Top 50 Influential Horror Films Of All Time

They’re full of ghouls, goblins and just about everything else that goes bump in the night! Horror has roots dating back to pretty much the beginning of cinema itself, and while the genre has expanded to include many different subcategories of horror, they all have one goal in mind… to scare the pants off you! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our definitive list of the Top 50 Most Influential Horror Movies of All Time. For this list, we’re doing the unthinkable and ranking 50 of the most definitive horror flicks to be released since the dawn of cinema! We’ll be going in-depth on just a few of the entries, dissecting why they’re iconic, why they’re memorable and – better yet! – why they’re downright terrifying! If you’re interested in a more in depth look at our picks, be sure to check out WatchMojo’s Magazine on the 75 Most Influential Horror Films of All Time, available now at watchmojo.com/store. #50: “Get Out” (2017) When Chris Washington goes on a weekend trip to visit his girlfriend’s parents, he doesn’t realize the danger he’s in for: there’s more to this family, their friends and their servants than meets the eye. Turns out, they may be connected to the abductions of some African-Americans individuals in the area. And unfortunately for Chris, he’s next on their list. “Get Out” marks the directorial debut of Jordan Peele, who, perhaps strangely, is known more for his comedy work. He co-created and co-starred in the Comedy Central sketch show “Key & Peele,” and has appeared in shows like “MADtv,” “Drunk History” and “The Daily Show.” Peele’s sense of humor has definitely found its way into his work as a director, as “Get Out” does a brilliant job of mixing racial tension with his unique style of comedy. What’s more, it simultaneously pays homage to some of the classic horror films that helped define the genre, while also setting up some of the most original and genuinely terrifying sequences to appear on the silver screen in the 2010s. The film deals heavily with racism, and how the allies of marginalized people can actually do more harm than good. The main antagonists of the film don’t come across as stereotypical racists, but rather as a friendly and warm middle class family. However, if you dig deeper, the family can actually be seen as an allegory for anti-racists who hurt more than they help, while Chris’ girlfriend Rose can be seen as a representation of Caucasian female complacency with modern day racism. Much like political horror of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, “Get Out” explores issues of race and oppression, which – in 2017 – were as important as ever. #49: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) Suspense, terror, great acting, a director/distributor disagreement, political propaganda... this film really does have it all. Based off the novel “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney, the film sees Dr. Miles Bennell retelling the story of how his town was overtaken by “pod people.” He realizes that what he first mistook for a delusion actually turned out to be a silent alien invasion. The town is filled with pods which, when placed next to a sleeping human, are able to create a copy of them that’s devoid of emotion, and that copy then replaces them in society. Once Dr. Bennell realizes what’s happening, he manages to escape with his life... only to see trucks filled with pods driving off to neighboring cities. The film ends with the FBI ordering that barricades be put up, and a sense of hope that the rest of the world will escape the pods and pod people, but this isn’t the ending the film was originally meant to have: according to director Don Siegel, he had wanted to film to end with Bennell screaming in horror as the trucks drive off with hundreds of pods. However Allied Artists didn’t like the pessimistic sentiment, and forced Siegel to change his ending. Over 60 years and two remakes of the story have come and gone since the original film’s release, and it’s still seen as an allegory for communism, dehumanization, and the fear of losing one’s individuality in a society obsessed with conformity. And while the Soviet Union is gone, the sentiment of this film is still relevant today across the globe. #48: “The Witch” (2015) It seems like the horror films of today want us to look not at our present, but at our past. As a result, 2015’s “The Witch” is a wonderfully detailed and disturbing look at a Puritan family in New England at the height of witch paranoia in the 1600s. After a disagreement over the New Testament, a family leaves their village and ventures off to build a farm near a secluded forest. Things take a turn for the worse almost immediately, when the family’s newborn disappearing as he’s being watched by their daughter, Thomasin. Oh, it gets worse: illness plagues the young son, and various other odd occurrences happen throughout the runtime, including a demonic presence known as Black Phillip taking the form of the family goat. Director Robert Eggers explores the concept of New England witchcraft convincingly, but without relying on the overused Salem Witch Trials. To make everything feel more authentic, Eggers consulted with museums and 17th century agricultural experts, and relied only on natural light when filming outdoors and candlelight when filming inside. The movie has the feel and tension of 1996’s “The Crucible,” but with an added horror element similar to “The Omen.” Even so, it’s still wholly its own, being hailed by critics for its originality and take on puritanical life in New England. As is the case with so many classic horror films, the fear stems from what isn’t seen rather than what is shown onscreen. Eggers uses a slow burn tactic that results in a memorable climax, and as a result “The Witch” is one of the more uncomfortable hour and a half sittings you’ll ever experience. #47: “28 Days Later” (2002) #46: “Misery” (1990) #45: “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) Based on the novel “The Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris, this movie follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she attempts to track down and stop a serial killer dubbed “Buffalo Bill,” who’s been skinning women and dumping their bodies. With the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated serial killer, cannibal, and former psychiatrist, Starling hunts Bill down before he can claim his next victim: Catherine Martin, the daughter of a U.S. Senator. Although Jodie Foster is now famous for her performance as Clarice, she wasn’t director Jonathan Demme’s first choice; despite her tenacity at pursuing the role, it wasn’t until Michelle Pfeiffer passed on it that she was cast. Anthony Hopkins faced a similar situation with the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter; it was only when Sean Connery turned the part down that he was cast in the now-iconic role. Funnily enough, the film wasn’t an instant hit; instead it slowly gathered critical acclaim and box office success. However, it was well liked among critics and audiences, and it’s still considered one of the best horror films ever produced. Mixing literary finesse and symbolism with spine tingling scares, “The Silence of the Lambs” proves that horror can be more than just blood, gore, and horny teens running naked through the woods. And we’re not the only ones who think this film is a game changer for the genre: so far this movie is one of only three to win all top five awards at the Oscars, and is still the only horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. We’ll drink some Chianti to that. #44: “Paranormal Activity” (2007) #43: “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012) #42: “The Conjuring” (2013) #41: “Saw” (2004) #40: “The Fly” (1986) Before Jeff Goldblum was the brilliant, oddball mathematician from “Jurassic Park,” he was the brilliant, oddball scientist who accidentally turned himself into a fly monster. Seth Brundle has invented telepods that allow teleportation of inanimate objects from one pod to the other. He meets and falls in love with science journalist Veronica Quaife, and tries to keep her interested by teleporting himself; even though he knows it can cause mutation. Unfortunately, a fly gets into the telepod with him and its DNA fuses to his own. He evolves into a fly as the film progresses, which comes to a tragic conclusion involving Veronica and a second telepod accident. A remake of the 1958 film of the same name, 1986’s “The Fly” is considered director David Cronenberg’s most successful work. It was met with critical acclaim and was the top-grossing film in the U.S. for two weeks, an impressive feat given how people had reacted to his previous movies. Although the movie won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling along with three Saturn Awards, people felt that Goldblum was shortchanged by not receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance and speculated he was snubbed because of the Academy’s supposed dislike of horror cinema. The makeup for the film was the work Chris Walas, who would go on to direct the massively unpopular sequel “The Fly II.” Walas designed the costumes around the idea of aging, which is why Goldblum’s character ends the movie without any teeth or hair, and with his skin wrinkled and discolored. It’s also been interpreted as an allegory for AIDS, especially given its high profile at the time of “The Fly”’s release. Either way, it’s classic Cronenberg, and a terrifying case of body-horror. #39: “REC” (2007) #38: “They Live” (1988) #37: “Child’s Play” (1988) #36: “Nosferatu” (1922) #35: “Scream” (1996) By the mid-‘90s, horror cinema was essentially dead. Beloved films, like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” had grown into massive franchises that were basically parodies of themselves. Most horror flicks felt contrived and relied heavily on tropes people were familiar with to scare audiences. But this knowledge of horror cinema is what Wes Craven was banking on when he created “Scream.” The film opens with Casey Becker falling victim to a murderer who kills her when she incorrectly answers horror trivia. We then cut to the story of Sidney Prescott who starts receiving threatening phone calls near the anniversary of her mother’s murder, which becomes even more suspicious when a slew of other murders are reported in her neighborhood. The film comes to a gripping conclusion when the brains behind the crime spree are revealed through a series of tongue-in-cheek nods to horror tropes and clichés. “Scream” is a meta-film, which in this case means it’s a witty deconstruction of, love letter to and commentary on the horror genre, that’s full of in-jokes and references aimed at fans. It opens with the killers using horror trivia to determine if their first victim should live or die. The killer attacks people following the “rules” of horror, and quotes lines from classic movies like “Psycho.” It does a great job of serving as a commentary on the predictability and formulaic nature of slashers, while simultaneously being a fresh take on the style, which is impressive, given that some critics blame Craven’s work for the decline of originality in the genre in the first place. #34: “Eraserhead” (1977) #33: “Hellraiser” (1987) #32: “The Haunting” (1963) #31: “The Wicker Man” (1973) #30: “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) This groundbreaking found footage flick follows the story of three young adults who venture into the woods in search of the Blair Witch. While on the hunt, they get lost, have their belongings toyed with and end up breaking down mentally. Best trip ever! “The Blair Witch Project” had a $60,000 budget and a less than 40 page script that relied heavily on the improvisational abilities of the main actors. It was a big gamble, but one that paid off to the tune of over $240 million grossed by the end of its theatrical release. Plus, this movie essentially kicked off two important horror cinema crazes: viral marketing and an innovative sense of realism. “The Blair Witch Project” is thought to be the first big movie to depend primarily on the internet to grow its audience. They framed the events in the film as factual, gave out missing person posters, and played fake police interviews with supposed friends and family to make it seem like the stars of the film had actually disappeared on their quest to uncover the truth behind the Blair Witch. Its found footage style was so cutting-edge that people genuinely weren’t sure if the stars of the project really had gone missing during production. This wasn’t the first film to use the shaky cam technique, and as we saw in the 2000s it certainly wasn’t the last, but it was one of the first and most successful instances to employ the technique. #29: “Godzilla” (1954) #28: “The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957) #27: “The Last House on the Left” (1972) #26: “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) #25: “Friday the 13th” (1980) Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that Sean S. Cunningham’s “Friday the 13th” made a lasting impression on horror cinema. Although “Halloween,” “Black Christmas,” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” had already introduced the slasher formula we’re familiar with, “Friday the 13th” popularized and added to it. In addition to killing off teens as punishment for pre-marital sex or drug use, relying on the “final girl” trope, and setting up the origins of one of the genre’s most iconic villains in Jason Voorhees, the minds behind “Friday the 13th” also used the now-classic summer camp backdrop and are credited with creating the familiar comic relief character that would become a staple of the genre. In addition, the film flipped expectations on their head by casting Betsy Palmer as Jason’s mother. Palmer had been known for her more innocent roles in TV and film, which allowed her to play against type by taking on the role of the killer in this movie. Although she accepted the part because she was tight on cash, and even admitted to disliking the film when she signed onto it, Palmer showed moviegoers that anything – and anyone – can be scary. Also important was the fact that this movie shifted the role of women in horror. Before this, horror movie females were mostly beautiful, young women who were either evil incarnate or damsels in distress. However, Palmer played a kindly middle-aged woman who goes on a murder rampage through the woods as she tries to get revenge for the death of her son, and if that’s not game changing, we don’t know what is. #24: “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1931) #23: “Ringu” (1998) #22: “The Birds” (1963) #21: “Cat People” (1942) #20: “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) “Night of the Living Dead” might seem cheesy to today’s audiences, especially in a world filled with updated takes on the zombie formula like “The Walking Dead” and “Zombieland,” but at the time it was a cutting edge film that spoke to issues in America, with a controversial story and graphic imagery. Set in rural Pennsylvania, the movie shows what happens after radioactive contamination from a space probe causes the recently deceased to become reanimated. Not dead, but not alive, these creatures roam the countryside looking for human flesh to feast on. Many critics lambasted the movie for its disturbing content and extreme gore, with some even questioning how it found a distributor. Other critics felt it did a great job of pushing the boundaries of horror, and an even better job of commenting on the United States at the time. People drew a comparison between “Night of the Living Dead” and the Vietnam War thanks to its graphic, black and white imagery, the “search and destroy” mentality of the undead, and the concept of surviving but never escaping the impact of horror – which many pointed to as a centerpiece of the film. The movie was a massive success and showed filmmakers it was possible to create a massively profitable movie with an extremely low budget. It was also proof that audiences wanted increasingly darker and more disturbing footage on the silver screen – something George A. Romero was happy to give them, as he went on to direct five sequels and countless other horror features. #19: “Poltergeist” (1982) #18: “Black Christmas” (1974) #17: “Suspiria” (1977) #16: “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) #15: “Carrie” (1976) If you thought you had a rough time during high school, we’d like you to meet Carrie White. Raised and abused by her religious fanatic mother Margaret, Carrie, played by Sissy Spacek, is her school’s outcast. She’s teased relentlessly by her peers and looked down on by the school administration, with the exception of the kindhearted Miss Collins. When students at the prom take a prank too far, she gets revenge by locking the doors of the gymnasium and killing everyone inside using her telekinetic powers. Coming from the mind of famed horror author Stephen King, “Carrie” plays out as a sort of twisted coming of age tale and brutally portrays the frustrations of growing into one’s body. Although Spacek did receive an Academy Award nomination for playing the revenge-fueled high schooler, she wasn’t director Brian De Palma’s first pick when it came to casting. She auditioned for several parts in the film, but wasn’t seriously considered for the title role until she showed up to her screen test with greasy hair, an unwashed face, and a hideous handmade dress that she felt encapsulated the character, proving to De Palma she was the right woman for the job. It’s hard to deny the sheer impact of De Palma’s take on “Carrie”; one only has to look to the iconic pig’s blood scene as to why this film has become such a cultural landmark. The masterfully edited sequence, which uses dizzying visual cues and an intense musical score, is undoubtedly a timeless movie moment and has become a benchmark for horror filmmakers. #14: “The Mummy” (1932) #13: “The Omen” (1976) #12: “Dracula” (1931) #11: “The Evil Dead” (1981) #10: “The Thing” (1982) This ‘80s classic tells the tale of an alien organism that ends up at an American military base in the Antarctic and begins infecting the crewmembers stationed there. The thing infects a living or freshly deceased being, digesting their cells, and replaces them with its own in order to become a copy of whatever creature it’s infected. Despite the alien’s impressive powers, it’s fear and paranoia that are the real monsters of the story, with the crewmembers unable to trust one another for fear of assimilation. By 1982, John Carpenter had already made a name for himself with 1978’s “Halloween.” But despite his success in the genre, “The Thing” didn’t do that well at the box office. While it certainly wasn’t a flop, it didn’t come close to reaching the level of success the studio had anticipated it would given Carpenter’s previous work and popularity with the masses. It’s speculated the lack of attendance was because “Blade Runner” came out in theatres on the same day. Despite this, it’s developed a major cult following that considers the film groundbreaking in terms of its depiction of paranoia and isolation. Also, if you don’t think watching “The Thing” in the comfort of your own home is stressful enough, try taking a trip out to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, where the film is screened annually by the winter crew. #9: “Alien” (1979) In space no one can hear you scream. But they can when you do it in the middle of a crowded theatre as an alien unexpectedly rips itself from someone’s chest during dinner. “Alien” follows the crew of the Nostromo after they’re awakened from stasis when the ship encounters a distress signal from another vehicle. However, they soon discover that what they thought was a cry for help was actually a warning, telling them to stay away. One by one they’re killed by an alien that’s made its way aboard their ship, leading to a climactic showdown between the creature and the heroic Ripley. Ridley Scott’s “Alien” showed the world that science-fiction horror was not to be underestimated in cinema. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects, the latter of which it won, and received a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film to name a few of its accolades. Its sequel, “Aliens,” also took home a slew of awards upon its release and helped turn star Sigourney Weaver into one of the most kickass heroines of pop culture. Essentially a slasher flick set in space; “Alien” acts on the idea that suspense comes from withholding things from an audience. The reason that Scott’s film works so well under the genre of horror is that the monster is relatively unseen, and therefore, the threat of the Xenomorph is constantly looming throughout the film’s runtime. #8: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984) They don’t call Wes Craven a master of horror for nothing! “A Nightmare on Elm Street” follows a group of teens that keeps experiencing terrifying nightmares, each one featuring a burned man in a striped sweater wearing a bladed glove. The man is named Freddy Krueger, and as it turns out he’s a child murderer who was burned alive by a group of angry parents years earlier – and he’s back for revenge. Although the kids do their best to stay awake and beat Freddy at his own game, one by one they fall victim to him. While the movie is clearly an ‘80s slasher, Craven wanted his killer to be different from Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and all the other killers who wore masks that hid their identities while making them easily recognizable to the public. Craven decided that burns and extreme scarring would be the perfect disfigurements to keep Freddy’s natural face hidden, while still allowing him to be expressive. What’s more, the director also wanted the movie to hit audiences close to home, so he avoided being location specific with his film: after all, pretty much every city has an Elm Street. But most importantly, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” assaults the viewer on an extremely relatable level: everyone has experienced that sense of relief after waking up safely from a bad nightmare, and Craven uses this shared experience to make us question what would happen if these bad dreams had a more lasting effect. #7: “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968) Widely hailed as one of the best horror films of all time, this psychological masterpiece will keep you in suspense for the full 136-minute runtime. Rosemary and her husband Guy move into a gorgeous New York apartment and are befriended by a friendly couple that lives in the building, the Castevets. Their lives could not seem any more perfect, as Guy finds work and Rosemary gets pregnant. But Rosemary soon realizes that Guy and the Castevets have insidious plans for her baby, which, as it turns out, she conceived with Satan himself. Although some dislike the realism of the film, the movie was a hit and wildly popular among critics and audiences alike. Many hailed its ability to scare viewers without relying on gore or violence, instead utilizing intense acting and powerful dialogue. Although director Roman Polanski originally wanted to cast a relatively new face to play Rosemary, he wasn’t sure the film would do well if the lead wasn’t well known. He considered several actresses for the role before eventually agreeing on Mia Farrow for the part. Unfortunately her husband, Frank Sinatra, presented her with divorce papers on set halfway through filming; he’d wanted her to give up her career when she married him and was unhappy that she’d signed onto the film. Farrow considered dropping out not long after, but Polanski convinced her to stay and claimed she was practically guaranteed an Oscar. While her acting was praised, Farrow never did receive that nomination... although her costar, Ruth Gordon, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie. But even without the gold statue, Rosemary and her baby went down in horror cinema history. #6: “Halloween” (1978) Before she dodged the holidays in “Christmas with the Kranks,” before she traded places with Lindsay Lohan in “Freaky Friday,” and before she played a spy alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in “True Lies,” Jamie Lee Curtis was the ultimate scream queen. Sure, other scream queens existed before her, but thanks to her ear piercingly shrill and shockingly strong set of pipes, she managed to establish herself in pop culture as the most iconic. “Halloween” starts with a young Michael Myers dressed in a clown costume and mask, murdering his older sister with a kitchen knife. We skip ahead 15 years to see that Myers has escaped the mental health facility where he was being held to return home to the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he stalks Laurie Strode with plans to kill her like he did the rest of their family. The film is considered one of the most successful indie flicks ever produced. John Carpenter had only a $300,000 budget for the production and as a result of the limited funding, Christopher Lee passed on the role of Dr. Loomis because of the low pay, though he later admitted it was one of his biggest career regrets. “Halloween” made nearly every horror cliché definitive staples of the genre, popularized them as part of pop culture, and created the standard for horror through much of the ‘80s. Plus, let’s not forget the iconic theme Carpenter composed for the film, which haunts horror buffs to this day. #5: “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974) Five young adults travel through rural America to visit the Hardesty family home. Along the way, they discover a farmhouse where most of the furnishings are made from human flesh and bones, and slowly but surely they all fall victim to the family of cannibals that lives there, until only Sally Hardesty is left. While it may sound like your run of the mill slasher flick, it’s actually a pioneer of the genre. Once again, this Tobe Hooper movie set the standard and helped establish some of the horror tropes we’re familiar with, including the “final girl” character. This movie is also credited as one of the first, if not the first, to use tools as weapons of torture and death. And, from a pop culture standpoint, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” started the trend of movie killers becoming icons. The project was shot on a tight budget, which made filming a grueling process for the cast and crew. Shooting took place seven days a week, over the course of a full month, and days could last up to 16 hours. To make things worse, the house didn’t have proper ventilation and would get as hot as 110°F during the day. As if that weren’t enough, the budget was so tight, they couldn’t afford a second costume for Leatherface actor Gunnar Hansen and he was forced to wear the same clothes for the entirety of filming. Oh, and they couldn’t wash for fear of damaging the garments. So, it was an all-around terrifying experience for actors and audiences alike. #4: “Jaws” (1975) Although it’s considered one of the best films ever made, you might want to skip it if you’re going to be visiting a New England beach anytime soon. “Jaws” takes place in the fictional town of Amity Island, where a great white shark terrorizes locals and feeds off swimmers who stray a little too far from the coast. After several attacks, the mayor reluctantly shuts the beach down and hires oceanographer Matt Hooper, shark hunter Quint, and Police Chief Martin Brody to climb aboard the Orca and put an end to the shark once and for all. Despite the film’s success, its production was wrought with issues. The shoot was supposed to last only 55 days but ended up lasting a surprising 159 days instead, and it was projected to cost them only $4 million to produce but ended up costing the studio upwards of $9 million to finish. While some of the problems were the result of poor weather conditions and the general complications that come from filming in the Atlantic, the majority came from the mechanical shark used in the movie. It broke down, got stuck in seaweed, and rusted. It was such a hassle that Spielberg filmed as many shots as possible without the shark, relying instead on the idea of the animal’s presence to heighten tension. Pair this constantly looming monster with John Williams’ iconic score, and you’ve got yourself a horror classic. “Jaws” also helped create the current release model of most Hollywood films: they employed massive advertising campaigns, showed the movie in hundreds of cinemas at the same time, and rounded the whole thing out with some intense merchandising to create not just one of the most famous horror movies of all time, but also a true phenomenon. #3: “The Exorcist” (1973) There are scenes in 1973’s “The Exorcist” that are so iconic; you don’t even need to have seen the film to recognize them. But more than that, this religious horror film gets you at your core for a variety of reasons. The story follows Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old who becomes possessed by the demon Pazuzu after playing with a Ouija board. When her mother notices her strange behavior, and medical tests can’t explain the sudden changes in her daughter, she seeks the help of two priests. Of course, the men, and Regan’s mother, have to face their own demons before they can face hers. “The Exorcist” was groundbreaking thanks to its use of special effects, graphic imagery, and the fact that its explicit themes all centered around a young girl. Some of the effects that turned heads include an intense vomiting scene with Linda Blair, the famous spider walking scene, and the incredible makeup artistry of Dick Smith. During filming, director William Friedkin is said to have been rough on the actors and did things like slapping Father William O’Malley to get a more somber performance from him, using footage where the actors were genuinely injured in the final cut, and even having Regan’s bedroom built in a freezer so that the actors’ breath would be visible on tape. While we can’t speak for the cast and crew, audiences seem to have decided the effort was worth it. #2: “The Shining” (1980) All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! Things get real for the Torrance family when Jack accepts a job working as the caretaker for the Overlook Hotel; an isolated building that, once winter hits, is practically inaccessible from the outside world. However, the hotel’s mysterious influence begins to set in, driving Jack mad, and turning him against his family. Although it’s undoubtedly a seminal horror film, the ending of “The Shining” has been the center of much debate. Stanley Kubrick stated that Jack’s presence in the old photo is evidence that he is the reincarnation of a previous caretaker, while some still believe it’s proof that Jack’s been “absorbed” into the hotel, doomed to be one of the ghosts that roams its halls. The thematic elements in “The Shining” have also been a polarizing topic, with some seeing the piece as a criticism on masculinity in modern America, others seeing it as a response to World War II and the Holocaust, and still others believing it’s full of symbolism pointing to American imperialism and the death of Indigenous peoples. Thanks to Kubrick’s level of detail and entrenched symbolism, many now consider “The Shining” one of the greatest horror movies ever made – but that wasn’t always the case. When the film was first released, it elicited mixed reactions, with writer Stephen King in particular unhappy with how it turned out. He was disappointed in everything from the casting of Jack Nicholson to the depiction of Wendy by Shelley Duvall to the filming location. Nevertheless, Kubrick’s vision of the Torrance family remains a unique entry in the horror genre, one that still puzzles and frightens viewers to this day. #1: “Psycho” (1960) Based on Robert Bloch’s book of the same name, “Psycho” changed what we know about cinema and audience expectations, and gave birth to a new subgenre of horror: the slasher. Marion Crane is deeply in love with her boyfriend Sam Loomis but knows they can’t afford to get married. After her boss asks her to deposit $40,000 for him, she steals the money with the intention of giving it to Sam instead. On her way from Phoenix to California she stops for the night at the Bates Motel, where she meets Norman who runs the place for his mother. Or at least that’s how it seems… This movie was a seriously mind-blowing experience for audiences at the time. It was practically unheard of for the main character to be killed off so early in a film. Because the death of Janet Leigh’s character was unprecedented, Alfred Hitchcock made it mandatory for theatres to refuse to admit cinemagoers who showed up late to screenings. While there was initial pushback on this, with theatre owners claiming it would cost them money and ticket sales, they agreed to Hitchcock’s terms. The unusual rule actually led to an increase in sales, and people were happy to wait in line to guarantee themselves a spot. There’s not a horror director working in Hollywood that doesn’t owe something to Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” This film by the Master of Suspense has stood the test of time and still manages to subtly creep its way into today’s hottest horror and thriller flicks. Do you agree with our list? What movies never fail to keep you up at night? For more terrifying lists be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo, and don’t forget, if you’re interested in a more in-depth look at our picks, be sure to check out WatchMojo’s Magazine on the 75 Most Influential Horror Films of All Time, available now at watchmojo.com/store