10. The Blair Witch Project (1998)
Like Cat People, The Blair Witch Project is essential not only for its effects on the audience but for its impact on the genre as a whole. There had been other found footage films before, but none like this one. As we see three amateur documentarians slowly unravel, all the while wondering if their subject - the supposed Blair Witch of Marylands woods - may be more real than they thought, the authenticity of the films appearance cant help but get to us. Utilizing amateur actors, and leaving them in the dark on what would happen in many scenes (a technique borrowed by ) makes everything feel more alarming and real. Like Cat People, the fear doesnt come so much from what we see as opposed to what we imagine we might have seen. Things flash on screen for a moment and frighten us, but its hard to tell if they were really there or just in our heads. Depending on how much you can buy into the film, the last shot is either haunting or maddening. But regardless of whether you loved or loathed it, The Blair Witch Project is one of the most important, influential and essential horror films of all time. If it does work for you, its also one of the most frightening.
9: The Thing (1982)
John Carpenters remake of 1951s The Thing From Another World is the rare remake that exceeds the original in almost every way. Partially because of advances in special effects, and partially because Carpenter, when on point, is one of the true masters of structure, pacing, and delivery in horror films. Here, hes completely on target. As a group of Antarctic scientists battle a shape shifting alien that could be taking the form of any one of them, their paranoia and fear turns them on each other as well as their invader. Combining isolationist horror with body-horror, and featuring special effects that are still shocking today, The Thing assaults us with a variety of different kinds of fear, yet remains exciting and explosive throughout. Better yet, it never seems to get old upon rewatching.
8. The Descent (2005)
New, yes. But surely destined to become a classic. The Descent is relentless in a way that almost none of the films on this list can match, kickstarting about a third of the way into the film and never letting up until the credits roll. Neil Marshalls film focuses on a group of female cave divers who find themselves trapped in an unknown cavern, battling viscious, subhuman lifeforms. It can certainly be read as one of the more feminist horror films of recent years, with the women battling creatures that look distinctly male, but regardless of what you want to read into it, its an intense ride that pulls no punches as it barrels forward. If you only saw it in American theaters, make sure you rent it so that you can see the original, unabridged ending, which makes much more sense and is far more affecting than the ending shown in American theaters.
7. Nosferatu (1922)
F.W. Murnaus classic doesnt have the kind of scares that make you jump or keep you up late at night. What it does have is mood, texture, and tone, and it has all three of those in spades. An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula (the rights to the novel couldnt be secured), Nosferatu stars Max Schreck as Dracula stand-in Count Orlok, a long fingered, slim faced and well fanged creature trying to move to new stalking grounds. Murnau makes the most of Orloks malformed figure, casting shadows of him along the walls and streets throughout the film, making him seem even more monstrous, almost omnipresent throughout the picture. It wont scare you in familiar ways, but its unsettling, black and white imagery can still prove haunting. Werner Herzogs 1979 remake isnt half bad, either.
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Another film, like Se7en, which is debatably a thriller or suspense film rather than outright horror. This is where my authors right of subjective decision making comes in. Jonathan Demmes manhunt for a abducting, flesh-skinning serial killer simply has to be horror in my mind, and one of the best ever examples of it committed to film. That The Silence of the Lambs was only the third ever film to take home the Big 5 Oscars - Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay - is one thing; what really sticks out about the film is the way it invades our minds psychologically. Hannibal Lecter, one of cinemas all time greatest characters, gets into our heads in the same way that he gets into Jodie Fosters. Over the course of the film he is so many different things: killer, charming, caring, manipulative, possible hero, and monster. The Silence of the Lambs forces us to think about the ethics of using evil to stop evil, and while it may seem like an easy choice at the outset, by the films end we realize its larger implications. An involving mystery, an unforgettable set of characters, and phenomenal performances all around, The Silence of the Lambs is as classic as they come.