When it comes to legends of the slasher genre, Michael Myers of “Halloween” is a the top of the heap. “Halloween” was directed and scored by John Carpenter, which truly put him on the map. It also featured Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, who’d go on to become one of the most recognizable scream queens of all time. For those who aren’t familiar with the franchise, the first film follows Michael Myer, a mental patient who murdered his older sister as a child and later escapes the institution to enact a reign of terror onto his hometown. He makes Curtis’ character, babysitter Laurie Strode, and her friends his prey whilst being pursued by his psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis. And he does so, all while wearing a dark blue jumpsuit and a mask modeled off of “Star Trek” actor William Shatner.
While many horror movies are based on original source material, many were adapted from popular novels. Horror is one of the most read literary genres, with authors such as Stephen King, H.G. Wells and Clive Barker terrifying readers for decades. And many of these frightening stories have made their way onto the big screen and redefined the film genre forever.
Humans have been telling ghost stories since the beginning of time. And once film came around, it didn’t take long before ghosts made their way to the big screen. Today, ghost stories continue to thrive in the horror genre and they certainly do more than just saying “Boo!”
Horror is known for its tropes—from masked slashers to evil clowns to the final girl. Another cliché is evil or creepy children, whether they’re the protagonist, antagonist or some other secondary character. Horror is chock full of them and many of us were given nightmares from these murderous minors.
As a lover of horror, I’ve seen heaps of horror movies over the years and I’m open to just about anything. I love a good supernatural horror movie, I’m down to watch slashers and I’m even a super fan of the “Saw” franchise. However, there are a select few horror movies out there that I do not want to see under any circumstances.
While this list may be personal to my tastes, I know that many of you likely get the “ick” from these movies as well.
In horror, we’ve become pretty accustomed to seeing male villains on the big screen. From Leatherface to Jason Voorhees to Freddy Krueger to Michael Myers, men have largely dominated this role for the past half century. However, there are tons of noteworthy female antagonists to discuss. And some of these ladies are the scariest the genre has to offer.
Horror is an exceptionally misunderstood genre. Many people who aren’t as familiar with it believe it’s all scary movies designed to give you nightmares for weeks. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Horror is vast, it’s diverse and there are plenty of horror movies that aren’t super scary. But don’t get it twisted. Just because these films aren’t super scary, they’re still great films that are worth watching time and time again.
Horror is one of the most diverse and divisive film genres out there. There are so many different kinds of horror movies for virtual every movie fan that likes a good scare. Horror can be split into many different subgenres and many of us hardcore fans have developed a favorite over time. From monsters to plagues, knife wielding killers to torture porn, ghosts to ancient rituals—we’ve narrowed down 11 subgenres that have defined horror.
Horror is an extremely mixed bag. There are plenty of films that are smash successes at the box office, earning multiple millions over budget and spawning numerous sequels. On the other hand, there are also big time flops that go down in infamy. However, a bad performance at the box office or poor reviews aren’t the end for a horror movie. Some movies go on to become cult classics and earn acclaim decades following their initial release.
Horror is a very male-saturated genre. Almost every horror movie we can think of was directed by a man, but there are a few standouts that have been led by women.
“Saw” is one of the most polarizing franchises in all of horror. While slashers dominated the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, “Saw” went in a new direction with torturous traps and killer who “doesn’t actually murder his victims.” “Saw” was created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who made the film on measly $1.2 million budget and shot the entire project in just 18 days. It was groundbreaking for the time, bringing about a new wave of horror movies and a nine film franchise.
While many of us are familiar with English language horror movies, it’s important to spread our wings every once and a while. There are hundreds of incredible horror movies made by talented artists from around the world and they’ve made a tremendous impact on film as a whole. Trust us, once you get over reading subtitles, it’s totally worth it to broaden your horizons.
In horror, villains come in all shapes and sizes. But, one of the genre’s staples is masking up their fearsome antagonists. Masks allow horror’s villains to remain anonymous while scaring the pants off of audiences in the process. When it comes to horror masks, there are plenty to choose from and they can be a pretty contentious topic amongst hardcore fans. That’s why we’ve decided to set the record straight and rank some of our favorite masks in order of least to most iconic.
When it comes to horror, everyone knows about classics such as “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Halloween.” But there are thousands of horror movies worth watching out there! We encourage you to step outside your comfort zone this weekend and pursue some of our favorite underrated horror movies that pack plenty of good scares.
Over time, horror has evolved and grown as a genre. There have been countless fads and fashions that have been circulated through films, but one thing remains the same, the love for good scares. By design, all horror movies are intended to be scary but it takes a special kind of film to truly terrifying veteran horror lovers. We’re a picky bunch, we’ve seen it all and we’re not easily spooked anymore. Luckily, many great films have risen to the challenge and scared the pants off even the toughest audience members.
In 2013, director James Wan debuted “The Conjuring” and the entire genre of horror was never the same again. This film was such a smash success, it would inspire an entire “The Conjuring” universe, which includes eight films thus far. This franchise is the second highest-grossing horror movie franchise of all time, behind “Godzilla,” which has 36 films in total. It trumps many other popular horror franchises when it comes to box office dollars including “Saw,” “Final Destination,” “Jaws,” “Alien,” “Halloween” and “Scream.” This franchise also shows no signs of slowing down, as there are two films currently in production— “The Crooked Man,” which is a spin-off of “The Conjuring 2” and an untitled sequel to “The Nun.”
In the film industry as a whole, remakes are exceptionally common. When they go right, they can resurrect source material and bring it to a brand new audience. But when they go wrong, they go REALLY wrong. The horror genre is not exempt to remakes and over the years, we’ve seen the good, the bad and the very ugly.
Horror is an exceptionally diverse genre and it continues to grow each year. You have horror movies win Academy Awards and break records at the box office, however, not all horror fans flock to these movies for high quality film making. Instead, many gravitate toward to campy, cheesy cult films that have gained fame for being the best of the worst.
There are lots of bad horror movies out there, as it’s pretty easy to make a low budget horror movie (compared to other genres such as action, fantasy, etc.). However, to be considered one of the worst horror movies of all time, you’ve truly done something special. Thanks to the critic and audience ratings at Rotten Tomatoes, we know which films are the most hated in horror across the board. Each of these films scored less than 10% and for some perspective, “Cats” has a 19% rating and “The Room” has a 23% rating. So if you’re looking for major epic fails, you’ve come to the right place.
Every actor, even the biggest stars in Hollywood, start their careers somewhere. For some actors, they begin with highly acclaimed films right off the bat. However, most actors have to work their way up to this privilege. One of the biggest ways that actors earn their spot in Hollywood is through appearing in campy horror movies, often the poorly written sequels of cult classics.
Horror has churned out countless antagonists over the past 100 years. However, not all villains are created equal. Some horror villains are absolutely horrifying and if we had to go up against them, there’s no way we’d survive. On the other hand, there are some horror villains who could be bested by a capable adult given the right weaponry or circumstances. We’ve gathered together 30 of our favorite horror villains and ranked them from least to most terrifying.
Horror isn’t just for movies anymore. While film is the bread and butter of this genre, it actually originated in literature and has expanded to television, comic books, video games and theater. Many of our favorite horror movies have made such a tremendous impact on popular culture that they were brought to the silver screen.
In every movie genre, there are a slew of films where the sequel blows the original out of the water and horror is no exception. Sometimes, it takes a second try (or five) to get it right. Other times, they take the franchise in a totally new direction that eclipses the first film entirely. Either way, some sequels are truly number one in our eyes.
While the horror movies of the 2000s were known for being lovably bad, the 2010s really stepped it up. This decade pulled out some of the most creative concepts in horror, bringing in known directors, award winning casts and big budgets.
Two of the most known figures of 2010s horror are Jordan Peele and Ari Aster, who before this decade weren’t widely known for their love of horror. Peele gained notoriety as a comedian, starring in “Key and Peele” from 2012-2015. Then in 2017, he released “Get Out,” a horror movie that truly changed the genre and earned him Best Original Screenplay at the 2018 Academy Awards. He followed the success of his first film with “Us,” which collected $255.2 million at the box office and his third film, “Candyman,” premieres in theaters in October 2020. Ari Aster on the other hand broke into the mainstream with 2018’s “Hereditary” starring Toni Collette and the film became the highest grossing film in the studio’s history. He then came out with “Midsommar” one year later, which gained acclaim in part thanks to a stellar performance by Florence Pugh, who’d receive an Academy Award nomination later that year.
The 2000s was a decade of popular culture that you either loved or hated. Personally, I loved it. I’m still obsessed with fashion icons like Christina Aguilera, I’m still jamming to JoJo and I still quote contestants from “Flavor of Love” on the regular. And when it comes to horror, this is perhaps my all time favorite time for the genre.
And it’s not because the films are beautiful works of art, on the contrary they’re often cliché and rely on gore, torture and jump scares. But you know what? I’m not claiming to be a sophisticated film critic that only consumes top tier content. I like trash and I frequently rewatch my favorite horror flicks from this decade.
One thing that this decade had in common was making tons of sequels. Best known for this is “Saw,” who’ve released seven sequels and have an eighth set to premiere in theaters in 2021. The idea behind “Saw” carried through each individual movie and the plots tie together because it was written cohesively. Another franchise that spawned many sequels was “Final Destination.” Although this film primarily features different casts with the exception of a cameo from Clear Rivers in the sequel, they’re all set in the same universe and often allude to prior accidents. “Paranormal Activity” also got it’s start in this decade and is slated to release their seventh installment in 2021—even though they probably should have stopped several films ago.
When I was in the fifth grade, I watched my very first horror movie: “The Sixth Sense.” Although it terrified me at the time, from there on out I’ve had an affinity with horror movies from the 90s. It’s something that every generation does, because even though I was still in elementary school when 2000 rolled around, I feel a connection to the 1990s.
The 1990s was a great decade for horror, particularly in the subgenre of psychological horror. These films didn’t rely on cheap jump scares or gore, but left you shaken up because of crafty dialogue, characterization and plots. Many of these films even won Academy Awards, proving that horror can do more than make B-list blockbusters.
The 1980s was a decade of camp—from the fashion to the music to the movies. Many of the top films, including those in the horror genre, couldn’t help but to be incredibly campy—as it was just part of the time. Now, looking back, we’re able to reminisce on this peculiar era and enjoy all the wonderful, wacky and weird horror movies that came out during this decade.
The 1980s gave rise to many popular horror franchises, including “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th,” whose antagonists crossed paths several times in later years. There was also a number of films released in this decade which were based on stories by horror novelist Stephen King, including “The Dead Zone,” “Children of the Corn” and everyone’s favorite, “The Shining.”
The 1970s was an incredible decade for horror, introducing audiences to films that are still beloved today. With a few artistic exceptions, the majority of films in this era were made in color and allowed audiences to experience horror in an entirely new way. This was also the decade where many of our favorite slasher films got their start, including “Halloween” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” However, it wasn’t all knife (or chainsaw) wielding masked killers. Supernatural horror with creepy kids was huge during this decade, introducing fans to cult favorites “The Exorcist” and “The Omen.” The 1970s was a decade horror will always remember fondly and if you’re looking to binge a film or two, you can’t go wrong with these picks.
While the Golden Age of Horror focused on now classic monsters like Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula and the Wolf Man, the 1960s was a major turning point in the genre. Instead of focusing on a singular monster, the ’60s played on themes of suspense, paranoia, paranormal activity and phobias, helping to shape what would soon become the horror we know and love today. Within the top 10 most popular horror movies of the 1960s, two directors reigned supreme: Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski.
Hitchcock has been referred to as the Master of Suspense, building his name by directing murder mystery films throughout the 1950s. Then in the 1960s, he released two of his most popular films of all time: “Psycho” and “The Birds.” Each film was unique in it’s own right and helped to solidify Hitchcock as an icon for the ages. Polanski on the other hand got some traction in horror with his 1965 film “Repulsion.” But in 1968 he became the most talked about director in Hollywood with “Rosemary’s Baby.” Then, shortly after the film was released, Polanski entered a horror movie of his own after his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family in 1969.
With literally hundreds of movies to choose from, sometimes I just stare at my computer like a lost deer in the middle of the road. “Faster, Bambi! Don’t come back!” Anyways, I usually give up after 30 minutes of searching and settle into a night of watching TikTok videos. But you know what? I’m a grown woman who should be able to find a damn movie to watch. If you’re like me, you’re probably a horror fanatic who’s overwhelmed with the options. Well, sis, I’m here to help. I’ve put together the top 10 essential horror movies from the 1920s through the 1950s for your viewing pleasure.
This was an interesting time for horror, as it was audiences first exposure to fear on film. The first horror movies were silent, but then as time went on they evolved and have made a tremendous impact on film today. Although some of the horror films on this list may not be scary today, they certainly terrified audiences during their time. It was a simpler, more innocent time, after all.
When it comes to 1990s horror, “Scream” stands out from the pack. “Scream” in nature is incredibly referential, poking fun at the clichés and tropes of slasher movies. In doing so, it became a phenomenon in its own right and has become one of the most recognizable horror franchises of all time. “Scream” was directed by Wes Craven, who’d previously created the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise. Craven would go on to direct the first four films before passing away in 2015. Kevin Williamson wrote the first, second and fourth movie—going on to create “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
Aside from referencing other horror movies, the “Scream” franchise follows a similar “whodunit” plot with each movie. In each film, a different character becomes the masked killer Ghostface and goes after final girl Sidney Prescott and her subsequent gang. Thus far, five films have been released in the franchise and a sixth is scheduled to be released in March of 2023.
Horror has come a long way in terms of inclusion and diversity over the years, however, it still has a very long way to go. The genre can definitely up their game when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation, as the majority of protagonists and antagonists in horror are straight passing and/or cis passing. Nevertheless, there are a few celebrated LGBT+ horror movies out there that are worth the watch.
Many iconic horror franchises got their start in the early 2000s, including “Final Destination.” The first film debuted in 2000 and was directed by James Wong, who’d previously directed and written many episodes of “The X-Files.” Thus far, five films have been released in the franchise and each features a catastrophic accident at the beginning of the story that the characters escape because of a premonition. However, throughout the course of each film, each character succumbs to Death one by one through often elaborate or shocking ends.
