The Best Horror Movies of All Time

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” introduced one of horror’s most recognizable villains: Freddy Krueger, a burned killer who stalks his victims in their dreams. Krueuger appears in all nine of the franchise’s movies. The movie also features a young Johnny Depp in his first movie role.

Lewis Allen’s atmospheric “The Uninvited” finds a pair of London siblings who have bought a seaside house faced with the specters that already call it home. Despite its English setting, the haunted house film is a Hollywood production.

While it was not the first vampire movie, the 1931 version of Dracula may be the most influential. Anchored by Bela Lugosi’s iconic performance as Count Dracula, the movie is still popular today. And with its brisk 75-minute runtime, it’s a great choice for viewers who are short on time this Halloween season.

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” which features the nightmarish Leatherface murdering a group of teenage victims, is often credited as ushering in the slasher movie movement. Reportedly made for only $140,000, the movie was a tremendous success, appealing to both fans of lurid cinema and high art, judging by its inclusion in New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

A remake of the 1956 film, 1978’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” follows Donald Sutherland’s Matthew Bennell as he begins to notice changes in those around him following the appearance of organic pods around town. The movie is a nerve-racking horror film, steeped in paranoia, while also exploring ideas that were only briefly touched upon in the original.