18 Scariest Horror Movies of the Past 50 Years, Scary Horror Movie Mom... Movies for Grownups
The Scariest Movies of the Past 50 Years
18 films that made us scream — and gave us nightmares
The Haunting
1963: Paranormal experts (pictured from left: Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn, Julie Harris, Richard Johnson) investigate — and stay in — the ultimate haunted house. The Changeling
1980: A grief-stricken composer (George C. Scott) retreats to an old country estate to be alone — only to learn he’s anything but. The Shining
1980: A timid wife (Shelley Duvall), a psychic son (Danny Lloyd, from behind) and a father (Jack Nicholson) who is slowly going mad — all locked away in a remote hotel during winter … What could go wrong? The Exorcist
1973: A priest battles an unrelenting demon for the soul of a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair, pictured) in a Catholic-sanctioned exorcism. Jaws
1975: The classic man-versus-nature drama, complemented by the most tension-filled movie score ever. The Amityville Horror
1979: In an allegedly true story, a family (that’s Margot Kidder as the mom) moves into a nice suburban house and discovers that the previous family hasn’t left … exactly. Rosemary s Baby
1968: A pregnant woman (Mia Farrow) slowly descends into a nightmare as she wonders about the true origins of her baby. Poltergeist
1982: “They’re here!” What a 5-year-old (played by Heather O’Rourke) sees that others can’t is what will keep you up at night. The Thing
1982: Science fiction horror set in Antarctica, where an extraterrestrial “thing” becomes exact replicas of the researchers working there. Paranoia ensues. (Pictured: Kurt Russell, transformed by The Thing.)
Carrie
1976: Stephen King’s first published novel became the film that forever gave prom queens a bad name. Here, Sissy Spacek's Carrie with her prom date, played by William Katt. The Silence of the Lambs
1991: Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance as the psychiatrist turned cannibal Hannibal Lecter. Fava beans, liver and a nice chianti, anyone? Deliverance
1972: Four city slickers (Ned Beatty, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and, pictured, Jon Voight) canoe down a Georgia river and run into seriously disturbed backcountry locals. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978: Aliens are replacing the human population of a small town with body doubles, minus thoughts, emotions and personality — and only one man knows the truth. Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams (shown) star in this remake of the 1956 original. Alien
1979: A very mean extraterrestrial (that’s it at left) sneaks aboard a spaceship and invades more than just the crew quarters. The creature’s kind continues to battle star Sigourney Weaver in three sequels. The Blair Witch Project
1999: Three film students venture into Maryland woods to hunt down the legend of a child-killing witch, only to become the ones hunted. Halloween
1978: A killer (named Michael Myers) escapes from a psychiatric hospital and stalks his targets, while chilling piano notes play over and over. The Ring
2002: Watching eerie images on a videotape means death in seven days. The Gore Verbinski-directed terrifier is a remake of the Japanese thriller Ringu. Crimson Peak
2015: The higher the collars, the deeper the gore: Visionary director Guillermo del Toro delivers a chilling gothic romance about a Gilded Age American heiress (and ghost-story writer) named Edith Cushing. After her creepy new British sister-in-law warns her, “Never go below this level!” of their haunted manse, guess what she does next? More Entertainment Slideshows
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