1. Halloween (1978)
Halloween is responsible for the slasher film as we know it today. By drawing on the template set by Psycho John Carpenter took the whole genre of people(mostly attractive women) getting stabbed to death to whole new levels. Michael Myers is one of the most famous villains in film history regardless of the slasher genre and with good reason. He has the one trait that all the most terrifying monsters have: no remorse.His only reason for existence is to kill anything and everything and it's his determination that makes him as terrifying as he is. The instantly recognizable and iconic mask certainly helps his intimidation factor as well. John Carpenter had only directed twice before Halloween yet the film looks like it could have been made by a young Alfred Hitchcock with the consistent amount of voyeuristic, point of view shots, building tension and perfectly timed score on top of everything.
Thanks so much for reading for reading. If you have any films to add in the comments I'd love to hear your input and if I get enough comments I might just write another article like the last two.