Classic Horror Movies That Stand The Test Of Time

Scary stories are something that's been with us for as long as time can remember. For some reason, people have always enjoyed getting a little scared, and whether it be horror movies, ghost stories around a campfire or the chilling books by authors like Stephen King, there's something perversely satisfying about getting a fright.

Of course when it comes to films, the genre is wide and diverse, with horrors ranging from the wacky and silly, to gory blood feasts, to psychological thrillers and so much more.

Comparing horror movies is always going to be tough. Alfred Hitchcock for example made some of the great classics, films like Psycho and The Birds, but they are very difficult to compare to a movie like A Nightmare on Elm Street for example. But these five films perhaps best define the genre in a whole, the films that inspired thousands more just like them.

The first I have just mentioned, Psycho, perhaps the most eerie of all Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is absolutely brilliant, and to this day, this classic piece of cinema will scare almost everyone. It is nerve-wracking and the tension is unbearable throughout, and while it may not be as scandalous as it was in 1960, it remains one the iconic horror movies of all time. Who will ever forget that shower scene.

Another oldie is William Friedkin's The Exorcist, made in 1973, but beware, this oldie is going to make you have sleepless nights. Dealing with the possession of a young girl, and the attempts by priests to rid her of this demon, it is the kind of scary movie that will leave a lasting impression. With stellar performances from Ellyn Burstyn, Max Von Sydow and Linda Blair as the possessed girl, Regan, do not watch this alone.

The next classic in this list of horror movies was directed by Hollywood royalty. Jaws, from the one and only Steven Spielberg, remains a leader in its sub-genre. It is the movie that stopped millions of people from swimming carefree in the sea, and humming the theme music at the beach is enough to stop quite a few people from even dipping the toes in the water.

While there are many to contend with when it comes to the slasher genre of horror movies, the original Halloween, made in 1978, stands out from the rest, perhaps because it was directed by the legendary John Carpenter. Michael Myers has had his fair share of competition from the likes of Friday the Thirteenth's Jason or Elm Street's Freddie Kruger. Jamie Lee Curtis and the eerie Donald Pleasance were the stars of that first film.

Finally, and to show Steven Spielberg's influence on horror movies, is a movie produced by him, and directed by Toby Hooper, the one and only Poltergeist. Released in 1982, the film revolves around a haunted home, and the family these ghosts decide to terrorize, eventually even taking the youngest child, memorably into the television set. Leading the cast were Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams.