Horror films have been a staple of Hollywood for decades, offering audiences all over the world with spine-chilling thrills and chills. Hollywood has produced some of the most renowned and influential horror films of all time, from classic monster films to slasher flicks to psychological thrillers. Here are some of the best horror films to come out of Hollywood.
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1. Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential horror films ever made. The film tells the story of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a woman who ends up at the secluded Bates Motel after stealing money from her employer. She encounters the disturbed motel owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a man under the dangerous sway of his controlling mother.
Psycho was notable for its shocking twists and turns, as well as its unsettling score by Bernard Herrmann. The famous shower scene in which Marion is brutally murdered has gone down as one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist truly frightened audiences upon its release in 1973 and created a blueprint for demonic possession horror movies. Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, it follows the demonic possession of young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) and the two priests (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) who try to exorcise the demon within her.
The Exorcist was not only scary but controversial for its graphic violence and disturbing images. It became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and still ranks among the most terrifying horror movies ever made.
3. Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s Halloween launched the slasher movie craze of the late 1970s and 1980s. It introduced the world to the murderous Michael Myers, who escapes from a psychiatric hospital and goes on a killing rampage through his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. Jamie Lee Curtis plays the teen babysitter who becomes Michael’s target on Halloween night.
With its creepy score and Carpenter’s expert direction creating feelings of dread, Halloween set the standard for modern slasher movies. The masked Michael Myers remains one of horror’s most iconic villains.
4. The Shining (1980)
Based on the Stephen King novel, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a chilling descent into madness set within the isolated Overlook Hotel. Jack Nicholson gives one of his most iconic performances as struggling writer Jack Torrance, who becomes the winter caretaker at the Overlook with his wife and psychic son.
Jack’s sanity deteriorates as paranormal forces in the hotel begin to manipulate him, leading to terrifying consequences. Kubrick’s masterful direction and imagery, the foreboding setting, and Nicholson’s unhinged performance make The Shining an all-time horror classic.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street ushered in a new horror icon in Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Freddy stalks and kills teenagers in their dreams, causing their deaths in real life as well. Heather Langenkamp plays Nancy, the teen who tries to solve the mystery of Freddy and stop his reign of terror.
The film’s imaginative dream sequences, gruesome kill scenes, and Englund’s sinister performance as the burnt killer with the bladed glove make A Nightmare on Elm Street completely horrifying even today.
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs won the Academy Award for Best Picture, a rarity for a horror film. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, it sees FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) tap the brilliant mind of imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to help catch another killer.
Hopkins’ daunting portrayal of Lecter and the film’s tight, suspenseful directing by Jonathan Demme earned The Silence of the Lambs status as one of the greatest thrillers in cinema. It remains influential in the horror genre for its psychological scares.
7. Scream (1996)
Wes Craven reinvented the slasher genre again in the 1990s with Scream. The film knowingly deconstructs the tropes and clichés of slashers that flooded movies following the success of Halloween.
Neve Campbell stars as Sydney Prescott, targeted by the mysterious Ghostface killer terrorizing her town on the anniversary of her mother’s murder. Scream introduced the perfect balance of scares, humor, and whodunit mystery that has made it one of the most beloved and self-aware horror films of the 1990s.
8. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Night Shyamalan’s breakout film The Sixth Sense was a ghost story that had audiences talking for its climactic plot twist. Bruce Willis plays a child psychologist who tries to help a boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment) who can see spirits of dead people.
Shyamalan’s careful direction and tense atmosphere built an emotional thriller with a shocking twist ending that left crowded theaters stunned. The Sixth Sense also remains one of the top-grossing supernatural horror movies. If you’re a fan of supernatural horror, you might want to check out American Horror Story on Netflix.
9. The Conjuring (2013)
Director James Wan helped launch the recent surge in supernatural horror with 2013’s The Conjuring. Drawing inspiration from 1970s classics like The Exorcist, the film follows real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they confront a demonic entity haunting a family in Rhode Island.
The Conjuring created an intensely creepy mood through Wan’s stylish direction, setting up distrubing jolts and an evocative visual style that spawned a horror cinematic universe.
10. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s smash hit Get Out proved horror could provide cutting social commentary with its potent take on racism. Daniel Kaluuya stars as a Black man meeting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time, only to discover the disturbing truth beneath their seemingly benign suburban surface. Infusing psychological thrills with satirical wit, Get Out announced Peele as an exciting new horror auteur while examining race relations through the potent lens of horror.
It remains one of the most incisive and provocative scary movies in recent years.
Horror remains a staple genre for Hollywood, as these diverse classics demonstrate. From early monster films to slasher franchises to recent social thrillers, Hollywood continues to excel at scaring audiences and pushing the boundaries of horror cinema. With creative storytelling and technical mastery from top filmmakers, the best Hollywood horror is sure to frighten and intrigue audiences for decades to come.
