The 10 Best Horror Films Ever [Fright-A-Thon]

Horror movies go back as far as film can go. Human beings love being scared. There’s something about simulated death that just gets them going in a primal way. There are those that love roller coasters and there are those that love being scared watching something. Horror movies sometimes explore the inner workings of the human condition. It’s for those reasons that we love watching these movies. We’ve had plenty of great horror movies that have crossed over into the popular culture enough for even non-horror fans to know about. Here’s the 10 Best Horror Films Ever.

10. Scream

Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece. You can debate which of his films is the best on your own, for my money, it’s Psycho. It has all the hallmarks of a classic horror film. It spawned one of the greatest villains in film history with Norman Bates. You get an absolute tour de force performance by Anthony Perkins in this one. Changing from two personalities on a dime with seamless acting.

The lasting effect that this film has on cinema is still felt to this day. It set up tons of different motifs, tropes, and techniques. Scream paid it’s due to Psycho with it’s opening scene. Also, the film pushed boundaries in cinema that weren’t even thought of in 1960. The famous “shower scene” might be one of the most popular in horror clip compilations, but it’s for good reason. It pushed the envelope and remains a stone cold classic to this day.

Really, you should talk about film and horror like this: BP and AP. Before Psycho and After Psycho.

2. Halloween

This one might be a bit of personal bias. The Thing is my favorite movie ever. I think it’s absolutely perfect. It’s not every day that you can say a movie is flawless. That term might get bandied about a bit too much. But this film, does not have flaws. From the cast, the direction, the writing, the music, the sets, the effects, it has no equal in terms of quality and horror.

Speaking of those effects, Rob Bottin put his heart and soul into the creature effects for the film. All that hard work, and him almost dying from exhaustion, pays off tenfold in this film. It’s a perfect film that shows you how you can make basically what amounts to a stage play into a feature film. It’s a cramped, isolated, dreary movie that gives off those vibes in spades. You won’t be left feeling great after watching this one, but you will be a more enriched horror fan doing so.

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