groundbreaking films, and each generation has produced its fair share of important movies. Whether they push boundaries that were once thought taboo, or utilize new technology to deliver effective scares, horror is the one genre that is always changing for the better.

Halloween (1978)

The 1970s was a transformative period for horror and a real-life rise in violent crime inspired the genre. John Carpenter’s Halloween is credited with jump-starting the slasher craze, and it set the standard that its imitators would follow. A masked killer, a high body count, and moralistic views towards Sєx all became cliches because of Carpenter’s 1978 classic.

Unlike earlier films which gave the killer motivation, Michael Myers is an aimless killing machine. This reflected the fears of the average moviegoer who was reading about seemingly random slayings in the newspapers each day. The franchise went off the rails, but the original film is still a highlight of horror movie history.

Scream (1996)

Wes Craven had previously made his mark on horror with A Nightmare on Elm Street, but 1996’s Scream is where he truly broke new ground. The ’90s struggled to find its idenтιтy as a decade of horror, but Scream came along and delivered an irreverent and self-aware takedown of the genre’s various cliches.

Scream is an excellent slasher film, but the cleverness of its premise is where it shines. Craven didn’t hold back as he satirized the genre which, in his view, had grown stale and boring. Scream was the closest the ’90s had to a defining horror film, and it effectively laid to rest the slasher craze which had dominated for years.

The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre (1974)

Change in horror is often incremental, and The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre represented a big jump forward for the genre. While Psycho helped to make shocking violence mainstream, Tobe Hooper’s low-budget horror masterpiece added gritty realism that completely eschewed the gloss of Hollywood films. Everything looked real, and it blurred the line between fact and fiction.

So-called “hicksploitation” movies existed before, but Texas Chainsaw shined a light into the darkest unexplored corners of the United States as it was being torn apart by the Vietnam War and social strife. Though it’s often remembered as a blood-soaked nightmare, the film is surprisingly tame, and uses its own documentary-like style to imply the worst imaginable horrors.

Hereditary (2018)

By the time the 2010s rolled around, horror had gone through so many evolutions that nothing was taboo or shocking anymore. However, Ari Aster’s Hereditary arrived to spearhead the elevated horror movement that aimed to use the genre as a platform to discuss deeper issues. It also happens to be a numbingly terrifying horror experience.

Though the term elevated horror is still being debated today, there’s no denying that Aster and other modern filmmakers have added something new, and broke previously untouched ground in horror. The leap might not be as pronounced as it was in Psycho, but Hereditary proved that modern horror could still find disturbing ʙuттons to press.

Night Of The Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1968)

George Romero might not have been trying to change the world, but his film Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ shattered several key boundaries and pushed horror forward. Night is the first modern zombie film, and it completely recontexualized the monsters from the victims of black magic to unᴅᴇᴀᴅ flesh-eaters. Every zombie film that followed borrowed Romero’s ideas.

What’s more, he cast a Black man in the leading role of a horror film, something that just wasn’t done in 1968. Far from just being a curiosity piece, Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ is a crisp and fast-paced horror film with a subtle social message built in too. It didn’t just change zombies, it changed all of horror.

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Making the jump from comedy to horror, John Landis delivered the cheeky and terrifying An American Werewolf in London. While it’s an excellent early ’80s horror flick, its true legacy is its groundbreaking special effects. Rick Baker provided the makeup and creature effects for the movie, and it snagged him the very first Best Makeup Oscar.

Makeup has been an important part of horror since the very beginning, but Baker’s work in An American Werewolf embraced all the latest technology. He combined art and science to make a truly chilling screen monster, and it supplements what is an already excellent film. It rejected the bipedal werewolf in favor of a four-legged fiend of epic proportion.

Blood Feast (1963)

B-movie mastermind Herschell Gordon Lewis wasn’t known for making the best horror movies ever, but he still broke new ground in the genre. His 1962 film Blood Feast was made three years after Psycho, and built upon the ideas that Hitchcock developed in his opus. Ostensibly the first splatter horror film, Blood Feast lives up to its name.

The low-budget indie film is drenched in gore, and the bright red blood would inspire generations of filmmakers to push things further and further. Gore is taken for granted today, but Lewis’ stomach-churning visuals were unlike anything audiences had seen up to that point. It’s tame by today’s standpoint, but Blood Feast walked so other horror films could run.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The internet changed every aspect of daily life, and The Blair Witch Project was the first horror film to successfully take advantage of the new technology. Not only did it popularize the burgeoning found footage genre, but it used the internet to perpetuate the myth of its story. Audiences were left in the dark about what was real or fake.

The movie itself is a cleverly crafted exercise in suspense, with affordable personal video cameras subsтιтuting Hollywood visuals. The DIY aesthetic made the film extra terrifying, because it looked much realer than any horror film that came before. It became a modern-day dare film, with audiences working themselves up into a frenzy despite not much actually happening in the movie.

Much in the same way that Psycho was the precursor to slashers, The Blair Witch Project was the progenitor of found footage. Movies like Paranormal Activity wouldn’t have existed without Blair Witch, and it continues to shine as one of the few great found footage horror films.

Peeping Tom (1960)

Released only a few months before Psycho, Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom was completely overshadowed by the Hitchcock hit. The psychological horror film explored very similar themes as Psycho, and was even controversial for its graphic depiction of violence. Powell’s beautiful filmmaking is in stark contrast to the movie’s dark tone, and it’s an eerie ride from start to finish.

Peeping Tom was groundbreaking but not for obvious reasons, and it certainly deserves credit for adding to the quilt of horror history. It analyzed the rising tide of serial killing (a term that hadn’t been invented yet), and even tried to explain the psychology of the killer. It gave the killer a plausible motivation, something that horror has struggled with.

Had Psycho never been released, it’s very possible the Peeping Tom would have taken its place. It features all the same pre-slasher tropes as its compeтιтor, and it even handles other aspects of its story more artfully. Michael Powell’s masterpiece had the unfortunate distinction of going head-to-head with Hitchcock, but it is still a groundbreaking horror film.