The Horror Genre Would Not Be the Same Without These 10 Game-Changing Movies

Horror is one of cinema's most enduring genres, and crucial, game-changing movies like Psycho and Jaws have been integral to its growth.

April 13, 2025 · 1 min · 96 words · Tracey Baker

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The evolution of horror is intrinsically linked to the advancement of film itself.

From silent films to big-budget spectacles, each has grown together to frighten moviegoers in new and exciting ways.

10’Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror' (1922)

Directed by F.W.

the-exorcist-linda-blair

Custom Image by Annamaria Ward

NEXT:10 Flawed Horror Movies That Are Still Must-Watches

Count Orlock, standing in a doorway in the 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Image via Film Arts Guild

Quasimodo is chained to the ground in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Image via Universal Pictures

Norman Bates staring at the camera and smiling in Psycho.

Image via Paramount Pictures

Zombies approach in a field in Night of the Living Dead.

Image via Continental Distributing

A man standing on a shadowy street at night in The Exorcist.

Image via Warner Bros.

Leatherface running behind a truck with his chainsaw in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Image via Bryanston Distribution Company

Brody is communicating with a walkie-talkie on the beach in Jaws.

Image via Universal Pictures

Michael Myers holding a knife in Halloween.

Image via Compass International Pictures

Halloween 1978 Movie Poster

Heather, illuminated by a flashlight, cries into the camera in The Blair Witch Project.

Image via Artisan Entertainment

Chris is tied to a chair and looking terrified in director Jordan Peele’s Get Out.

Image via Universal Pictures

Movie

Jaws