The Best Horror Movies of All Time

“King Kong” pairs blonde beauty (Fay Wray) with a 50-foot ape in a frightening twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale. The movie’s special effects were revolutionary at the time and continue to deliver a certain creepiness to this day.

A Stephen King adaptation that famously deviates from its source material, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is endlessly intriguing, despite its relatively simple premise. Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a writer who has agreed to oversee the Overlook Hotel through a long, snowy winter accompanied by his wife and young, psychic son. “The Shining” is yet another horror film that received a lukewarm critical welcome upon its release but has since grown to be loved by critics and audiences alike.

Director James Whale returned to the characters of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster four years after his 1931 classic was released with this sequel that many consider superior. “Bride of Frankenstein” touches on many of the same notes but with an additional touch of humor and satire. Both films, however, currently have a perfect 100% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ridley Scott’s “Alien” is like a haunted house movie set in space. Once the terror begins, every dark corner potentially contains a scare. Writing for The Guardian, critic Peter Bradshaw recently declared that “After 40 years, this sci-fi horror masterpiece still feels lethally contemporary.” This statement is supported by critics and viewers, who give the movie 97% and 94% positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

With “Psycho” Alfred Hitchcock proved that he was not only a master of suspense but one of terror as well. The movie is filled with twists and turns — in an interview with filmmaker Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock boasted, “You might say I was playing [the audience], like an organ.” It is also known for several of its iconic elements, including the movie’s score, Anthony Perkins’ performance as the boyish Norman Bates, and the shower scene. Despite its small budget relative to other Hitchcock films and the fact that it was shot in black and white after the advent of color, “Psycho” remains a masterwork of the horror genre.