8/20/2011

Classic Horror Movies That Started The Trends

By Adriana Noton


People have always enjoyed a good scary story, something that keeps them on the edge on their seat. Whether it be a ghost story around a fire, horror movies, or a thrilling book by the likes of Stephen King or Dean Koontz, people have always found getting scared by a story perversely satisfying.

Of course when it comes to films, the genre is wide and diverse, with horrors ranging from the wacky and silly, to gory blood feasts, to psychological thrillers and so much more.

It is almost impossible to compare horror movies, especially those on different sides of the scary spectrum. A movie like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is so different to something like A Nightmare on Elm Street, except for the fact that they will both give you goosebumps. The five movies below though are a good broad selection of classic horror that everyone who loves the genre should see.

Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who was a master of thriller and suspense, remains one of the greatest movies of all time. Made in 1960 and with a freakishly great performance by Anthony Perkins as the psychopathic Norman Bates, the movie may not be as shocking as it was back then, but it still is as nerve-wracking as ever, and Hitchcock's mastery of tension is still as strong as ever. The theme music and shower scene remain as iconic as ever.

In 1973 The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin and starring Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow and Linda Blair, hit the screens and scared the world like never before. This was the movie that caused many sleepless nights for its audience, as the scary story of a young girl, played by Blair, is possessed by a demon, and we follow the story of the priests who try to exorcise the demon out of her. It is still as disturbing today, and should not be watched alone, unless you are very brave.

The next classic in this list of horror movies was directed by Hollywood royalty. Jaws, from the one and only Steven Spielberg, remains a leader in its sub-genre. It is the movie that stopped millions of people from swimming carefree in the sea, and humming the theme music at the beach is enough to stop quite a few people from even dipping the toes in the water.

While there are many to contend with when it comes to the slasher genre of horror movies, the original Halloween, made in 1978, stands out from the rest, perhaps because it was directed by the legendary John Carpenter. Michael Myers has had his fair share of competition from the likes of Friday the Thirteenth's Jason or Elm Street's Freddie Kruger. Jamie Lee Curtis and the eerie Donald Pleasance were the stars of that first film.

Another Steven Spielberg film finishes the list, though this time he was only credited as the producer, though he did cast the movie, direct the actors and do all the storyboards. Toby Hooper was the director though of the classic ghost story, Poltergeist. Starring Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams, this 1982 classic story of a family home haunting remains one of the best ghost horror movies ever made.




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