_ 10) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead is the story of zombies rising from the grave to feast on the living. This movie is filmed in black and white (so the director, George Romero, could use chocolate syrup for blood to save money) and only cost $100,000 to make, which is an extremely low budget. This movie inspired two great sequels, something that is extremely uncommon in horror movies.  This movie re-wrote the horror genre, turning it from a bunch of corny, dramatic scenes into dark, gruesome scenes that shake the human soul. This low-budget masterpiece is definitely worth watching, and it continues to captivate audiences every Halloween.

_ 9) The Thing (1982)
The Thing is the story of an alien in the Antarctic that takes the shape of the things it kills, and a group of scientists’ adventure to destroy it. This movie is extremely frightening and suspenseful because it has the audience questioning which characters they can trust and which characters are not human. This movie again utilizes the common horror practice of having the main character stranded in the middle of nowhere, from a place that they can’t escape. This makes the audience fear more for the characters, because they are powerless to their fates. This movie is a complete sausage-fest. If you are looking for another movie where a psychotic killer tracks down a helpless extremely hot girl, this is definitely not it. There are no girls in this entire movie. This movie pushes the psychological restraints of the human mind, and it has the audience questioning who’s real and who is not what they seem.

_ 8) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is the story of the sub-conscious killer Freddy Krueger hunting down and killing the children of Springwood in their dreams. This movie uses an extreme amount of imagination without being unbelievable, and it draws the audience in with its array of mystery and predictability. It is predictable that once a child goes to sleep he will die, but it is a mystery as to how he/she will die and when. An interesting fact about this movie is that it was the first movie that the actor Johnny Depp was ever in. The scariest part of this movie is the idea that there is no defense against your dreams, because you cant control your sub-conscious. This movie will keep you awake for at least an entire night, and it will have you doubting whether or not you’ll get murdered in your dreams.

_ 7)   Se7en (1995)
Se7en, the newest movie on this list, is probably (from a technical standpoint) also the most well made movie on this list.  Se7en is the story of two homicide detectives and their search to find a murderer who kills by the Seven Deadly Sins. At first Seven appears to be your basic cops versus serial killer movie, but it turns out to be much more than that. The killer’s gruesome crimes and its dark, riveting story make Seven one of the scariest movies ever made. Every time the main characters appear at a crime scene the audience is constantly wondering, “Is the killer there?” This cat and mouse movie will have you checking the closets and night and keeping the lights on.

_ 6)   Halloween (1976)
Halloween is the story of Michael Myers, a man who has escaped from an insane asylum to repeat his ritual to stab a teenage girl to death every 15 years. This movie was controversial in its time because it was one of the first movies ever made where a man kills innocent people for absolutely no reason at all, other than wanting to see them die. This movie is a great example of a classic horror movie, and Michael Myers is one of the best serial killers ever crafted. This movie could have been made without sound and would still be one of the scariest movies ever made. Even thought Halloween has many terrible sequels, it defines “Halloween Horror” movies, and it continues to be a front-runner for the spot of scariest movie ever made.

_ 5)  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the story of five teenagers who go to visit their grandfather’s grave in Texas. On the way, a psychotic man with a chainsaw and his family terrorize them. This movie is very graphic, and it relies on quick, gruesome scenes to build fear in the audience. This movie only cost about $80,000 to make, and the man who narrated the story was paid with a marijuana joint. It is amazing that a movie that cost so little could be so good. The fright in this movie is very slow in the beginning, but it eventually builds up to the climax near the end of the movie. The thing that makes this movie so scary is the idea that it takes place in the middle of nowhere, and anything can happen. Overall, this movie is probably the best “slasher” horror movie ever made, and it continues to impress me year after year.

_ 4)  Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Silence of the Lambs is the story of Clarice Starling, a FBI agent who is sent to a prison to examine a psychopathic killer named Hannibal Lecter. This movie is horror at its finest. The character of Hannibal Lecter gives the audience insight into the mind of a serial killer, and makes them wonder how someone so terrible can act so normal. Lecter’s seemingly outgoing personality is combated by his sudden bursts of rage, which occurs when he doesn’t get what he wants. Overall, the scariest part of the movie is the idea that a serial killer can act so normal. This really makes you wonder whether any person on the street could be a serial killer. His cunning remarks and quick humor make the story funny and enjoyable, but a dark cloud of rage looms over the character that is Hannibal Lecter. This movie’s dark, captivating scenes make it one of the scariest movies ever made.

_3)   The Shining (1980)
The Shining is the story of a world weary father that slowly slips into the grip of insanity. This movie pushes the psychological restraints of the human mind,and it brutally shows the effect isolation can have on the human soul. The Shining contains some of the scariest scenes of all time; such as the scene where a seemingly beautiful lady comes out of a tub and turns into a wrinkled, decaying old woman. The Shining’s chilling story will have you questioning your own sanity, and will make you think twice about turning off the lights at night. This movie’s iconic scenes and overall fright catapult it to number 2 on the list.

_ 2)  The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist is the story of a teenage girl that becomes possessed by a demonic spirit. This movie’s chilling grip of reality and great moments of suspense make it one of the scariest movies ever made. The Exorcist is an extremely well-made and frightening movie that reaches out to the audience on a personal and humane level. What makes The Exorcist so scary is the overwhelming reality that it is a true story, that everything depicted in this movie actually happened. This movie is based on the case of Robbie Mannheim, a boy who was possessed by a demonic spirit. The Exorcist touches almost every person who watches it because it could happen to anyone we know: a mother, a father, a sister, or a daughter. The Exorcist’s chilling scenes of terror will have you on the edge of your seat the entire movie, and will stay with you weeks after having watched the movie.

_ 1)   Psycho (1960)
Psycho follows the story of a woman named Marion Crane, and her encounter with a man named Norman Bates. This movie may not have much mainstream appeal; it was made in the 60’s, it’s in black and white, and the first half-hour of the movie is not that exciting. But overall, this grotesquely brilliant story is definitely worth watching.  The movie is extremely frightening because of the long, drawn out hide-and-go-seek scenes that make the audience fear for the main characters. This movie is easily one of the most famous horror movies of all time, and critics have continually praised it for the last 50 years. Psycho’s exciting twist and turns keep the audience captivated through the entire movie, and I would recommend it to any horror movie lover.


                                                                                                                                                                    Corey B