The Most Popular Scary Movie the Year You Were Born

From supernatural scenes to films based on horrifying real life events, the particular types of thrills audiences seek from a horror movie may have changed over the years — but some of these films from 50+ years ago are just as terrifying as they were on the day that they come out. It may not quite be Halloween yet, but it's never a bad time to queue up one of these spooky flicks.

With mental thrillers like Rosemary's Baby and Silence of the Lambs, and gory slasher films like Saw and Nightmare on Elm Street, we've rounded up all of the most terrifying films that define the horror genre. Take a walk down memory lane by reliving some of the most influential scary movies — unless you have a little one nearby, then we would recommend watching a milder scary movie for kids instead. Don't forget to check out our guide to the best horror movies on Netflix too!