I am of the opinion that the most overlooked genre of film by far is horror. Sure, everyone has watched a horror movie with their friends or family and got jump-scared. But I don’t think many people see horror movies as good media, on the same level as dramas like “Oppenheimer” in scale, in filmmaking prowess, and in acting. Well I say, those people are right. Most horror movies are nowhere near that level, but I would also say that every genre has its stinkers, and every genre has its masterpieces, even horror.
There are many masterpieces in the horror genre, but I have narrowed it down to five, the true cream of the crop. I should note before we go into this, I weighed a lot of things in the making of this list. The quality of the film’s acting, score, and directing all came into this, but the final decisions were always based on my personal enjoyment of the film. There are some classics that will just not make the list, and for that, I am truly sorry, but, honestly, I don’t truly care either. So let’s get started.
Number 5: “Evil Dead II” (1987)
This may be my most cult classic pick on this list, but it’s also possibly the most accessible film here. I could show this movie to anyone and have a good time. This is because of Sam Ramis’s masterful camera work and sharp comedic writing.
This movie may have a II in the title but it’s very much a stand-alone sequel featuring only one of the characters from the initial film. Ash Williams, played brilliantly by the iconic Bruce Campbell, accidentally (and by accident, I mean the movie never explains why) brings his girlfriend to the same cabin where all of his friends were gruesomely murdered by demons. He then reads from the Necronomicon and summons the Deadites, who taunt him and a group of campers who own the cabin.
It’s an overall wild ride throughout. Sam Rami perfects his technique of using the camera to act as the monster, flying through the woods and cabin at high speeds, and we don’t see what the creature looks like to the very end, making it an intense and heart-pounding experience whenever one of these sequences begins.
The other amazing aspect of this film is that it’s so funny. This movie is consistently doing wacky, balls-to-the-wall things all the time. There is a part where (and mild spoilers for one of the best jokes in cinema history) Ash is forced to cut off his possessed hand with a chainsaw. Then immediately afterward the hand comes to life and Ash chases it around the cabin. Ash eventually traps it under a pile of books, and we see the top book is “A Farewell To Arms.” This is the kind of humor only horror movies can make, successfully combining a terrifying thing and somehow making it humorous.
As you can probably tell, this is not the most serious horror movie, but it’s possibly one of the most enjoyable to watch, and I think that’s what really brings it into my top five. I could watch this every day of the week, and it wouldn’t get old. If you are in the mood for a horror movie with only light spooky aspects, then you should watch this one.
Number 4: “The Shining” (1980)
“The Shining”: For those who don’t know, the movie is about a family who lives in a hotel and takes care of it during the “off-season.” Over a period of weeks, they become trapped there by the snow, and the dad goes crazy.
Like many movies on this list, it is masterfully directed. Stanley Kubrick really knows how to frame a shot that gives you all the information but still feels mysterious. The camera, similar to “Evil Dead II,” feels alive in this, following the characters through the corridors of this seemingly infinite hotel.
I would be remiss not to mention this film’s amazing acting. Everyone praises Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack Torrance, but Shelley Duvall gives an equally amazing performance as his wife, Wendy Torrance. You feel Wendy’s dread as she watches her husband grow more and more insane through each scene, and you get scared when she gets scared. It is truly superb.
This movie is also really scary. It’s probably the only movie on this list to cause me real overwhelming dread through each scene. Especially a scene from the middle of the film where Jack hallucinates (or maybe sees a ghost of) a naked woman in a bathtub. I won’t describe much more about the scene, but I will give you a hint at what happens: decay.
So this movie sounds great, and it is. If you are looking for a truly classic horror experience, this movie really scratches the itch, but why is it so low on the list? To be honest with you, it’s because I’ve read the book. I know. What a shocker – Miles reads books – but let’s be honest, what did you expect? I mainly take issue with how the movie changes Jack Torrance’s motivations. In the novel, it is much clearer that the ghosts are actually ghosts and not figments of his imagination, and he is a much more sympathetic figure (as in a way he was meant to represent the author Stephen King) but the film is much more psychological in nature, and you often get the sense that he doesn’t even care about his family. Still, this is one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and that’s why it deserves to be on this list.
Number 3: “Scream” (1996)
“Scream” is the definitive slasher movie to me. It’s not the first, but I feel like it overall perfected the formula. It’s really funny, making fun of classic horror movies, but it’s also actually scary, with an amazing cast and main villain offering up plenty of tense moments throughout the film.
“Scream” is a movie about a town being terrorized by a serial killer, known as Ghostmask, who wears a grim reaper mask and has a love of horror movies. It follows teenager Sidney Prescott, who is kind of depressed after her mother was murdered last year and finds herself being targeted by this killer.
You cannot talk about “Scream” without first mentioning its iconic opening scene. Everyone knows the line “Do you like scary movies?” but the way this scene really amps up the tension as more and more goes wrong for a young Drew Barrymore is its real crowning achievement. The shot in the end where the parent finally finds her body is very much a cherry on top of this amazing scene.
But that’s not the only great part of “Scream.” As I mentioned, this movie is really funny. It’s constantly making references or homages to classic horror tropes. There is one character, played by Jamie Kennedy who is just dedicated to pointing out different dumb decisions made in horror movies as he tries to make educated guesses on who the killer is with his knowledge of the movies.
This brings me to the performances, everyone really comes forward here. While she initially feels boring in the film, Neve Campbell as the main character, Sidney Prescott, quickly comes into the role and really brings a good amount of emotion to it. David Arquette and Courteney Cox both give iconic comedic performances as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers. Skeet Ulrich plays perfectly into the sexy mysterious role, where you’re never sure if he’s the killer or not. And Matthew Lillard is just Matthew Lillard, which means he is great.
“Scream” is also surprisingly scary for such a consistently comedic film. It’s interesting – one minute the movie will be cracking jokes, and then it’s immediately tense. Roger L. Jackson offers up his voice to the Ghostface killer (though I will tell you he does not portray the killer in film) and every time he calls one of his soon-to-be victims is amazing. He comes off as charismatic yet horrifying. And even though the Ghostface mask is kind of a meme now, the killer himself is still scary. Also one of the greatest aspects of these scary scenes is the killings. I don’t really want to get into the gory details here, but I will say they are also consistently unique and interesting.
“Scream” is iconic to me. It’s the perfect slasher in my opinion. It gets every aspect right, from the characters to the writing to the kills. If you’re looking for a great movie to watch with friends in this spooky season, then this should be high on your list of films.
Number 2: “Get Out “(2017)
“Get Out,” in my opinion, has kind of set the stage for prestige horror in this modern era. It keeps all of the best aspects of horror films – its comedy, its scares, its interesting concepts – while cutting all of the fat from the genre to give us an almost perfect film. Other great horror movies of the era like “Barbarian” or “Talk to Me” owe a lot to this movie.
“Get Out” follows Chris Washington, a black man who goes up to his white girlfriend’s family home and finds it an extremely weird experience. There are two black workers there who continuously act threateningly towards him, the mom hypnotizes him, and there’s much that his girlfriend, Rose Armitage, did not inform him about.
The movie explores race and politics, and while it’s very much a part of the identity of the film, it doesn’t feel too obvious. You really need to watch the movie a few times to fully understand everything about the film and this messed-up family. It’s something I don’t think any other recent film has really achieved.
Well if you have to watch the film multiple times to really get it, then is it enjoyable, you may ask. Well, you’re in luck because director Jordan Peele famously got his start in comedy, specifically the sketch comedy show “Key and Peele,” and he definitely brings that to “Get Out,” but Daniel Kaluuya’s performance as Chris Washington is what really sells the comedy. He’s both deadpan and emotional when the scenes require it. His friend, Rod Williams, who embodies a similar role to Jamie Kennedy’s character in “Scream,” is also consistently ridiculous, with his constant swearing and trying to convince Chris to leave – to no avail.
The movie is also sufficiently scary. It’s definitely not the scariest movie on this list, or of Jordan Peele’s movies (that honor goes to “Us”) but like I said, it’s sufficient. It’s very psychological in its terror. The idea of the Sunken Place, which is where the creepy hypnotist mom sends Chris, is terrifying. Being inside one’s body but not being able to control one’s movements or actions will never not be scary, and this movie uses that concept to the best of its ability.
It’s easily one of the greatest horror movies ever made if not one of the greatest movies in recent memory. Even if I didn’t love this movie, it would feel wrong to not put this movie on the list. My suggestion is to watch this movie, then watch all of Jordan Peele’s other films because they are all great. I’m just waiting for 2026 when the next one comes out.
Honorable Mentions:
This is the section where I mention a few movies that I either really enjoy but I think just miss the mark, or I would feel wrong if I didn’t at least mention. So, here’s two movies that missed being on the main list, either because it was close, or I just did not think it deserved to be here.
“Halloween” (1978):
The classic slasher flick. “Halloween” is a piece of cinema history that cannot be denied. While “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” may have come first, “Halloween” cemented trends like the silent stalker in Micheal Myers, the virgin survivor in Laurie. ridiculous kills, and eventually terrible sequels. The movie follows Laurie, a babysitter played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who is terrorized by a recently escaped Micheal Myers, who murdered his own sister in the house where Laurie is babysitting.
John Carpenter directs the hell out of this film, always placing the camera where we can just see Micheal Myers in the background of almost every scene, allowing tension to always surround every scene. Curtis gives an iconic performance that gave her “scream queen” status for the years following.
The slasher genre would not be the same without this movie, but why isn’t it on the list proper? Well, there are a few reasons. First off, like I mentioned, I believe that “Scream” really perfected everything about the genre, so it would feel unnecessary to put this film on the list over it. The second reason is because I already have another John Carpenter movie at the top of this list, and it kind of feels like cheating to include two movies by the same director on the list. Overall, this movie is great, but it’s just not quite there. But you should still definitely watch this one if you’re looking for a great slasher flick or looking to watch one of the classics of the genre.
“The Exorcist” (1973):
I’m going to keep this one short. “The Exorcist” is just okay in my opinion. It’s a classic, it’s inspired a lot of great horror movies, which is why I have it on this list, but honestly I don’t really love it. I have a lot of problems with 70s horror movies, but I think the main thing they always fall into is being boring for a majority of the film. This is the main sin of this movie: it’s just almost always boring. There’s too much setup until we get to the actual interesting part of the movie and the movie is over. It’s still an extremely well-made movie, but I just don’t think it’s good enough to be on this list. Watch William Friedkin’s actual masterpieces “Sorcerer” and “The French Connection” instead.
Number 1: “The Thing” (1982)
“The Thing” is not only my favorite horror movie, but it’s also possibly one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s perfect in every way – it’s casting, directing, effects, and writing. It is easily John Carpenter’s masterpiece, and even though it was unappreciated at the time of its release, it has definitely gained cult status in this modern era.
“The Thing” follows a crew of American researchers living isolated in the middle of Antarctica, when a Norwegian helicopter chasing and shooting at a husky crashes right outside of their facility. They take the dog in and investigate the Norwegians’ facility only to find them all dead. They soon find out that the Norwegians found something they shouldn’t have, an alien that can shapeshift into anything. The crew begins to question one another, and relations fall apart as the alien begins to take them down one by one and replace them with almost perfect duplicates.
The first thing I want to talk about with this film is its special effects because I think it might be the best usage of practical effects used in film. We never get to see the true form of the alien throughout the film, but due to its weakness to fire, we get to see the alien twist its victims into horrific amalgamations whenever it tries to wriggle away from the flame. I can’t truly do it justice in words, but it’s definitely not for the weak of heart, as there is a lot of blood throughout the film.
The cast is also amazing. There’s a chemistry the actors achieve that makes it feel like there is an old group of colleagues, who know everything about each other but don’t really like each other. As the movie progresses and they begin to question one another, their knowledge of others really comes into question, making them all paranoid and jumpy. Kurt Russell as Macready especially gets so paranoid, and we as an audience begin to question if he’s really paranoid about the alien – or being caught.
John Carpenter really brings his all to this film. Similarly to “Halloween,” he frames everything perfectly. He purposely hides the eyes of his characters, the gateway to the soul, so we can never truly be sure if a character is human or not. He also shot an amazing ending, which ends up leaving us both perfectly satisfied and still asking questions.
There’s also the fact that I love this movie to the core. Despite everything I have said, it’s actually a pretty enjoyable film. Kurt Russell is extremely charismatic throughout, and there are enough ridiculous moments throughout so it’s still somewhat funny. I can’t really do this movie justice any more than I already have, besides going to watch this film yourselves. It’s the perfect horror movie in my opinion, and it’s a great way to spend your spooky season.
