Making a decent Halloween film is one thing. But making a Halloween film that holds up years later is something else entirely. In an industry where fresh ideas become cliches as rapidly as technology ages once-breathtaking special effects, a film that transcends the zeitgeist in which it was released and solidifies itself as a classic is as rare as a masked killer who doesn't have mommy issues.
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What exactly defines a classic Halloween film? The commonly applied rule is something at least 20 years old that stands out from its peers by remaining impressive today. (Perhaps scarier than any of these films is the startling realization that something released as late as 2003 is now considered a "classic.")
To honor these films that have somehow managed to pass the rigorous test of time, we've compiled a list of iconic and classic Halloween flicks perfect for a spooky night in. So grab your popcorn and a fistful of your kid's Halloween candy and join us in celebrating these cinematic gifts that keep on scaring even decades after release, from a rundown shack in rural Texas, to the weird halls of Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle, to an eerie little place off a secluded backroad called Bates Motel. Let's scream. Let's laugh. Let's dive right into it.
The Shining (1980)
Warner Bros.
A man agrees to be the caretaker of an isolated hotel over the winter. But the halls of the building are filled with the ghosts of a chilling past, and the father's descent into madness threatens the lives of his wife and son.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Paramount
A young pregnant woman becomes increasingly suspicious of her neighbors and fears her unborn child is part of a sinister and supernatural conspiracy.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Vortex
A group of friends encounters a rural family with a hankering for human flesh, including the infamous Leatherface, turning their road trip into a fight for survival.
Poltergeist (1982)
Warner Bros.
A suburban family is terrorized by malevolent spirits that pull their young daughter into another dimension, prompting them to seek the help of a strange parapsychologist to rescue her.
The Birds (1963)
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
A small coastal town is attacked by flocks of aggressive and inexplicably hostile birds, leading its residents to fight for their survival against the mysterious avian threat.
Carrie (1976)
Getty Images
A shy and bullied high school girl with telekinetic powers seeks revenge on her tormentors during a traumatic prom night.
Gaslight (1944)
Silver Screen Collection
A manipulative husband attempts to drive his wife to madness in order to inherit her wealth -- the film the expression is based on!
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
20th Century Fox
In this classic musical, a newly engaged couple's life takes a wild turn when they stumble upon the eccentric and risqué world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle during a stormy night.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
New Line Cinema Entertainment, Inc.
A vengeful spirit named Freddy Krueger haunts teenagers on Elm Street, seeking revenge for his own gruesome death by terrorizing them in their nightmares and putting their lives in peril every time they go to sleep.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Paramount
A young group of counselors at a summer camp are stalked and killed one by one by a mysterious and relentless killer with serious mommy issues.
Halloween (1978)
Compass International Pictures
A masked serial killer named Michael Myers escapes from a psychiatric hospital and returns to his hometown to terrorize a babysitter and her friends on Halloween night.
Child's Play (1988)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
A possessed doll named Chucky comes to life and terrorizes a young boy and his mother in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
A gentle artificial man with scissor blades for hands is taken in by a suburban family, but his uniqueness leads to both fascination and fear in the community.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Archive Photos/Getty Images
A team of scientists turned ghost hunters battles supernatural forces to save New York City from paranormal chaos.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Lee Mendelson Productions
The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus awaits the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin.
The Addams Family (1991)
Archive Photos/Getty Images
The eccentric and spooky Addams family must navigate through bizarre situations when a con artist tries to exploit their fortune.
Psycho (1960)
Paramount Pictures/Getty Images
The proto-slasher that made all the others possible. After embezzling money from her employer, a secretary goes on the lam. She ends up at the eerie Bates Motel, where she meets Norman Bates, a cordial but peculiar young man with a passion for taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. But when he discovers Christmas, he attempts to bring his own spooky twist to the holiday.
The Thing (1982)
Getty Images
A group of Antarctic researchers must confront a shape-shifting alien organism that can assimilate and imitate any living being. Paranoia and terror ensues among the group as they realize any one of them could be the horrible monster hiding behind a fleshy human disguise.
Alien (1979)
20th Century Studios
The crew of a spaceship discovers a deadly extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills them one by one, leading to a thrilling and horrifying battle for survival in deep space.
Evil Dead (1981)
New Line Cinema
A group of friends staying in a remote cabin unwittingly unleash an ancient evil, turning their nature vacation into a night of gruesome horrors.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
A descendant of Dr. Frankenstein reluctantly follows in his grandfather's footsteps, experiencing all kinds of hilarious and madcap misadventures as he attempts reanimate pop-pop's infamous monster.
Scream (1996)
Dimension Films
A meta-horror film that follows a masked killer's reign of terror in a small town, where a group of teenagers must unravel the mystery and endure endless horror movie clichés to stay alive.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Warner Bros.
A recently deceased couple seeks the help of an eccentric and rowdy spirit to rid their home of its new, living inhabitants.
Casper (1995)
Harvey Comics
A kind-hearted ghost befriends a young girl and her father while trying to find his own peace and reunite with his deceased loved ones.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Artisan Entertainment
What was that? Oh, it's just the first-ever found footage horror film about a group of documentarians venturing into the Black Hills Forest to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch. Shaky POV camcorder footage of rustling leaves and snotty noses abound.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
MGM
FBI trainee Clarice Starling seeks the help of incarcerated serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter to catch another serial killer known as Buffalo Bill.
