We all enjoy a good scare from time to time. The feeling of sitting on the edge of your seat, hiding behind your tub of popcorn, and waiting to scream has a different vibe altogether. Sure all movies are great. But horror movies, in particular, enthrall you. The genre isn’t for everyone, but only true horror fans have watched the scariest Hollywood films of all time.
You constantly debate whether to continue watching it or stop it right there. Not continuing is not an option, as you still want to know what will happen next. This article covers the scariest Hollywood films that audiences all across the globe celebrate and consider cult classics.
1. The Shining (1980)
Based on the book by Stephen King, The Shining shows a writer moving into a hotel in the hopes of curing his writer’s block. Together with his wife and son, the family starts feeling paranormal activities happening around them. What adds to the haunting is when Danny, the son, starts getting disturbing and dark psychic premonitions. Then the writer turns homicidal and starts to terrorize his own family to form the crux of the story. Brilliantly directed by Stanley Kubrick, give The Shining a watch if you’re a sucker for the horror genre.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
Based on the novel of the same name, The Exorcist portrays a child who gets possessed by a demon and the struggle of a priest attempting to cure the situation. William Friedkin’s adaptation proved to be a critical and commercial success. It was the first ever horror movie to be nominated for “Best Picture” at the Oscars and nine other nominations – winning two of them. However, The Exorcist did face criticism for being “too scary” as it caused mass hysteria amongst people. Nevertheless, it’s considered to be one of the scariest movies of all time.
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Released in the mid-70s, this slasher film, albeit low-budgeted yet still significant to the horror genre, paved the way for many other fictional serial killers such as Mike Myers from Halloween and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th– thanks to the iconic “leather face” portrayed in TTCM. Apart from the gripping plot, other instances, such as the killing scenes, were rather authentic because they weren’t far-fetched and could actually happen to anyone. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre also saw a line-up of sequels that saw the same, if not more, success. The gruesome tongue-biting scenes are what make this film one of the scariest ever.
4. It (2017)
Also based on a novel by Stephen King published back in 1986, It revolves around a monstrous figure disguised as “Pennywise The Dancing Clown” who feeds on children to survive and maintain its strength. Situated in the fictional town Derry in the US state of Maine, Pennywise rises every twenty-seven years before going back to hibernate in the sewer lines of Derry. Upon its release, It received critical acclaim for bringing the scares to life and having some serious nail-biting sequences. In addition, it broke many box-office records as well at the time of its release, becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time.
