There are some fantastic newer scary movies, but the classics have managed to frighten audiences for decades without the aid of CGI. From classic monster flicks to sociological and psychological horror films, the genre’s definition has shifted and grown over time.
A real horror fan will enjoy every aspect of the subgenre. However, some of these titles may be restricted in your region as the content library of the streaming platform differs region-wise. To bypass the geo-restrictions on these titles, you can use a VPN. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming.
With the help of a VPN, you can watch Amazon Prime outside US, American Netflix, and Hulu from anywhere.
Now, let’s see our quick recommendation on the best classic horror movies of all time in USA.
The Exorcist (1973)
Director: William Friedkin
Writer: William Peter Blatty
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
Genre: Horror/Action
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
Runtime: 2h 2m
Plot:
This exorcism film, which is only loosely based on true occurrences, is the most financially successful horror film of all time. When Regan, a little girl, begins behaving strangely, such as levitating and speaking in tongues, her anxious mother takes her to the doctor, only to be given no answers.
But a clergyman in the area worries that the girl has been possessed. The priest asks for assistance from the church in carrying out the exorcism, and the latter responds by sending in a specialist to assist him.
The Exorcist is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime that will give you goosebumps!
King Kong (1933)
Director: Merian C. Cooper
Writer: James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose
Cast: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Genre: Adventure/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Runtime: 1h 40m
Plot:
Both actress Ann Darrow and filmmaker Carl Denham went to the Indian Ocean to shoot some scenes for Denham’s next jungle movie on location there. The actress has a chance encounter with John Driscoll and immediately develops feelings for him.
Upon her arrival on a mystery island, Ann is kidnapped by locals who want to offer a sacrifice of her to the huge ape Kong, who reigns over their jungle. The real danger starts when Ann is found safe, and Kong is taken into custody.
Halloween (1978)
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Runtime: 1h 31m
Plot:
On the chilly night of Halloween in 1963, Michael Myers, then only six years old, cruelly killed his older sister, Judith, who was 17 years old. He was given a sentence term of fifteen years for his crime.
On the other hand, on October 30, 1978, Michael Myers, who was 21 years old at the time, stole a vehicle and escaped from Smith’s Grove as he was being moved for a court hearing. He travels back to his sleepy hometown in the state of Illinois, Haddonfield, where he searches for his subsequent victims.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, 1988
Director: Stephen Chiodo
Writer: Charles Chiodo, Stephen Chiodo
Cast: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
Runtime: 1h 28m
Plot:
After seeing a comet impact outside of their tranquil tiny town, adolescents Mike and Debbie decide to examine the scene. During their investigation, they encounter a group of vicious aliens who appear to be circus clowns.
They make an effort to alert the local authorities, but everyone believes that they are playing a joke on them. In the meanwhile, the clowns have begun to gather and consume as many people as they possibly can. Mike does not decide that it is his responsibility to put an end to the deadly rampage of the clowns until they abduct Debbie.
The Shining (1980)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stephen King, Diane Johnson
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
Runtime: 2h 26m
Plot:
In an effort to break through his writer’s block, Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, takes a job as the winter caretaker at the remote Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He moves in along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and his son Danny (Danny Lloyd), who suffers from psychic premonitions.
He is troubled by these visions. As Jack’s writing continues to be unsuccessful and Danny’s visions get increasingly unsettling, Jack learns the sinister truths about the hotel and devolves into a murderous madman.
Gremlins (1984)
Director: Joe Dante
Writer: Chris Columbus
Cast: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1h 46m
Plot:
A guy who sells electronic gadgets searches for a unique present for his kid and eventually locates one at a shop in Chinatown. The proprietor of the store is hesitant to sell him the “mogwai,” but he does so with the caveat that he should never let the creature be exposed to strong light or water, and that he should only feed it after midnight.
All of this takes place, and as a direct consequence, a group of gremlins decides to wreak havoc on the town on Christmas Eve making this one of the best horror movies in USA of all time.
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Writer: Henrik Galeen, Bram Stoker
Cast: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Runtime: 1h 34m
Plot:
A mysterious count named Orlok invites Thomas Hutter to his remote castle in the hills of Transylvania in this ground-breaking silent horror picture. There’s a castle in the Carpathians. The evil Orlok is looking to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen.
Hutter takes every attempt to escape the castle as Orlok reveals his true nature as a vampire, realizing that Ellen is in imminent danger there. To keep things running smoothly, Alexander Granach’s Knock, Orlok’s servant, is busy preparing for his master’s arrival at the new mansion.
Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
Runtime: 1h 57m
Plot:
The crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo is roused from its cryosleep capsules in the middle of their trip home to investigate a distress signal from an extraterrestrial vessel. This event takes place in deep space. The terrifying ordeal starts when the crew of the extraterrestrial spacecraft discovers a nest of eggs within the vessel.
An organism that was previously contained inside an egg suddenly breaks free and attaches itself to a member of the crew, which ultimately results in the individual falling into a coma.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
Genre: Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 31m
Plot:
Freddy Krueger is a hideous nighttime manager who preys on the youngsters in their dreams, which ultimately results in the kids’ deaths in real life in the iconic slasher film directed by Wes Craven. Several teenagers from the Midwest fall victim to Freddy Krueger.
Following her investigation into the phenomenon, Nancy concludes that the solution to the mystery may lie in a dark secret kept by her parents and the parents of her friends; however, the question remains as to whether or not Nancy and her boyfriend Glen will be able to solve the puzzle in time.
Scream (1996)
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williamson
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 51m
Plot:
Wes Craven is credited for re-inventing and revitalizing the slasher-horror genre with this contemporary horror classic. The plot follows a fright-masked knife maniac who pursues high-school children in middle-class suburbia.
The film manages to be hilarious, intelligent, and terrifying all at the same time. As the number of dead bodies increases, Craven is glad to give both suspense and self-parody, but the victims aren’t necessarily the ones you’d expect them to be.
Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Director: Neil Jordan
Writer: Anne Rice
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 2h 3m
Plot:
Louis, who was born as a nobleman in the 18th century, is now a vampire in the 200th century and is sharing his tale with an enthusiastic biographer. After the murder of his family, Louis tried taking his own life. But he got approached by Lestat, a vampire.
Lestat convinces him to choose immortality over death and to become his companion. In the end, Louis makes the decision to leave the brutal community of vampires, but Lestat guilts him into staying by converting a little girl. The addition of the young girl to the “family” causes even more tension to arise.
Psycho (1960)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Joseph Stefano, Robert Bloch
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
Runtime: 1h 49m
Plot:
Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh is on the run after stealing $40,000 from her job to get away with her lover, Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin.
She gets overpowered by tiredness during a severe downpour and takes the back roads to get away from the police and stays for the night in the run-down Bates Motel. There, she meets the owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with a passion for taxidermy and a strained relationship with his mother.
Christine (1983)
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: Stephen King, Bill Phillips
Cast: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 1h 50m
Plot:
Arnie Cunningham, played by Keith Gordon, a social outcast, decides to purchase a 1958 Plymouth Fury and gives it the name Christine. Arnie’s jock buddy, Dennis Guilder, is alarmed when he notices that Arnie is developing an unhealthy obsession with an automobile.
When Christine is defaced by a bully Repperton, it reverts to its original, flawless state and eliminates Repperton and his pals one by one. Dennis and Arnie’s girlfriend, Leigh Cabot conclude that the only way to halt the fatalities is to destroy Christine.
The Thing (1982)
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: Bill Lancaster, John W. Campbell Jr.
Cast: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
Runtime: 1h 49m
Plot:
In an isolated region of Antarctica, a helicopter is heard firing at a dog sled, which causes a group of American research scientists to be disturbed at their base camp. They discover that the beast can take on the form of its victims. After the dog brutally attacks both humans and other dogs in the camp, they take it in as a pet.
The clever helicopter pilot and the camp doctor lead the camp staff to get involved in a desperate, bloody struggle against the deadly beast before it takes out the camp crew members one by one.
American Psycho (2000)
Director: Mary Harron
Writer: Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron
Cast: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 1h 42m
Plot:
Patrick Bateman, a beautiful young man who has a thriving professional career lives in New York City. He leads a double life by day as an upstanding citizen and, by night, a terrible serial murderer. A detective tries to find evidence against Patrick. He learns about Patrick’s fiancee and mistress. This is a caustic and witty comedy that investigates the characteristics that might turn a man into a monster.
Poltergeist (1982)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Michael Grais, Steven Spielberg
Cast: Heather O’Rourke, JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1h 54m
Plot:
When spirits begin communicating with a regular family in California via the medium of their television set, odd and disturbing things begin to happen. The Freeling family members include Diane, her teenage daughter Dana, and younger kids Robbie and Carol Ann.
Following Carol Ann’s disappearance, Diane turns to a parapsychologist, and then eventually to an exorcist. This is due to the fact that the spirits, who were initially friendly and humorous, have taken on an unpredictably menacing attitude.
Phantasm (1979)
Director: Don Coscarelli
Writer: Don Coscarelli
Cast: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 1h 29m
Plot:
A young man named Mike decides to look into the deaths of citizens of a small hamlet that have occurred under unexplained circumstances. Mike goes to his elder brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), and the local ice cream vendor, Reggie, for assistance after learning that the town’s mortician, the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), is murdering people and then reanimating them as malformed zombies. Mike’s goal is to stop the Tall Man.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Writer: Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
Genre: Crime/Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
Runtime: 1h 58m
Plot:
It is one of the best movies on Hulu that you will surely enjoy! Clarice Starling is a top student in the FBI’s training program, and Jodie Foster plays her role in the series.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a vicious psychopath, is the subject of Jack Crawford’s request that Clarice conducts an interview with him.
Lecter is now spending life in prison for many acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford had the theory that Lecter could know something about a certain case, and Starling, being an attractive young lady, would be the perfect lure to get him to talk about it.
Re-Animator (1985)
Director: Stuart Gordon
Writer: H.P. Lovecraft, Dennis Paoli
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 1h 24m
Plot:
After surviving a tragic tragedy at the Institute of Medicine in Switzerland, ambitious medical student Herbert West travels to New England, where he hopes to find support for his belief that it is possible to overcome death.
Soon after, Herbert resumes his work, first testing on feline tissue and then on fresh human cadavers with the help of his skeptical roommate, Dan Cain.
While Herbert and his fellow visionary scientist go further deeper into unknown terrain, West’s reanimated corpses begin wandering about campus, attracting the attention of Dr. Hill, Herbert’s old arch-nemesis who wants nothing more than to claim credit for the remarkable discovery.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Writer: Jan Fischer, James Jeremias
Cast: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 1h 37m
Plot:
In this horror movie, Jason Patric and Corey Haim play Michael and Sam, two teenagers who relocate to a rural area of northern California with their mother.
Younger Sam befriends two fellow comic book geeks named Edward and Alan, while troubled Michael falls for Star, who is secretly in the thrall of local vampire gang boss David. Sam and his new allies must rescue Michael and Star from the zombies.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Director: Frank Oz
Writer: Howard Ashman, Roger Corman
Cast: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia
Genre: Comedy/Musical/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 1h 34m
Plot:
Seymour, an assistant manager at a flower shop, is madly in love with Audrey, one of his coworkers. He discovers an odd plant, which he names Audrey II, during a total solar eclipse. Audrey II is unique as it can subsist on human blood and tissue.
The store, which had been having financial difficulties before the expansion, is now doing much better.
After the plant has become more bloodthirsty since Seymour fed it the body of Audrey’s lover, Orin, following Orin’s unfortunate death, Seymour must now hunt new victims for the plant. Steve Martin was Audrey’s boyfriend.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Cast: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger
Genre: Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 23m
Plot:
When Sally gets word that her grandfather’s tomb may have been desecrated, she and her brother Franklin, who is paralyzed, get together with some of their other friends and go look into the matter.
They take a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, where they find that a band of deranged and violent outsiders had taken up residence next door.
As Leatherface, armed with a chainsaw and donning a mask made of human skin, picks out the members of the gang one by one, the survivors have no choice but to do everything in their power to get away.
Audition (1999)
Director: Takashi Miike
Writer: Ryû Murakami, Daisuke Tengan
Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 1h 55m
Plot:
Aoyama, a widower played by Ryo Ishibashi, is the protagonist of this unsettling Japanese thriller. He intends to start dating again. Aoyama gives auditions for a bogus movie to act as a dating service provider. He gets the role as his friend is a film producer.
After the mysterious and beautiful Asami lures Aoyama, the two of them decide to start a relationship with one another. However, he concludes that Asami isn’t as reserved as she seems.
Blair Witch Project (1999)
Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, Joshua Leonard
Director: Daniel Myrick
Writer: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Cast: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
Runtime: 1h 21m
Plot:
It’s the story of three film students who drove to a tiny village in order to record documentary footage about the Blair Witch, a local legend that is said to be responsible for the deaths of many people in the area.
The students conduct interviews with town residents and collect information to support their conclusion that the story is true.
However, things take a terrifying turn for the students throughout the assignment when they get disoriented while in the woods and begin to hear horrifying sounds. You shouldn’t miss watching this as it has been reviewed as one of the best movies on Netflix.
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Director: Jim Sharman
Writer: Richard O’Brien, Jim Sharman
Cast: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 40m
Plot:
When sweethearts Brad and Janet are stranded with a flat tire during a storm, they end up discovering the spooky house of a transgender scientist named Dr. Frank-N-Furter. This film has become a cult classic.
As Brad and Janet’s childhood innocence is eroded, they are introduced to a cast of eccentric home guests that includes a rocking biker and a frightening butler. Rocky is introduced to the audience by Frank-N-Furter, who does so by performing a series of extravagant dances to the accompaniment of rock tunes.
Hellraiser (1987)
Director: Clive Barker
Writer: Clive Barker
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 1h 34m
Plot:
When Frank starts messing around with a box that he got while he was traveling, he accidentally unlocks a gateway to hell. Because of this conduct, horrible entities known as Cenobites are released into the world, and they shred Frank’s lifeless body to pieces.
After moving into Frank’s old home, Frank’s brother and his wife, Julia, do something unintentionally that brings Frank, or at least what’s left of him, back to life. After that, Frank persuades Julia to bring the men back to the home so that he may use their blood to recreate himself. Julia agrees to help him.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Runtime: 1h 24m
Plot:
Ash Williams, who has previously fought frightening demons at a remote cabin in the woods, does it once again in the second installment of the three-part Evil Dead film series, which combines elements of humor with the horror genre.
Ash’s girlfriend Linda gets possessed by demonic spirits after hearing an audiotape left by a college lecturer that includes voices reading from the Book of the Dead. Ash realizes that there is no way out of the woods.
The Omen (1976)
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: David Seltzer
Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 1h 51m
Plot:
After the delivery of a stillborn child, American ambassador Robert and his wife Katherine decide to adopt a kid and name him Damien. After Damien’s first nanny kills herself by hanging herself, Father Brennan gives Robert the warning that Damien would murder Katherine’s unborn child if he is not stopped.
In a short amount of time after that, Brennan passes away, and Katherine suffers a miscarriage when Damien throws her from a balcony. As more individuals in Damien’s immediate vicinity pass away, Robert begins to look into Damien’s history and comes to the conclusion that his adoptive son may be the Antichrist.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Director: John Landis
Writer: John Landis
Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher
Genre: Comedy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 1h 37m
Plot:
Two college students from the United States, David, and Jack are traveling across Britain but they get attacked by a big wolf. David makes it through the bite unscathed, but Jack is mercilessly put to death.
As David recovers in the hospital, he has a series of terrifying dreams in which his buddy has been severely injured and is warning him that he is transforming into a werewolf.
After David learns the dreadful secret, he begins to consume the idea of taking his own life before the next full moon, which would force him to morph from a civilized man into a savage beast.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Ira Levin, Roman Polanski
Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
Runtime: 2h 17m
Plot:
A young mother is led to think by her own spouse that her child is not from this earth. Rosemary Woodhouse and her husband are failing actors when they travel to New York City and rent an apartment in a building with a sinister reputation and strange neighbors named Roman and Minnie Castevet.
When Rosemary finds out she is pregnant, she withdraws even further into herself, and it is not until after the delivery of her child that the sinister reality is revealed.
Misery (1990)
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: Stephen King, William Goldman
Cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1h 47m
Plot:
Annie Wilkes, a former nurse, and self-proclaimed “Paul Sheldon superfan,” comes to the aid of author Paul Sheldon when the latter is involved in a terrible vehicle accident.
Annie takes him to her rustic home in the woods to help him get well, but her fixation takes a sinister turn when she learns that Sheldon is planning to eliminate her favorite character from one of his books.
As Sheldon works on his plan to go, Annie becomes more authoritarian and even violent as she coerces the author into molding his writing to fit her warped dreams. Sheldon eventually manages to get away.
The Birds (1963)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Daphne Du Maurier, Evan Hunter
Cast: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 1h 59m
Plot:
After meeting Mitch Brenner at a pet shop in San Francisco, Melanie Daniels makes the decision to accompany him back to his apartment. She presents him with two love birds.
They immediately begin to develop feelings for one another. One day, birds began biting youngsters who were attending a party hosted by Mitch’s sister. The party turns into a place of massive assault where people lose their senses after being attacked by birds.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Director: James Whale
Writer: Mary Shelley, William Hurlbut
Cast: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1h 15m
Plot:
After Dr. Frankenstein recovers from the injuries he sustained in the deadly attack that was aimed at him and his creation: a monster. He fell prey to the dominance of his previous mentor, Dr. Pretorius, who motivated him to create new inventions and have a creative interest in his life.
In the meanwhile, after the attacks, the monster is still on the run from people who want to kill him without realizing that, despite his lack of socializing and control over himself, he usually has good intentions.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Director: George A. Romero
Writer: George A. Romero, John A. Russo
Cast: Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Karl Hardman
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1h 36m
Plot:
When corpses start wandering out from the cemetery in quest of consuming human flesh, a miscellaneous group of people manages to find a sanctuary in an old home that has been abandoned.
Ben, a pragmatist, tries his best to maintain control of the situation; nevertheless, as the reanimated dead begin to surround the home, the other survivors begin to panic. The zombies begin to find ways to get inside, and one by one, the zombies begin to consume the people as their prey.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Director: Robert Aldrich
Writer: Henry Farrell, Lukas Heller
Cast: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
Runtime: 2h 14m
Plot:
Jane Hudson is an older child star responsible for caring for her sister Blanche, who’s also a child actor. Blanche is confined to a wheelchair. Blanche devises a plan to get revenge on Jane for the automobile accident that occurred years earlier and left her paralyzed.
But Jane is determined to keep Blanche locked up while she plots a fresh ascent to fame. She attempts to conceal Blanche’s presence from physicians, visitors, and neighbors as she figures out how to get rid of her sister.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Director: Robert Wiene
Writer: Carl Mayer, Hans Janowitz
Cast: Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Friedrich Feher
Genre: Thriller/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
Runtime: 1h 7m
Plot:
Francis and his buddy Alan met with the deranged Dr. Caligari while they were attending a carnival in Germany. Caligari is seen by the guys demonstrating his somnambulist, Cesare, a hypnotic man who according to the doctor can see into the future.
Cesare then makes a shocking prediction about the death of Alan, and by the morning, his terrible prediction comes true, which makes Cesare the major suspect in the case. Nevertheless, is Cesare responsible, or is the doctor the culprit?
Eraserhead (1977)
Director: David Lynch
Writer: David Lynch
Cast: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1h 29m
Plot:
Henry lives alone in a flat that is engulfed in an atmosphere of industrial melancholy. After learning that his previous affair with Mary X had gotten her pregnant, he decides to wed the woman and invites her to live with him.
When the baby of the couple is revealed to be an odd creature that sounds like a lizard and won’t stop crying, things take a peculiar turn for the worse.
Jaws (1975)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Genre: Adventure/Horror
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
Runtime: 2h 4m
Plot:
A young woman gets attacked and murdered by a shark. The incident happened during nudist swimming in a resort town near Amity Island. The police chief suggests banning the beaches but is overruled by the mayor, Larry Vaughn, who fears that the reduction in tourist revenue can bring down the town’s status.
Brody receives an offer of assistance from ship captain Quint and an ichthyologist named Matt Hooper. The three of them engage in an epic struggle of man vs. nature. This movie is available on DirecTV. If you are on travel, you can use a VPN to watch DirecTV in USA.
Carrie (1976)
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Stephen King, Lawrence D. Cohen
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
Genre: Horror/Mystery
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 38m
Plot:
Carrie White, played by Sissy Spacek and based on the protagonist from Stephen King’s horror book of the same name, is a shy and sensitive teenager who is bullied by her peers at school and subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her overly religious mother.
Carrie is led to believe that she has supernatural abilities when she starts to see weird things in her immediate environment. Carrie goes to the prom since the sympathetic Tommy Ross invites her, but the event turns sinister and deadly.
Final Destination (2000)
Director: James Wong
Writer: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Cast: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 1h 38m
Plot:
Alex Browning is jetting out to the City of Light. Alex has a nightmare in which the airliner explodes only seconds after takeoff. Alex orders the aircraft officials not to fly, and 7 passengers who believed him, including himself, are kicked off.
The jet literally bursts into flames as everyone watches. He and the others have succeeded in avoiding death, but they won’t have the luxury of living peacefully for much longer. These evaders of death are all eventually caught and killed.
Candyman (1992)
Director: Bernard Rose
Writer: Clive Barker, Bernard Rose
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd
Genre: Horror/Thriller
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 1h 39m
Plot:
Helen Lyle is a skeptical doctoral student who becomes friends with Anne-Marie McCoy when they are both doing research on superstitions at a housing complex on Chicago’s Near North Side. Helen finds out about the Candyman from Anne-Marie.
The Candyman is a creature from urban mythology who wields a knife and is believed by some of Helen’s neighbors to be responsible for a recent homicide.
Helen’s anxiety increases as a stranger who fits the description of the Candyman starts to follow her around, and she begins to worry that the tale may in fact be more than just a myth. Indeed, it is one of the best Halloween movies.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: David Kirschner, Mick Garris
Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 1h 36m
Plot:
After relocating to Salem, Massachusetts, adolescent Max Dennison visits an abandoned home with his sister Dani and their new neighbor and friend, Allison. Max inadvertently sets loose a coven of wicked witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) who were previously residing in the home.
The children now have to steal the witches’ book of spells with the assistance of a mystical cat in order to prevent the witches from becoming eternal.
Frankenstein (1931)
Director: James Whale
Writer: John L. Balderston, Mary Shelley
Cast: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1h 10m
Plot:
This classic horror film tells the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein, a scientist who becomes fascinated with the idea of creating life by piecing together a monster from the body parts of the dead.
Frankenstein is able to bring his monster to life with the assistance of his devoted and disfigured servant, Fritz; nevertheless, the monster runs out into the countryside and immediately starts wreaking havoc there. Frankenstein embarks on a mission to find the enigmatic entity, and in the end, he is forced to face his troubled creation.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writer: Bram Stoker, James V. Hart
Cast: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 2h 8m
Plot:
Count Dracula, a prince from the 15th century, is doomed to spend forever sucking the blood of the living to sustain himself.
Young attorney Jonathan Harker is sent to Dracula’s castle to finalize a land deal; however, the Count sees a photo of Harker’s fiancée, Mina, who is the spitting image of the Count’s late wife, so he imprisons Harker and travels to London in search of Mina.
Harker’s story is told in the novel “Dracula.”
Scary Movie (2000)
Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Writer: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans
Cast: Anna Faris, Jon Abrahams, Marlon Wayans
Genre: Horror/Comedy
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
Runtime: 1h 28m
Plot:
This film is an all-out attack on the most talked-about and iconic scenes and imagery from recent movies, television shows, and advertisements. It even manages to out-parody the films that make fun of modern culture.
The movie takes direct aim at iconic sequences from films such as “Scream,” “The Sixth Sense,” “The Matrix,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and “The Blair Witch Project,” before moving on to make fun of a wide variety of cliches that are common in teen movies regardless of the type of film they are.
It is the best horror movie on Netflix, so it should be on your top-watch list.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 1h 32m
Plot:
After Barbara and Adam Maitland are killed in a car accident, they discover that they are unable to move on from their rural home and are forced to spend eternity being ghosts.
The Maitlands make many unsuccessful attempts to frighten away the intolerable Deetz family and their teenage daughter Lydia after they purchase the house. Their attempts draw the attention of Beetlejuice, a mischievous ghost whose “assistance” swiftly turns out to be a threat to the Maitlands.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Writer: Victor Miller, Ron Kurz
Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor
Genre: Mystery/Horror
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
Runtime: 1h 35m
Plot:
The fact that Crystal Lake has a long history of homicide does not prevent counselors from establishing a summer camp in the surrounding forest. Locals who are steeped in superstition advise against it, but young people like Jack, Alice, Bill, Marcie, and Ned don’t give much attention to the advice.
They discover that a vicious murderer has been following them around. Now, they are fighting for their lives against a ruthless and vicious murderer.
The Fly (1986)
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: George Langelaan, Charles Edward
Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Genre: Drama/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 1h 36m
Plot:
When the teleportation apparatus that scientist Seth Brundle has been working on is finally finished, he makes the decision to try it out on himself. During the procedure, unknown to him, a housefly makes its way in, which ultimately results in the fusion of man and bug.
At first glance, it seems as if Brundle was able to successfully complete the teleportation process; nevertheless, the fly’s cells soon begin to take over his body. Brundle’s lover is frightened to see the guy she once loved transform into a monster as he gets more and more insect-like.
Child’s Play (1988)
Director: Tom Holland
Writer: Don Mancini, John Lafia
Cast: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent
Genre: Thriller/Horror
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 1h 27m
Plot:
Killer Charles Lee Ray, who is about to die after being shot by Detective Mike Norris, uses dark magic to transfer his soul within a doll called Chucky, which Karen Barclay later purchases for her son Andy, who is a small child.
When Andy’s babysitter is murdered by Chucky, the child understands that the doll is really alive and attempts to warn other people, but he ends up being hospitalized as a result. Before Andy becomes the next victim of the killer doll known as Chucky, Karen has to persuade the investigator that the doll wants to kill everyone.
Dracula (1931)
Director: Tod Browning
Writer: Bram Stoker, Hamilton Deane
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 1h 15m
Plot:
After transforming into a British soldier, a handsome and enigmatic Count Dracula arrives in London and sets up home in an ancient castle. Soon, Dracula will start wreaking havoc by converting young ladies into vampires by drinking their blood.
Van Helsing, a vampire hunter, is called in to stop the vampire’s never-ending bloodlust. The vampire sets his eyes on Mina as his next prey. She is the daughter of a famous doctor.
Conclusion
The horror genre has had a spectacular resurgence in the past five years because of the efforts of hip directors. That’s spooky as hell, yet modern scary movies in USA typically fall short of the classics because of their reliance on gimmicks and excessive violence.
Films shot in black and white by some of cinema’s most innovative and savvy directors have been shockingly terrifying in the past. Whether you’re in the mood to watch stories of psycho murderers, ghosts, or the eternal horde of the dead, these vintage flicks will give you the chills just as effectively as any modern horror release.
Remember to use ExpressVPN to avoid the geo-restrictions on any of these titles. Happy Streaming!
Chris Mack
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