OK, I’m ready. In no particular order…
1. The Haunting (original version)
2. The Innocents (1961)
….both because I love psychological horror.
3. The Thing (original)
4. Forbidden Planet
…because these are two of the best syfy horror stories ever made.
5. The Exorcist …it was groundbreaking and, unfortunately, perhaps ruined for younger audiences because it has been ripped off and satirized so much. This movie gave original viewers nightmares.
6. Rosemary’s Baby …read the book as a kid and then saw the movie. A masterpiece of filmmaking for anyone who has studied film in college and understands the genre.
7. Rear Window …only works on a big screen at the movies, imo, because the growing terror is slowly revealed in very small details. My favorite Hitchcock thriller.
8. The Shining (perhaps my favorite director of all time)
9. The Night of The Hunter
10. Get Out
And all the ones I didn’t have room for:
Eraserhead
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)…I saw on a large screen with a full symphony orchestra and could not believe how good it was.
Frankenstein (1931 uncut version) scared me for years.
Dracula (1931 with Philip Glass soundtrack)
The Host (2006)
The Birds
Psycho
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)