5. The Exorcist (1973)
When The Exorcist hit theaters in 1973, audiences lost their damn minds. Immediately, reports roared from the nightly news. Folks in the crowds were fainting, vomiting, having heart attacks, and miscarriages. William Friedkin‘s adaptation of William Peter Blatty‘s bestselling novel carried a dangerous energy. Maybe the film itself was cursed. Both Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn suffered serious injuries while filming. The set even burned down at one point. God, the devil, or both were against the film! Or, more likely, Friedkin merely created a freaking scary movie and did so through a viciously earnest point of view. Friedkin wasn’t making a spook show. He made a drama about a family torn apart by unexplainable forces. At no point did he treat the characters or the plot as horror fixtures. What you see on screen are people and nothing more. The threat that besieges them is equally real, and the 1973 audience was ready and willing to believe. (Brad Gullickson)
4. The Mummy (1999)
They don’t make movies like The Mummy anymore, by which I mean fun, scary blockbusters that are designed to make every young viewer crush on both the male and female leads. The Mummy may be most mentioned as a formative bisexual awakening now, but upon its release in 1999, it was primarily known as a cash cow. The largely family-friendly action-horror pic followed in the footsteps of the Indiana Jones films, telling the crowd-pleasing story of an adventurer (Brendan Fraser), his librarian love interest (Rachel Weisz), and her brother (John Hannah) as they accidentally stumble upon an ancient Egyptian curse. The heroes resurrect a mummy, but they also resurrected the box office, bringing in about $416 million. (Valerie Ettenhofer)
3. Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins is one of the all-time great achievements in the history of horror. A Christmas-themed horror comedy released in June by the director of Piranha and starring American singer-songwriter Hoyt Axton?! Sure, horror nerds might dig it, but the general public? No way! As it turns out, that little ball of fluff known as Gizmo (along with Phoebe Cates) was just too darn adorable! While Zach Galligan failed to follow three simple rules, unleashing mayhem onto the small town of Kingston Falls, movie-goers flocked to see Gremlins making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1984. The film’s legacy has only continued to grow over the years, with Gizmo and his rowdy pals earning a sequel, an upcoming animated series, and countless appearances in ads, video games, and other WB properties. (Chris Coffel)
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
What’s the ideal formula for an award-winning blockbuster? Cannibals + skin suits + Valentine’s day weekend, apparently. Clearly, to call The Silence of the Lambs an anomaly is an understatement. At the same time, it’s also not surprising that this film found the success it did. Adapted from Thomas Harris’ remarkable thriller, Jonathan Demme’s film is masterfully crafted with riveting cinematic techniques and career-defining performances from the whole cast. Anchored by Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, the film delves into the dark heart of an FBI investigation into a series of murdered women. Naturally, the film is grisly and harrowing, but there’s something devilishly thrilling about it that makes it worth returning to over and over again. With a box office return of over $250 million, audiences clearly agreed. (Anna Swanson)
1. Jaws (1975)
It’s ironic that the best horror blockbuster of all time is a movie about killer sharks, given that most of the killer shark movies since Jaws have been either a critical or commercial flop. But that’s because none of them have what this endlessly thrilling crowd-pleaser has, starting with a fresh-faced young Steven Spielberg at the helm. Jaws took over theaters in the summer of 1975, making roughly $476 million at the box office, including re-releases. Unlike so many lucrative movies that seem to have dipped out of the public consciousness soon after leaving theaters, Jaws stays in the memories of the people who saw it that summer, too. Talk to any group of people who were of moviegoing age that year, and you’ll find someone who was scared to swim in the bathtub after witnessing the cinematic glory of Spielberg’s great white monster. (Valerie Ettenhofer)
Go big or go home, and once you’re home, maybe hop online and keep reading more of our 31 Days of Horror Lists!
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