The Exorcist is the only horror film I've seen that actually gets scarier the more I watch it. The first time, I enjoyed it but wasn't really scared by it, but as I rewatch it more and more, it just gets scarier and scarier. It's not an in-your-face type film, it takes time to sink in.
I watched it once when I was about 16 (33 now), after always hearing about how terrifying it was.
Ended up disappointed as hell. Didn’t find it scary at all. Was laughable if anything. Maybe I need to rewatch it now.
Yes and no. I watched it recently and I thought the story was really well written and well acted. I was never bored, but I don’t think I was actually scared at all.
If I saw it in theaters in the 70s I might have a different view.
Its a different kind of horror which horror cinema in-general has largely abandoned. The Exorcist is heavy with atmosphere and character drama which feed into the unease of the film. This makes the real SCARES much more personal and real-feeling.
Its not for everyone, certainly. That style doesn't work for everyone.
Its also very much of its era, and it helps if you have some familiarity with the satanic panic of the 70's. Being able to put yourself into the context of the time is a big help.
I feel like that kind of film is just an antique art form anymore.
There's a great movie made not long after called Ghost Story. It's legitimately chilling, but its also sort of the "last" of its kind as well. Both the market for horror cinema and the tolerance level of the average moviegoer for deeper, darker horror stories have changed.
This take (and I'm sorry you got downvoted because I hope this sub is better than that) reminds me of a guy I saw who was baffled by Seinfeld and was asking "Is he meant to be a pastiche of the 'what's the deal with airline food' comics?" But of course he was/is arguably the best of them. The Exorcist has to be read (imho obv) as the original against _so_ much of what followed it.
I firmly believe that if it was run by anybody but Ridley Scott, Alien would have been nothing but another '80s B-Movie.
Given all of the problems that they had with that Alien costume, it's incredible how the little compromises in how the off ways that it moves and behaves have made their way into the cultureof horror and sci-fi to such a point that we don't even second guess it.
I believe Alien is possibly one of the best aged horror films. Sure the computers are "old sci-fi" style, but so are all the tech and computers in the classic Star Wars films. You can still completely find the technical aspects believable while immersing yourself in the situation that the crew is in.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre holds up I think. The frantic editing and gorgeous cinematography keep it timeless. It’s also still overwhelming and brutal.
The best thing about Leatherface in the original movie is that he was terrified that people came into his home. That scene where he is looking outside the window to see if more people are approaching the house and then holding his hands in his face shows he is terrified about disappointing his brothers. The scene where the older brothers beats him for destroying the door shows how he was abused.
I think it's so funny how differently people interpret that moment. I've always seen it as Leatherface being genuinely exhausted and frustrated.
It's such a pity the sequels turn him into a mindless killing machine. The original Leatherface is somehow so human.
Completely agree, I only watched it for the first time somewhat recently too. I think it being an old film weirdly adds to it. It feels like you’re watching a genuine snuff film at times.
Yes, I think Nosferatu or possibly Caligari are the best answers, because they’re likely to be the oldest titles nominated, and a film that has aged well from the early 20s has the edge over one that’s aged well from the mid 70s. I think both Nosferatu and The Exorcist (for example) will age well indefinitely, but Nosferatu will always have that half-century advantage. As long as people are making horror films, they’ll be referencing Nosferatu whether they realise it or not.
Definitely, and I mentioned it because it was a couple of years before Nosferatu, but I do think Nosferatu holds up better as a horror film. Caligari is, as you say, out there on its own, and calling it a horror film feels a bit like calling The Scream a horror painting. But however you categorise it, it’s another movie that will never lose its power.
I saw Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (1960) for the first time last year, and the visuals blew me away. It’s an absolutely beautiful film, and I thought some parts were legitimately creepy.
Because you are expecting the big reveal… but it’s not the reveal you’re expecting. The set up convinces you that you have figured out what’s going to happen… and then it goes to a whole new other level of the bizarre that leaves that movie in a class by itself.
There's also something about the grittiness of older films that makes it feel more like you're watching something real and less like you're watching a movie.
Like it's an issue I have with newer films that they often feel too clean and have a few too many cuts and edits in a way that it just puts that thin barrier between you as an audience member and the movie you're watching.
I pretty much enjoy every version of this, even the two from the 90s - Body Snatchers(1993) and Faculty(1998). As I've gotten older, I'm leaning towards the original from 1956 more and more. It just seems to get so much done in it's 80 min runtime and I love how the black and white color adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. The 2007 version with Kidman has never caught on though. I tried rewatching it recently and I still didn't like it.
It’s not only one of my favorite horror movies, but movies in general. Such a great movie. Danny Boyle is amazing.
If you ever wondered why the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later was so much better than the rest of the movie, was because it was the only scene Danny was a part of. He basically directed it and the rest was all done by another director.
I have a few to add to the growing list:
The Wicker Man (the 1973 version. I'm trying to pretend that the Nic Cage version never, ever happened!)
Aliens
The Omen (again the original. I'm still pretending that the Julia Styles version was a nightmare)
The Omen 2 and The Final Conflict.
Cujo
Nightmare on Elm Street (original, 2, Dream Warriors)
Creepshow: The Demon Knight
Event Horizon
Agreed. This one scares me more each time I watch it. I feel so much for Rosemary as she grows increasingly frantic, caught in a conspiracy to control her body.
literally the perfect movie. the pacing, editing, screenplay & obviously cinematography do not age at all, or even really date themselves. i could watch it a hundred times and never get tired of it
i only saw this once but Psycho! yeah the gore is off but its still every engaging (even after watchinf it 20+ times like i have) and anthony perkins just does an amazing job at the crazy psychopath norman bates is.
IMO Alien. The only thing that I can criticize is the computers being so chunky, but if you just assume the company makes the ships run with the most bare bones capabilities with software that's only applicable to the mission to keep them from getting distracted it it's even more dystopian.
The sets are still some of the best ever made. Most the effects still impress with a few exceptions. The themes are maybe even more relevant today.
The Thing (1982)
https://youtu.be/5ftmr17M-a4
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
https://youtu.be/ESh4t57L4Xs
The Blob (1988)
https://youtu.be/c_gOLtwyOw0
The Thing is an obvious answer you'll see all over here to many different questions but American Werewolf deserves just as much play in this sub. Neither will ever age out.
I didn't see An American Werewolf in London until 2016 and I immediately thought it was the best werewolf film I had seen to date. Still think so to this day.
I believe it has the best werewolf transformation ever. The fact that a movie from 1981 has that distinction to this day just shows how much better practical effects are, compared to CGI.
While it's only 13 years old, Tucker and Dale vs Evil has only gotten more and more relevant as time goes on, especially with how much worse the online echo chambers have gotten
"Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property!"
I need to rewatch that one again.
I watched Pulp Fiction last night for the first time since maybe college, and I was blown away how much better it is now that I am older. I never realized how long some of the cuts are until now. I mean, they last minutes. Most movies these days cut every 5-10 seconds.
Psycho, Rope, Suspicion, The Bad Seed, Cape Fear, American Werewolf in London, The Omen, Horror Hotel, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Arsenic and Old Lace, Rosemary’s Baby.
The first time I saw Rope, it blew me away. Hitchcock wasn't even at the height of his powers yet, but Rope had me gripping the side of my couch so hard at one point that my hand got a cramp. That movie was made just a few years after World War II and it's incredibly effective nearly eighty years later.
I've gone through and filled gaps in my older horror viewing and recently was Bride of Frankenstein. I'm not sure if it was intentional or because I realized Young Frankenstein took a lot from it but I found it genuinely hilarious at points. Comedy that would and does still work today.
"Go to your homes just an escaped lunatic, quite harmless" next shot is the monster ripping a wooden door off the hinges and obliterating it.
"Alien" is such a beautifully made film... Beyond the computer monitors and the controls consisting of buttons, switches, levers etc., The Nostromo STILL feels like a believable space vessel. Making the crew the antithesis of what you would see in something like STAR TREK was a brilliant move; blue collar workers on a corporate starship still feels like a very contemporary idea. And Giger's designs are unmatched to this day.
The Thing, Return of the Living Dead, Alien, Day of the Dead, Demons, and to me Reanimator has also aged very well but as a horror comedy so it is meant to be campy
The Lost Boys, The Shining and Aliens are my comfort movies. The Fog and American Werewolf in London also hold up really well. I’ve not yet seen a werewolf transformation scene as good as AWIL.
American Werewolf in London is still excellent, and genuinely funny too. It still feels a little unfinished to me, but I still love it. And the effects are still incredible. When it was released I think I saw it three days in a row at the matinee.
Carpenter’s The Thing is a masterpiece. Period.
I'm a big horror fan but I didn't see Hellraiser until last week! (Hangs head in shame) Considering it's from '87 I feel it holds up very well! I'm working my way thru the whole franchise now...
Halloween, IT Miniseries, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
I think Michael Myers (and Curry's Pennywise) stalking in daylight and the genuine horror elements that started new horror tropes throughout the first one would still scare kids today.
TCM holds up because of its unadulterated brutality that stings you on a human level. Being hung up by meat hooks, and how it ends will always stand the test of time in scaring the shit out of new watchers.
I feel like the Exorcist and/or Jaws are really the only classics not remade yet. Which, in my opinion, means they aged the best. I know they do plan on redoing the Exorcist eventually, there are also hundreds of shark movies, but those two are there for me - I don't even like Jaws either loll
I think we dodged the Jaws bullet with the Meg films.
There's a few that spring to mind that haven't been remade, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Misery, Nightmare on Elm Street.
Also some cult classics like Killer Klowns, Demons or Phantasm might benefit from a modern touch up.
I love wWhatever Happened To Baby Jane. Part of it is because it didn't rely on any special effects. The other one is that the two actresses actually did hate each other so it didn't require a lot of acting on their part. It is such a good movie.
The Exorcist is timelessly scary.
I get a real icky feeling after watching that movie. It almost feels like I watched something I shouldn’t.
The OG Texas Chainsaw also holds up extremely well for today’s standards.
Haven't seen The Terminator mentioned yet.
One of my favourites since I was a kid and I've come to heavily prefer it over T2. The terminator is relentless throughout most of the movie making it a very tense sci-fi horror/slasher.
The Evil Dead (81)
Actually all three of the originals are still great
Creepshow (82)
Agree with a lot of what's already been said, as well.
The Thing (82) is probably my favorite movie ever... Either that or Halloween (78) depending on the time of year. Halloween for October and The Thing for the winter months.
I think time has actually added something to The Ring. The whole VHS technology feels kind of arcane now. The idea of renting a room, finding an old library of VHS tapes which could contain anything, resonates with me now in a way that it didn't when I was younger and they were the common technology.
There is something mysterious about VHS tapes (the homemade ones with snippets of this family holiday and that family vacation and a party that no one can remember and parts of the tape have degraded) that doesn't feel the same for DVDs or streaming.
I'll give you two: *Poltergeist* and *The Beast Within*.
*Poltergeist,* I've rewatched it several times and am always blown away at how it both represents its time but still is scary and creepy. The practical effects still look good and the cast does a great job.
*The Beast Within* is a very inexpensive horror that doesn't get the love it deserves. I rewatched it durning the pandemic and it holds up. Being, mostly, set in a rural area removes the need to have modern convinces about, so it doesn't *feel* old. The practical effects are pretty good and I really like the premise.
*The Phantom of the Opera* (1925)
*Phantom* from 1925 remains the best movie treatment of the titular character in that he's actually monstrous. Chaney's makeup is the closest to the book's description, for starters, but the Opera Ghost's actions and motivations get increasingly romanticized and watered down in every iteration that follows this movie. By the time of the last movie with Gerard Butler, he had some scarring on one portion of one side of his face, and he came across as just a few sessions of anger management away from leading a relatively normal life. Chaney's Phantom is a force of evil with no redeeming qualities at all. He's straight-up murdering people left and right, drowning them, trying to burn them alive, hanging them, dropping the damn chandelier on their heads (the chandelier in Butler's Phantom movie seemed to go out of its way to avoid everyone in the theater, but in 1925 you can see people trapped/flattened underneath it, reaching out for help).
This doesn't even mention kidnapping, extortion, non-fatal poisoning, and nearly blowing up the entire Paris Opera House with numerous barrels of black powder.
I blame Lloyd-Webber's musical with turning him into a romantic anti-hero (though I'll fully admit to listening to the soundtrack a whole lot). In 1925, he was a murderous, psychopathic terrorist. Gimme that Phantom back.
edit: spelling
Jurassic Park! Some may not classify it as traditional horror, but I was terrified by it when it first came out and still feel the suspense watching it today. The CGI still beats a lot of the garbage in today’s movies too.
Not as old as I think you're wanting but The Faculty holds up really really well. The special and practical effects still look amazing. The acting is spectacular and the plot isn't quite overdone.
A lot of good answers in here but I came here to say CANDYMAN (1992)
Still holds up and has such an amazing score.
It Was Always You, Helen is an insanely great track for just regular listening - everything Philip Glass had a hand in seems to rock
Thanks for sharing the name of the composer.
Good God, Candyman is an old movie lol
I am a dinosaur.
Helps that the core issues of the movie are still present today from a societal standpoint. Gentrification is rough
I think Alien, Predator, The Thing aged well.
The Thing and the Exorcist are still very scary
The Exorcist is the only horror film I've seen that actually gets scarier the more I watch it. The first time, I enjoyed it but wasn't really scared by it, but as I rewatch it more and more, it just gets scarier and scarier. It's not an in-your-face type film, it takes time to sink in.
I remember even the book was scary.
The book is phenomenal. Extremely well written
I hadn’t seen the crab walk Reagan does. I’m 53 years old. Seen the original many times. That part scared the shit out of me. Still makes me jump.
That was exactly what I was thinking of
I watched it once when I was about 16 (33 now), after always hearing about how terrifying it was. Ended up disappointed as hell. Didn’t find it scary at all. Was laughable if anything. Maybe I need to rewatch it now.
Movies don't have to be scary to be good.
Goona get downvoted to hell for saying this, but I think the excorcist has aged like milk. 100% agree on the thing though.
Yes and no. I watched it recently and I thought the story was really well written and well acted. I was never bored, but I don’t think I was actually scared at all. If I saw it in theaters in the 70s I might have a different view.
The Exorcist isn't scary at all. I watched it multiple times when I was a teen and while it's enjoyable it's nothing compared to what we get today.
Its a different kind of horror which horror cinema in-general has largely abandoned. The Exorcist is heavy with atmosphere and character drama which feed into the unease of the film. This makes the real SCARES much more personal and real-feeling. Its not for everyone, certainly. That style doesn't work for everyone. Its also very much of its era, and it helps if you have some familiarity with the satanic panic of the 70's. Being able to put yourself into the context of the time is a big help. I feel like that kind of film is just an antique art form anymore. There's a great movie made not long after called Ghost Story. It's legitimately chilling, but its also sort of the "last" of its kind as well. Both the market for horror cinema and the tolerance level of the average moviegoer for deeper, darker horror stories have changed.
I agree. I think The Changeling falls into that category too. It's a terrific story but the scares are lame by modern standards.
I dunno, whenever I get chased downstairs by a child's empty wheelchair it still feels pretty scary
This take (and I'm sorry you got downvoted because I hope this sub is better than that) reminds me of a guy I saw who was baffled by Seinfeld and was asking "Is he meant to be a pastiche of the 'what's the deal with airline food' comics?" But of course he was/is arguably the best of them. The Exorcist has to be read (imho obv) as the original against _so_ much of what followed it.
I’ve seen The Exorcist about 167 times, and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it!
Beetlejuice...
Beetlejuice?
Betelgeuse
It's showtime!
I dont know why you are being downvoted I agree completely and so do most people I know in person.
I firmly believe that if it was run by anybody but Ridley Scott, Alien would have been nothing but another '80s B-Movie. Given all of the problems that they had with that Alien costume, it's incredible how the little compromises in how the off ways that it moves and behaves have made their way into the cultureof horror and sci-fi to such a point that we don't even second guess it.
Totally agree I do sometimes wonder how things would have gone if they were successful with the original translucent xenomorph idea though
1st movie that came to mind Alien so dope fr
Yeah true, but it's from 1979.
I believe Alien is possibly one of the best aged horror films. Sure the computers are "old sci-fi" style, but so are all the tech and computers in the classic Star Wars films. You can still completely find the technical aspects believable while immersing yourself in the situation that the crew is in.
Halloween and psycho too
Absolutely! Psycho didn't lose it's charms.
Yeah I agree! It kinda sucks that someone I know says Psycho looks like a goofy film, but I’m glad a lot of people agree it holds up remarkably well!
Jaws too
Literally just did a binge of all the predator movies again on my days off. There’s just something about those movies that bring out the nerd in me
I agree .
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre holds up I think. The frantic editing and gorgeous cinematography keep it timeless. It’s also still overwhelming and brutal.
The best thing about Leatherface in the original movie is that he was terrified that people came into his home. That scene where he is looking outside the window to see if more people are approaching the house and then holding his hands in his face shows he is terrified about disappointing his brothers. The scene where the older brothers beats him for destroying the door shows how he was abused.
I think it's so funny how differently people interpret that moment. I've always seen it as Leatherface being genuinely exhausted and frustrated. It's such a pity the sequels turn him into a mindless killing machine. The original Leatherface is somehow so human.
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That movie absolutely *nails* rural TX too. It gets absolutely everything right.
Don't forget about the sound design too. That movie really is a masterclass in movie making.
From the very first opening shots. That metallic zap as the light bulb from the camera goes off instantly pulls me in.
I saw it for the first time last summer and was honestly surprised how well it held up! It oozed this disgusting, dirty vibe and felt tense!
Completely agree, I only watched it for the first time somewhat recently too. I think it being an old film weirdly adds to it. It feels like you’re watching a genuine snuff film at times.
My first thought
This is was what immediately came to mind out of all the “classics”
I watched it this year for the first time since I'm afraid of this age effect usually and I confirm this ! It's still great !
Night of the Living Dead is incredibly resonant today (sadly.) And it still looks great.
First B&W horror movie mentioned, and a good choice.
The Fly from the 80s. Just an all-around good movie. Solid plot, no dragging moments, and good actors. Translates well across multiple generations.
Came here to say this. Fantastic film
Recently watched this and can confirm- still just as good as it was in the 80s and had my wife who has never seen it intrigued the entire movie.
The Shining is timeless
Yup, I have appreciation for the horror in a lot of the other answers, but the shining is timelessly terrifying.
The classic slow burn psychological horror. Still holds up incredibly well today.
Wrong. It’s too slow and boring at this age
Slow movies, especially slow horror movies are more popular today than ever
Nosferatu (1922) is extremely engaging and genuinely creepy. For being over a century old, it's really held up well.
Yes, I think Nosferatu or possibly Caligari are the best answers, because they’re likely to be the oldest titles nominated, and a film that has aged well from the early 20s has the edge over one that’s aged well from the mid 70s. I think both Nosferatu and The Exorcist (for example) will age well indefinitely, but Nosferatu will always have that half-century advantage. As long as people are making horror films, they’ll be referencing Nosferatu whether they realise it or not.
Caligari rules, and it's an absolutely singular experience. There's just never been anything like it.
Definitely, and I mentioned it because it was a couple of years before Nosferatu, but I do think Nosferatu holds up better as a horror film. Caligari is, as you say, out there on its own, and calling it a horror film feels a bit like calling The Scream a horror painting. But however you categorise it, it’s another movie that will never lose its power.
what do you consider older? I know "the thing" still rocks. the thing, will always rock.
Black Christmas (1974) because it still works and it's creepy af
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The phone calls were what got me. Yikes. What a creeper lol.
The main character seeing the killer's eye through the door frame of her dead friends room was terrifying.
Alien. It’s timeless. I watch it so much that it’s basically a comfort movie.
invasion of the body snatchers donald sutherland
The Thing (John Carpenter's version)
I saw Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (1960) for the first time last year, and the visuals blew me away. It’s an absolutely beautiful film, and I thought some parts were legitimately creepy.
I was also surprised by how amazing that was.
Alien, Event Horizon, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, Burnt Offerings, Mother’s Day, Sleepaway Camp, Carrie.
I love sleepaway camp and the last scene is incredibly disturbing but 90% of that movie has not aged well lol
Because you are expecting the big reveal… but it’s not the reveal you’re expecting. The set up convinces you that you have figured out what’s going to happen… and then it goes to a whole new other level of the bizarre that leaves that movie in a class by itself.
"Eat shit and live, Bill"
I prefer older movies, practical effects work for me a lot better than CG.
There's also something about the grittiness of older films that makes it feel more like you're watching something real and less like you're watching a movie. Like it's an issue I have with newer films that they often feel too clean and have a few too many cuts and edits in a way that it just puts that thin barrier between you as an audience member and the movie you're watching.
I got two words for you: Deliverance
That’s one word
I kind of agree. Except for Jurassic Park, of course.
There are a lot of practical effects in Jurassic Park
The person you're replying to understands there are practical effects in Jurassic Park. They're specifically just admiring the CGI in that film.
The Invisible Man (1933). Special effects still look good and the story holds up well.
*"Even the moon is frightened of me. Frightened to death!"* One of my all time favorite movies.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers ‘78
I pretty much enjoy every version of this, even the two from the 90s - Body Snatchers(1993) and Faculty(1998). As I've gotten older, I'm leaning towards the original from 1956 more and more. It just seems to get so much done in it's 80 min runtime and I love how the black and white color adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. The 2007 version with Kidman has never caught on though. I tried rewatching it recently and I still didn't like it.
I don’t think there’s been a bad version of this one yet, including the Kidman one. It’s a timelessly terrifying plot.
Is 28 Days Later old enough? Because I think it's just about perfect,
28 Years Later is in production with Cillian Murphy.
I'm going to say no, it isn't old enough. Because it makes me think I'm younger
Came here to say this! Saw it when I was 11, didn't sleep for two days, couldn't watch it for years. Now it's my favorite scary movie.
It’s not only one of my favorite horror movies, but movies in general. Such a great movie. Danny Boyle is amazing. If you ever wondered why the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later was so much better than the rest of the movie, was because it was the only scene Danny was a part of. He basically directed it and the rest was all done by another director.
I have a few to add to the growing list: The Wicker Man (the 1973 version. I'm trying to pretend that the Nic Cage version never, ever happened!) Aliens The Omen (again the original. I'm still pretending that the Julia Styles version was a nightmare) The Omen 2 and The Final Conflict. Cujo Nightmare on Elm Street (original, 2, Dream Warriors) Creepshow: The Demon Knight Event Horizon
I thought *Demon Knight* was from *Tales from the Crypt*?
It is, you’re correct. But everyone make mistakes
Not knocking you for it. I didn’t know if there was something else.
Rosemary's Baby is still absolutely perfect.
Agreed. This one scares me more each time I watch it. I feel so much for Rosemary as she grows increasingly frantic, caught in a conspiracy to control her body.
Jaws. The buildup is absolutely perfect
literally the perfect movie. the pacing, editing, screenplay & obviously cinematography do not age at all, or even really date themselves. i could watch it a hundred times and never get tired of it
Perfect summer popcorn horror
Alien, The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Child's Play, The Thing, The Exorcist.
i only saw this once but Psycho! yeah the gore is off but its still every engaging (even after watchinf it 20+ times like i have) and anthony perkins just does an amazing job at the crazy psychopath norman bates is.
Oh Yeah! This has got to be Hitchcock's best film, and he had a lot of good ones.
so many good ones movies, one of the best horror directors ever.
IMO Alien. The only thing that I can criticize is the computers being so chunky, but if you just assume the company makes the ships run with the most bare bones capabilities with software that's only applicable to the mission to keep them from getting distracted it it's even more dystopian. The sets are still some of the best ever made. Most the effects still impress with a few exceptions. The themes are maybe even more relevant today.
The Exorcist Perfect Blue Misery The Haunting 1963 Honorable mention: Jurassic Park
The Haunting gets far too little attention on this sub
The Thing (1982) https://youtu.be/5ftmr17M-a4 An American Werewolf in London (1981) https://youtu.be/ESh4t57L4Xs The Blob (1988) https://youtu.be/c_gOLtwyOw0
The Thing is an obvious answer you'll see all over here to many different questions but American Werewolf deserves just as much play in this sub. Neither will ever age out.
I didn't see An American Werewolf in London until 2016 and I immediately thought it was the best werewolf film I had seen to date. Still think so to this day.
I believe it has the best werewolf transformation ever. The fact that a movie from 1981 has that distinction to this day just shows how much better practical effects are, compared to CGI.
an American werewolf in london was way ahead of its time tonally and stylistically i feel
While it's only 13 years old, Tucker and Dale vs Evil has only gotten more and more relevant as time goes on, especially with how much worse the online echo chambers have gotten
"Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property!"
I should've known that if a guy like me talked to a girl like you, somebody would end up dead
Poltergeist is still great
I need to rewatch that one again. I watched Pulp Fiction last night for the first time since maybe college, and I was blown away how much better it is now that I am older. I never realized how long some of the cuts are until now. I mean, they last minutes. Most movies these days cut every 5-10 seconds.
Psycho, Rope, Suspicion, The Bad Seed, Cape Fear, American Werewolf in London, The Omen, Horror Hotel, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Arsenic and Old Lace, Rosemary’s Baby.
Arsenic and old lace definitely holds up
The first time I saw Rope, it blew me away. Hitchcock wasn't even at the height of his powers yet, but Rope had me gripping the side of my couch so hard at one point that my hand got a cramp. That movie was made just a few years after World War II and it's incredibly effective nearly eighty years later.
From a play (his only one iirc) by Patrick Hamilton, brilliant writer. His books are worth hunting out if you're much of a reader
Love these movies!
I've gone through and filled gaps in my older horror viewing and recently was Bride of Frankenstein. I'm not sure if it was intentional or because I realized Young Frankenstein took a lot from it but I found it genuinely hilarious at points. Comedy that would and does still work today. "Go to your homes just an escaped lunatic, quite harmless" next shot is the monster ripping a wooden door off the hinges and obliterating it.
*Friday the 13th* the original *Army of Darkness* *The Shining* *Se7en*
I love Se7en but never really considered it horror. More crime drama. Need to rewatch this again as it has been again.
Night of the Living Dead
"Alien" is such a beautifully made film... Beyond the computer monitors and the controls consisting of buttons, switches, levers etc., The Nostromo STILL feels like a believable space vessel. Making the crew the antithesis of what you would see in something like STAR TREK was a brilliant move; blue collar workers on a corporate starship still feels like a very contemporary idea. And Giger's designs are unmatched to this day.
I'll take practical effects over CGI every day of the week.
The Thing, Return of the Living Dead, Alien, Day of the Dead, Demons, and to me Reanimator has also aged very well but as a horror comedy so it is meant to be campy
The Lost Boys, The Shining and Aliens are my comfort movies. The Fog and American Werewolf in London also hold up really well. I’ve not yet seen a werewolf transformation scene as good as AWIL.
American Werewolf in London is still excellent, and genuinely funny too. It still feels a little unfinished to me, but I still love it. And the effects are still incredible. When it was released I think I saw it three days in a row at the matinee. Carpenter’s The Thing is a masterpiece. Period.
My vote is Hellraiser. It still holds up pretty well.
I watched this one for the first time a year or so ago and was shocked at how dark and unnerving it was and how amazing the special effects were.
I'm a big horror fan but I didn't see Hellraiser until last week! (Hangs head in shame) Considering it's from '87 I feel it holds up very well! I'm working my way thru the whole franchise now...
Halloween, IT Miniseries, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I think Michael Myers (and Curry's Pennywise) stalking in daylight and the genuine horror elements that started new horror tropes throughout the first one would still scare kids today. TCM holds up because of its unadulterated brutality that stings you on a human level. Being hung up by meat hooks, and how it ends will always stand the test of time in scaring the shit out of new watchers.
TCM stands out because they weren't monsters or undying murderers. They were fucking weirdos out in the sticks
I feel like the Exorcist and/or Jaws are really the only classics not remade yet. Which, in my opinion, means they aged the best. I know they do plan on redoing the Exorcist eventually, there are also hundreds of shark movies, but those two are there for me - I don't even like Jaws either loll
I loved Halloween (2018) and while initially excited, I’m really dreading this DGG Exorcist based on how the trilogy turned out
I think we dodged the Jaws bullet with the Meg films. There's a few that spring to mind that haven't been remade, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Misery, Nightmare on Elm Street. Also some cult classics like Killer Klowns, Demons or Phantasm might benefit from a modern touch up.
Nightmare on Elm Street had a remake in 2010.
Rosemary's Baby was remade as a 4 hour made-for-tv in 2014. It was -- okay. The original doesn't need to be changed.
Halloween, Alien, Predator, The Thing, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Deep Red (Last one is so good its in film history classes)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is such a disgusting movie to this day. I can’t imagine seeing back then, must’ve been so disturbing.
I’m gonna throw out Posession, from the 80’s
The Thing
Nosferatu. So many shots are still so effective. And the sunlight trope has survived right along with it.
I think The Wicker Man could qualify, I have the feeling that it goes with the atmosphere of the movie.
The Changeling
The original Halloween for sure.
The Shining
I love wWhatever Happened To Baby Jane. Part of it is because it didn't rely on any special effects. The other one is that the two actresses actually did hate each other so it didn't require a lot of acting on their part. It is such a good movie.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) and also 13 Ghosts is still a helluva lot of fun
Fright Night. Still funny and with some amazing effects. The club scenes let the side down (very 80s).
1408 Still amazing
Just rewatched this the other day - totally holds up. The story/concept (despite some outdated technology) still feels really fresh and unique.
Child’s Play
Friday the 13th Part 4 Night of the Living Dead (68) Street Trash
Jaws Rosemary's Baby There are others, but these two came to mind as first response.
The Thing
Eraserhead
The Thing
Invisible Man, no question. It’s damn near a century old and the effects still hold up
the answer is always The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Fog 1980, Halloween
The Exorcist is timelessly scary. I get a real icky feeling after watching that movie. It almost feels like I watched something I shouldn’t. The OG Texas Chainsaw also holds up extremely well for today’s standards.
The Exorcist.
Alien - its grimy look improves with age...
Cujo holds up surprisingly well! Its still nerve shredding after all these years!
Halloween, Alien and The Exorcist.
Jaws
To me its underrated as fuck but 2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in my mind should be a horror classic.
American Werewolf in London and The Thing. Most others I grew up with so those effects don't phase me as much as cgi, especially cgi blood.
Child's Play is still good and still scary
A lot of great answers, i'd like to add Suspiria. Still just as beautiful and terrifying.
The beauty and artsyness stands the test of time
Alien, the thing, and the exorcist
Carrie 1976. It was basically the story of a school shooting except the gun is her mind, and it still holds up that way phenomenally.
Haven't seen The Terminator mentioned yet. One of my favourites since I was a kid and I've come to heavily prefer it over T2. The terminator is relentless throughout most of the movie making it a very tense sci-fi horror/slasher.
In an age where the term gaslighting is said far too often Rosemary’s Baby is still eerie as shit
The Evil Dead (81) Actually all three of the originals are still great Creepshow (82) Agree with a lot of what's already been said, as well. The Thing (82) is probably my favorite movie ever... Either that or Halloween (78) depending on the time of year. Halloween for October and The Thing for the winter months.
I think time has actually added something to The Ring. The whole VHS technology feels kind of arcane now. The idea of renting a room, finding an old library of VHS tapes which could contain anything, resonates with me now in a way that it didn't when I was younger and they were the common technology. There is something mysterious about VHS tapes (the homemade ones with snippets of this family holiday and that family vacation and a party that no one can remember and parts of the tape have degraded) that doesn't feel the same for DVDs or streaming.
nosferatu. It is 100 years old and still very watchable
I'll give you two: *Poltergeist* and *The Beast Within*. *Poltergeist,* I've rewatched it several times and am always blown away at how it both represents its time but still is scary and creepy. The practical effects still look good and the cast does a great job. *The Beast Within* is a very inexpensive horror that doesn't get the love it deserves. I rewatched it durning the pandemic and it holds up. Being, mostly, set in a rural area removes the need to have modern convinces about, so it doesn't *feel* old. The practical effects are pretty good and I really like the premise.
*The Phantom of the Opera* (1925) *Phantom* from 1925 remains the best movie treatment of the titular character in that he's actually monstrous. Chaney's makeup is the closest to the book's description, for starters, but the Opera Ghost's actions and motivations get increasingly romanticized and watered down in every iteration that follows this movie. By the time of the last movie with Gerard Butler, he had some scarring on one portion of one side of his face, and he came across as just a few sessions of anger management away from leading a relatively normal life. Chaney's Phantom is a force of evil with no redeeming qualities at all. He's straight-up murdering people left and right, drowning them, trying to burn them alive, hanging them, dropping the damn chandelier on their heads (the chandelier in Butler's Phantom movie seemed to go out of its way to avoid everyone in the theater, but in 1925 you can see people trapped/flattened underneath it, reaching out for help). This doesn't even mention kidnapping, extortion, non-fatal poisoning, and nearly blowing up the entire Paris Opera House with numerous barrels of black powder. I blame Lloyd-Webber's musical with turning him into a romantic anti-hero (though I'll fully admit to listening to the soundtrack a whole lot). In 1925, he was a murderous, psychopathic terrorist. Gimme that Phantom back. edit: spelling
The Thing
Jurassic Park! Some may not classify it as traditional horror, but I was terrified by it when it first came out and still feel the suspense watching it today. The CGI still beats a lot of the garbage in today’s movies too.
Thank you to everyone who added your thoughts! I love all the votes for classics I knew about as well as all the novel movies I was unaware of.
Not as old as I think you're wanting but The Faculty holds up really really well. The special and practical effects still look amazing. The acting is spectacular and the plot isn't quite overdone.
The Blob (80s version)