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Decades ago, people depended on movie critics like Leonard Maltin, Rex Reed, and most of all Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert to review movies they wanted to see. This was a time of the summer blockbuster before Hollywood discovered that every month could be a blockbuster month. But the opinions of movie critics were most important for smaller movies. Audiences may have never known about some smaller films if critics did not mention them; the audience generally trusted the opinions of the critics.
Now audiences look mainly to Rotten Tomatoes. Siskel and Ebert's "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" has been more or less replaced with the "Fresh" or "Rotten" of the Tomatometer. According to critics on Rotten Tomatoes, these are the top ten horror films ever made.
10. The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook is a spooky horror movie, especially if you enjoy psychological horror. The film is about Amelia (Essie Davis), a troubled widow and single mom raising her six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Samuel is obsessed with an imaginary monster he believes lives under his bed.
The Babadook is a troubling movie metaphor for grief and depression. Babadook is about how parents can resent their children and how people can feed their inner demons.
9. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
Frankenstein is one of the earliest horror novels written, and is still considered to be one of the very best. It's also the first sci-fi novel ever. The Bride of Frankenstein is regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made.
The movie hints at homosexuality, sacrilege, and necrophilia. Most audiences didn't notice the hints when the movie was originally released.
8. Psycho (1960)
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Psycho is considered Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, which says a lot when one looks at Hitchcock's incomparable portfolio. Psycho influenced what would become the slasher genre. A lot of slasher movies are great, but arguably none can compare to the pure creepiness of Psycho.
The movie somehow manages to be both deep and simple. The infamous shower scene is the most talked-about scene in Psycho, maybe the most famous scene in film history, but Psycho has other great scenes like the climactic basement scene and the parlor scene. The parlor scene is more than just a setup and casual conversation. There is a lot of subtext under the surface.
7. King Kong (1933)
King Kong is the world's most popular ape. The special effects may look cheesy by today's standards, but the effects were considered cutting-edge at the time of release. King Kong may be an old movie, but it's still relevant. King Kong was released in the worst time of the Great Depression, and shows two very different jungles; the jungle where Kong is king and the jungle of New York City.
King Kong is the king of his jungle, but is no match for the evil and greed in the hearts of men who only want to exploit him in New York City. King Kong says it is beauty that killed the beast. What would be the beauty, and what would be the beast in today's world?
6. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
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Nosferatu has always been a creepy movie that even has a bizarre history. It still looks creepy today, maybe even more so. The grainy black and white and the eerie alien-looking vampire is spooky. Nosferatu is a vampire far from the sexy, cool vampire that would become popular in future movies.
Nosferatu is one of the most influential vampire movies ever made. It even inspired the creepy look of the vampires in the Stephen King novel Salem's lot. A movie called Shadow of the Vampire is about the making of Nosferatu and the weird things that happened on the film set. A significant difference between modern vampire movies and Nosferatu is how Max Shreck plays a vampire. He doesn't play the vampire as cool elite or charming but as a creepy animal-like monster. To experience the full benefit of this weird, classic and essential silent film watch it alone with the lights off.
5. The Invisible Man (1933)
Most Invisible Man movies suck. They do. The Invisible Man is a complicated character to get right. The 2020 Invisible Man is the second-best films about this character because of the brilliant choice to focus on domestic violence and a stalker antagonist, which raises the stakes.
The best version is undoubtedly the classic 1933 version. There is something about Claude Rains's voice and physicality of the Invisible Man that makes this version stand above the crowd.
4. A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place surprised everyone when it became a big hit. It is an effective horror movie thanks in no small part to its innovative sound design. Everyone has experienced the fear of being quiet in a situation, whether it be something simple like having to be quiet at the library, or something far more sinister.
A Quiet Place effectively draws on that fear to produce tension in the viewers. It quietly pulls them in and will not let them go. This was a knockout breakthrough for director John Krasinski.
3.The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari set the standard for all horror movies that would follow. Today it is a fun watch for film history or nostalgic reasons. This is an essential work of German Expressionism, and the plot involves a sinister hypnotist and bizarre murder.
It may not be as scary for modern audiences, but it is interesting how much the horror genre has stayed the same and how much it has changed. This movie is undeniably influential to this day.
2. Get Out (2017)
Get out is a horror movie that tackles racism like no horror movie ever has before. It is a layered film, and each layer has something to say about stereotypes, racism, and white supremacy. But is it scary? Yes, it is.
Get Out was a massive hit struck a mainstream chord; ultimately winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
1. US (2019)
According to critics on Rotten Tomatoes, director Jordan Peele dominates the top two spots when ranking the best horror movies ever made.
Another horror movie that challenges Americana, only US is about what lies below and the darkness within. Get Out dealt with racism; US does as well, while also tackling class and the mirror self. US is a creepy movie, and the ending is the creepiest part.