The 5 Best Horror Movies of All Time

4. Halloween (1978)

Psycho can be seen as the film that birthed the slasher genre, and Texas Chain Saw Massacre was an integral step in its progress, making things more visceral. But it was Halloween that truly defined this subgenre in horror, inspiring a million sequels, rip-offs, imitations and homages. Take an instantly identifiable holiday, add in a chillingly silent, unstoppable masked killer and a feisty, resourceful heroine and you have Halloween… and of course all the films that came after it.

But John Carpenter brought a sense of tension and suspense few others could match in a slasher film, as we watched Michael Myers stalk Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) from afar, before going on his inevitable killing spree.

Michael himself is an excellent villain, wearing a blank, emotionless mask that perfectly captured the black soul of someone who simply killed and killed, and seemingly couldn’t be stopped, no matter what you did to him. It’s no wonder Michael became a horror icon and that fans rebelled when he didn’t appear in Halloween III. After all, Michael Myers and Halloween — both the film and the actual holiday — are now forever intertwined.

Scene to watch with the lights on: Laurie Strode is trying to hide from Michael Myers, and crouches down inside a closet. She manages to tie the door shut, but that’s not going to stop Michael, who begins smashing the door in, causing light to shine in and for Michael’s spooky mask to come into plain view of the understandably terrified Laurie.