Thee Movie Girl

As an avid horror fan, many friends of mine have asked for recommendations on horror movies they should watch to get into the genre. While I know that many who get into the genre want to jump in with the scariest film they can find, I think that starting with a good foundation may help when trying to understand certain tropes and diversions from the tropes. I find that having this understanding often makes recent horror movies more fun as you understand the inspiration and references. Plus, starting with the scariest movies possible may have an adverse effect; it could be like trying to get into spicy food by jumping straight to level 10. 

I curated this list with these two needs in mind: pop culture significance and scariness levels. There are definitely some movies omitted that could either be too scary or are honestly too new to reference much in other films that are not within the franchise. If you want some movies that are a little spicier, check out these scarier finds here. If you want some more modern, post-2000 horror picks, you can find those here.

Now, let’s get into the Horror 101 assignment. 

Just a note: if you choose to use the links to rent one of the movies on the list, I do get a small Amazon commission.

Halloween (1978)

Even though it was technically made in the 70s, it is thought to be one of the iconic slashers of the 80s. While it is not the slasher that started it all, it is considered the movie that set precedent for the slashers to come: everything from the final girl running from the big-bad to the famous trope of the killer coming back (at least) one more time at the end of the movie for a final kill.

If interested, you can rent Halloween here.

Friday the 13th (1980)

The second of the Big 3 slashers, Friday the 13th, is most known for the machete-wielding Jason, but (spoiler alert) Jason does not actually appear until the sequel. Rather than the suburbs, Friday the 13th takes place at a summer camp with a dark backstory that leads to a killer stalking the counselors

Friday the 13th has all the sex and gore of Halloween but is refreshed with the new setting and the more creative kills as there is not just one weapon used. It also diverts from Halloween with its mystery element since the identity of the antagonist is not revealed until the final showdown of the movie. Throughout the first viewing, there are red herrings and guesses on who the killer is. 

It doesn’t completely divert from its predecessor; Friday the 13th still has the final girl facing the big-bad and the killer that comes back one more time.

If interested, you can rent Friday the 13th here.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare On Elm Street is the third of the Big 3 slashers, but this one does venture a bit more into the explicitly supernatural realm since the killer attacks in dreams rather than real-life. While Halloween and Friday the 13th do become more supernatural later on, both of the movies start with killers that are flesh and blood, meaning they can (not easily, but possibly) be killed through real-world means. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street still follows the formula of the final girl and the “unexpected” come back, but the deaths are bigger and bloodier and it has more of a “meaningful” theme: we can never truly escape our own mind or the thoughts in our head. The new settings, new weapons, and new concept adds something unique to the genre.

If interested, you can rent A Nightmare On Elm Street here.

Child’s Play (1988)

Yes, I know, another slasher, but the 80s loved their slasher movies. If you have ever seen a bright red-haired doll named Chucky, this is the movie he originated from. He just didn’t get his iconic scars until Jennifer Tilly sews him back together in The Bride of Chucky. In this movie, when Charles Lee Ray is almost caught by authorities, he attempts to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll that ends up being given to a young boy named Andy.

Child’s Play uses similar camera work as Friday the 13th; the antagonist is not seen until the end of the movie. However, in this case, the audience is made to question if the killer is really the doll or possibly a disturbed child. Just like in Friday the 13th, the true antagonist is not revealed until the end of the movie (see how all of the references and foundational work build on each other?).

If interested, you can rent Child’s Play here.

Scream (1996)

Okay, last slasher movie (for this list), I promise. While Scream is one of the newer movies on the list, it is most known for reviving the slasher genre after the market was quite saturated with not-so-great-slashers in the 80sTrust me, there are many more 80s slashers than just the ones on the list. 

This one follows Sydney reliving her worst memories when a spree of killings starts one year after her own mother’s murders. She has to fight to survive while her friends and peers die around her. Sydney herself was a breath of fresh air as she is smarter and more resourceful 

This movie has a great mystery element as to who the culprit is but comes with a lot of twists and misdirects that will leave you scratching your head upon first viewing. However, on the second viewing, you will notice all the little clues. It is not a movie that only focuses on the gore and kills, though. It is a slasher, but it is also quite humorous and known for poking fun at its predecessors, making it a fun experience for both the new-comer and the horror fan. 

It may sound odd, but many consider Scream as their comfort movie. The kills are good but most keep coming back for its character development and the stakes that are not even related to the masked man stocking the town such as the reporter trying to make a name for herself or Sydney trying to work out the complex relationship she has with partner intimacy.

If interested, you can rent Scream here.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Okay, now that we have gotten the slasher movies out of the way, we can move on to the paranormal category. The Blair Witch Project centers around three students that set out to make a documentary about the Blair Witch and get lost while visiting the rural sites.

The Blair Witch Project is not only a paranormal film but also the film that popularized the found-footage genre. The movie was considered to be quite realistic and many were not sure if it was real because of its marketing. This was one of the first movies to use the internet and build out a larger lore outside of the movie in order to suck people in. The website created for the film gave a fleshed out history of the witch and the town the movie is set in. It also posted one of the main character’s diary entries that detailed her thoughts during the experience. In addition to the realism of the film and the website bonus content, a true-crime-esc mockumentary was also released, fueling the fire. 

It truly is an early testament to the power of the internet and how a large budget isn’t always needed to make a successful film as it only had a budget of $60 thousand.

If interested, you can rent The Blair Witch Project here.

Poltergeist (1982)

Another classic is Poltergeist, a well known paranormal pick that centers around a little girl and the rest of her family facing the wrath of spirits that haunt their new house. I will let you watch the movie to learn  for yourself why the spirits are so angry. 

Not only does Poltergeist tell a story regarding a family bonded together through the shared trauma of the supernatural home invasion, it also demonstrates some effects that were before its time. This movie does predate most CGI, so a lot of the spirits are actually drawn onto the film rather than added with a computer. In addition, even though it is a paranormal movie, it does still have some great practical effects and even a little gore. If you want to get into the horror genre, this movie also has some very quotable lines.

If interested, you can rent Poltergeist here.

Carrie (1976)

If you didn’t already know, the horror genre has many subgenres and subgenres within those subgenres. Carrie does represent one sub-genre, science fiction, with the main character having telekinetic powers. It also belongs to the Steph King sub-genre. Yes, I know that Stephen King is a novelist, but with the amount of his books that have been (and still are being) converted into movies, it really is its own sub-genre. 

Carrie, as mentioned above, is a girl with telekinetic powers with an extremely-religious mother and (true to Stephen King form) extremely mean bullies. When the bullying gets too much, Carrie snaps. 

There are many versions of Carrie, but I would recommend watching the 1976 version first. I think there is something so distinctly disturbing about Sissy Spacek’s and Piper Laurie’s performance.

If interested, you can rent Carrie here.

The Thing (1982)

Another great sci-fi horror pick is The Thing with the 1982 version being the best. This is an alien invasion movie; a crew of scientists in Antarctica face an other-worldly being that is trying to pick them off one by one.

If you have an issue with horror movie characters lacking depth and realness (as they sometimes do), The Thing will provide the character development that may be desired. The characters in The Thing are intelligent people that try to problem solve through the issues. However, it also shows that the characters, no matter how intelligent, are still human and can act based on fear rather than logic. It is a great way to show how fear can affect a group and make them turn against each other.

In addition to the character development, The Thing has great practical effects. Most of the gore lacks CGI and was done with various prosthetics, melted plastics, and so on. Even though it was made in the 80s, the effects do still stand the test of time.

If interested, you can rent The Thing here.

Jaws (1975)

Another great monster movie that has lots of pop-culture significance is Jaws. Taking place during the summer in a popular tourist town, the chief works to keep the town safe after shark attacks despite push back from the town council. 

It is another movie with great character development as the main character does his best to keep the town safe from what lurks in the water despite the council’s desire to not cause a fuss to keep tourism alive.. The town council displays the greed that can live in humans as they would choose to prioritize attracting visitors over safety. 

This movie is also directed by Steven Spielberg, so you know there will be an exclusion or two.If interested, you can rent Jaws here.

Lost Boys (1987)

Last but not least, we have The Lost Boys; a movie that is vampire-filled and very 80s (like veryyy 80s). After Lucy divorces her husband, she moves herself and her two sons to an unknowingly vampire-infested town in California. It is a movie that centers on the bond between these brothers. 

It is a vampire film that represents almost a transition period for the vampire sub-genre. The vampires are sexier than the vampire in Nosferatu (1922) but not as moody as the vampires in Interview With a Vampire (at least the books as the movie had not come out yet) even though some of the inspiration for The Lost Boys derives from Anne Rice books. The vampires are a truer mix between beast and human as they are beautiful but ferocious. 

It is an interesting movie that has great effects makeup and a soundtrack that many love. It is almost a dark Peter Pan (hence the name) and the humanity one may lose when gaining the ability to live forever. 

If interested, you can rent The Lost Boys here.