Top 5 Classic Horror Films

(To See Before You Die)

Horror films come out every year, in their many stripes and flavors. They come in every variety, from huge blockbusters to little known indie films with budgets so tiny that the protagonists have to fight off their supernatural attackers with ​coathangers​.

Dozens​ of horror films come out each year in America alone, and most of them are quickly forgotten, only to surface again at the bottom of your recommended list on Netflix. Only an elite few have really stood the test of time, and they’ve become iconic classics which have put their eternal mark on our cultural landscape.

If there’s five horror films that should be required reading for any fan of the macabre and terrible, it’s these five. From The Overlook Hotel to Elm Street, we’re counting down the best classic horror films of all time.

The Exorcist

This trailer was originally ​banned​ for being “too scary and disturbing,” and it’s easy to see why. This film about the attempts of a pair of priests to exorcise a demon haunting an everyday family was one of the first movies to truly be considered too scary for consumption.

Even now, this movie holds its own against modern slasher films by retaining the sense of suspense that made it so terrifying when it came to theaters in 1973.

The Shining

From Stanley Kubrick comes the ultimate slow burn, a methodically unsettling tale of a family being driven mad by visions of the past and future.

This film isn’t just ​scary.​ It’s art. It’s a masterpiece designed to fry the nerves of the viewers, leaving them on edge even during its most innocuous scenes.

Children of the Corn

It’s impossible to make a list about iconic horror without mentioning Steven King. This adaptation of one of his best known novels brings a new sense of fear to the idyllic American countryside by painting us a picture of the murderous intent that could be lurking within any small town.

Carrie

A troubled young girl is pushed to her limits in this groundbreaking film, which perfectly straddles the line between slasher and psychological horror.

It’s a coming of age tale with a cursed twist, and it’s got one of the most iconic climaxes of any classic horror movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

This was the first installment of it’s franchise, but it was so successful that a sequel was quickly rushed into production. Four more sequels and a few remakes later, this original 1984 classic remains the most unforgettable.

Wes Craven’s take on the slasher genre brings fear into the bedroom with his iconic dream stalking villain, Freddy, and the result is one of the most successful franchises ever born out of the horror genre.