In the realm of cinema, certain horror films have ascended to iconic status, reaping substantial financial rewards for their creators and leaving an indelible mark on audiences worldwide.
This is evidenced by the regular surveys conducted by leading film websites, which poll users on the scariest movies ever made. In the fall of 2024, both the professional review aggregator “Rotten Tomatoes” and the entertainment industry-focused “Collider” updated their lists.
The Exorcist
Director: William Friedkin, 1973
Topping both lists, The Exorcist stands as a cornerstone of the horror genre, often hailed as the scariest film ever conceived.
For over four decades, The Exorcist reigned supreme as the highest-grossing film in its category. With a modest budget of $12 million, it amassed a staggering $428 million at the box office, yielding a return of over 30 times its investment.
Directed by William Friedkin, the film draws inspiration from a real-life exorcism case from 1949. It is considered one of the most important and terrifying horror films ever made, with a profound impact on contemporary culture. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name The Exorcist (published in 1971) by William Peter Blatty.
The plot revolves around actress Chris MacNeil, who notices disturbing changes in her 12-year-old daughter Regan while on location for a new film. The young girl engages in conversations with unseen entities, spews profanities, exhibits aggression, suffers convulsions, crawls on stairs like a spider, and even levitates. Doctors are baffled, with numerous medical examinations revealing no abnormalities or ailments. Ultimately, a specially summoned priest begins to suspect that the girl is possessed by a demon.
Upon its initial release, certain scenes proved so unsettling that some viewers fled the theater, while others fainted. Actress Ellen Burstyn agreed to star in the film on the condition that her character would not utter the line, “I believe in demons!” as stipulated in the script. The producers acquiesced, opting to remove the line.
Alien
Director: Ridley Scott, 1979
Alien, a science fiction horror film released in 1979, was directed by the legendary British director Ridley Scott. This atmospheric and highly stylized horror classic unfolds in the vastness of space, where astronauts aboard a spaceship are relentlessly hunted by a terrifying extraterrestrial creature that has infiltrated their vessel.
The script caught the attention of executives at 20th Century Fox, who were eager to replicate the success of Star Wars (1977). Alien was the only “space” themed script ready to go. The project was greenlit with a budget of nearly $4.5 million.
In Ridley Scott’s original film, Sigourney Weaver (who appeared in Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection) and Tom Skerritt (Top Gun, Contact) played the leading roles. The film left a lasting impression on audiences and spawned a successful film series.
This tale of a spaceship crew battling a terrifying alien creature proved immensely popular, leading to several sequels in subsequent years. However, Ridley Scott did not directly participate in the filming of the sequels, which were directed by James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, among others.
The Shining
Director: Stanley Kubrick, 1980
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding works in the history of cinema. Kubrick employed innovative filming techniques, such as the Steadicam system, to achieve realistic moving shots. Furthermore, nearly all scenes involving the young boy Danny were filmed from waist height, allowing viewers to perceive the world from a child’s perspective.
However, due to creative differences with the director, Stephen King has described the film as one of the worst adaptations of his novels, claiming that Kubrick fundamentally misunderstood the horror genre.
Jack Torrance, a writer experiencing a creative crisis, takes a job as the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, moving in with his family during the hotel’s off-season. During the winter months, the hotel, nestled high in the mountains, becomes completely isolated due to heavy snowfall. Torrance’s son, Danny, possesses a supernatural ability known as “the shining,” which allows him to uncover the terrifying secrets hidden behind the walls of the Overlook Hotel. Meanwhile, Jack, plagued by alcoholism, gradually descends into madness, blaming his wife for his lack of progress on his new novel.
The Ring
Director: Gore Verbinski, 2002
Naomi Watts plays Rachel Keller, a young journalist investigating a series of mysterious deaths among teenagers. She soon realizes that these deaths are linked to a cursed videotape containing disturbing images. After watching the tape, the viewer receives a phone call informing them that they have “seven days” to live. The protagonist has only one week to unravel the mystery and save her own life.
The Ring is an American remake of the 1998 Japanese film of the same name. It grossed nearly $250 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful remakes in film history. The director successfully created an atmosphere of oppressive tension and fear, partly due to the abundance of dim lighting and the gloomy weather during filming.
Notably, the original 1998 Japanese horror film Ring, directed by Hideo Nakata, is also ranked among the most chilling films ever made. The film’s iconic scene of Sadako crawling out of the television has become a classic image in the horror genre.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Director: Wes Craven, 1984
The film’s protagonist is Freddy Krueger, a spectral killer who preys on teenagers in their dreams. He does so in retaliation for being lynched by the parents of these children years ago. In their dreams, the disfigured, hat-wearing, razor-gloved figure stalks and attempts to kill the teenagers. When high school student Nancy’s friends are brutally murdered in their sleep, she realizes that she is next. Nancy tries everything to stay awake in order to figure out how to fight this demon.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most recognizable horror films ever made. It introduced the world to Freddy Krueger (played by actor Robert Englund), a chilling figure who made many children afraid to dream at night.
“The idea of a serial killer stalking people in their dreams was a very successful and creative idea for any horror film,” Collider wrote.