NEW YORK (PX11) – Spooky season is just around the corner.
What better way to get into the Halloween spirit than to watch horror movies and slasher flicks?
Here are 25 of the best horror movies, according to Time Out.
25. The Omen (1976)
24. Freaks (1932)
23. Nosferatu: A symphony of horror (1922)
22. The Hunting (1963)
21. The Audition (1999)
20. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Directed by Wes Craven and starring a young Johnny Depp as the love interest of Heather Langenkamp (Nancy), this horror movie will have you drinking coffee to stay up late and singing this nightmare nursery rhyme.
“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you
Three, four, better lock your door
Five, six, grab your crucifix
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late
Nine, ten, never sleep again.”
19. Let the Right one in (2008)
18. The Fly (1986)
17. Evil Dead II (1987)
16. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
15. Carrie
Directed by Brian De Palma and starring a young Sissy Spacek and John Travolta, this movie is based on Stephen King’s best-selling debut novel. A young girl gets her ultimate revenge on her high school bullies.
“They’re all gonna laugh at you!”
14. The Innocents (1961)
13. Don’t Look Now (1973)
12. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
11. Suspiria (1977)
10. Jaws (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this film made him a household name. Once you hear the original score of “Duuuunnnn duun, Duuuunnnn duun” you’ll never want to go swimming in the ocean ever again.
9. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
8. Halloween (1978)
7. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
6. The Thing (1982)
5. Psycho (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this movie featured the first set with running water. The ending is such a psychological surprise it’ll have you re-examing what really transpired throughout the film.
4. Alien 1979
Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver, Alien spawned a whole franchise of movies. This movie was so important to film and the genre of horror and Syfy that in 2002 it was inducted into the Library of Congress archive. The movie was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant and added to the motion pictures registry.
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Directed by Tobe Hooper, this terrifying flick was made on a shoestring budget of less than $150,000 but yielded a whopping $31 million at the box office.
2. The Shining (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall this is another film based on another best-selling novel by Stephen King.
According to film historians, one scene toward the end of the film, which required Duvall to run up a stairway carrying a knife, was shot 35 times – the equivalent of running up the Empire State Building.
The Exorcist (1973)
This movie was so scary upon its original release it caused people in movie theatres to faint or get up and leave. Based on an alleged true story of an actual possession that took place in the 1950s, the name of the film tells viewers exactly what they’re getting into.
The actual exorcism only takes place in the last few minutes of the movie, but the build-up is one that has gone unmatched for ages.
According to IMBD, due to death threats against Linda Blair from religious zealots who believed the film “glorified Satan,” Warner Bros. had bodyguards protecting her for six months after the film’s release.
“Your mother’s in here, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I’ll see that she gets it.”
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
