“You’ve seen one too many movies.”
Many film fans would argue the most essential elements of a successful horror picture include things sure-handed direction, performances, frightening visuals and sound design. That said, it’s certainly worth noting that most (one could easily argue not all) of the best horror movies began with an exceptional script. A screenplay may not be the most attention-grabbing part of a memorable horror movie right off the bat (perhaps by design given how visceral the genre can be), but pull away a bit and its value becomes more apparent.
John Carpenter‘s Halloween is one of cinema’s greatest directorial feats across all genres, but it likely wouldn’t have struck the same cord to become a cultural touchstone without the input of co-writer Debra Hill, who chiefly contributed to the naturalistic dialogue of teenage girls. In the late 1970s, the idea of faceless evil lurking around innocent suburbia hadn’t been done to death. There have been many memorable horror scripts, but some stand above even the best of the rest; in some cases transcending the genre altogether. Ranked from classic to practically flawless, these are the best horror screenplays ever written.
12 ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)
Written by Roman Polanski. Based on the novel by Ira Levin.
In terms of slow burn psychological terror, few films if any can match Rosemary’s Baby—even after five and a half decades. Ira Levin‘s 1967 book about a newlywed Manhattanite with a pregnancy quite literally from hell expertly explores universal fears: loss of control, our own anatomy and biology, even the patriarchy. The movie came out a mere year later, and aside from a nip or tuck here and there, the narrative and most of the dialogue remains entirely intact.
The crisp and striking direction here is also a chaotic, panic-inducing triumph of mise-en-scène. It’s a properly judged complement to a streamlined horror tale that builds and builds, then just after its explosive emotional payoff, Rosemary’s Baby‘s ends on a quiet note that is so much more unsettling, Rosemary (Mia Farrow)’s quiet acceptance. This is a film that can be ready many ways, and that is the essence of its timelessness.
Rosemary’s Baby
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
- Release Date
- June 12, 1968
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Cast
- Mia Farrow , John Cassavetes , Ruth Gordon , Sidney Blackmer , Maurice Evans , Ralph Bellamy
- Runtime
- 137 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Ira Levin , Roman Polanski
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11 ‘Train to Busan’ (2016)
Written by Joo-Suk Park
Who couldn’t fall for a touching story of a redeemed man? South Korean heartthrob Gong Yoo really gives one of great performances of modern genre movies here, as a workaholic father who mends things with his young daughter … in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, mostly aboard a speeding train.
Train to Busan is everything casual hardcore fans of zombie movies could possibly want: thrilling and even groundbreaking set pieces, crunchy gore, and morbid humor. What sets it apart is the father-daughter story that elicits tears while making it all look easy. Train to Busan is a word-of-mouth wonder that can totally be christened a classic at this point.
10 ‘The Babadook’ (2014)
Written by Jennifer Kent
The overwhelming, invisible black cloud of grief hardly lends itself naturally to the cinematic. Based on the first-time feature writer/director’s arresting short film Monster, The Babadook stars a volcanic Essie Davis as Amelia, a grieving widow caring for problem child Samuel (Noah Wiseman) when a specter named Mister Babadook makes its presence known in their house. Now grief has a name.
Much of the film’s runtime is a two-hander, relying heavily on an empathetic parent-child dynamic. The line between what’s real and magic realism dissolves to the point that it isn’t even relevant to what Kent is delivering here, a brutal but hopeful message of resounding psychological depth. There’s a case to be made that The Babadook, equally frightening and moving, remains the best horror movie of the century.
The Babadook
- Release Date
- January 17, 2014
- Director
- Jennifer Kent
- Cast
- Essie Davis , Noah Wiseman , Hayley McElhinney , Daniel Henshall , Barbara West
- Runtime
- 94
- Main Genre
- Horror
9 ‘Carrie’ (1976)
Written by Lawrence D. Cohen. Based on the novel by Stephen King.
It’d be hard to argue anything but The Shining as the most iconic, widely acclaimed film based on a novel by Stephen King (even though the author famously hated it), but Brian De Palma‘s genuinely timeless Carrie edges it out here, as it’s an exemplary adaptation.
Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen completely alters the perspective (in the book we hear of Carrie White’s bullying and telekinetic vengeance through a series of letters and news stories) while playing up the emotions (Carrie is all at once freaky, hilarious and tender) thanks to Oscar-nominated turns from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Future adaptations, like the well-acted but stylistically hilarious NBC take from 2002, or Kimberly Peirce‘s misguided and unpleasant 2013 spin (which mostly re-used this script but fumbled everywhere else), have gotten some mileage out of the raw power of the source material. The original will never be beaten, or even rivaled.
Carrie
Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Cast
- Sissy Spacek , Piper Laurie
- Runtime
- 100
- Writers
- Stephen King
8 ‘Psycho’ (1960)
Written by Joseph Stefano. Based on the novel by Robert Bloch.
The godfather of popular slashers and an epochal filmgoing event, Psycho arguably represents the zenith of Alfred Hitchcock‘s technical mastery. Never one to play it safe despite being very popular throughout his career, “Hitch” changed course in a major way here; previous picture North by Northwest is a thriller you could take grandma and the kids to, and Psycho proved so shocking it would go on to receive a retroactive R rating under a new system.
That said, the book is way more graphic than the movie; the most infamous change (though hardly the most substantial) being the removal of Mary Crane’s head (Marion in the film). Screenwriter Joseph Stefano toned down the violence here, but that just fed into the Master of Suspense’s creativity: Janet Leigh‘s “shower scene” became the single most studied moment in genre history, even inspiring a feature length documentary.
Psycho
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
- Release Date
- June 22, 1960
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast
- Anthony Perkins , Vera Miles , John Gavin , Martin Balsam , John McIntire , Simon Oakland
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Joseph Stefano , Robert Bloch
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
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7 ‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Written by Ari Aster
When Ari Aster‘s debut feature stormed the festival circuit, there was seemingly egregious early buzz comparing the film to The Exorcist. Here’s the thing: Aster delivers on those comparisons; Hereditary is at once the most traumatizing and lauded horror picture of a generation.
Where The Babadook told a surprisingly touching story of a family persevering through grief and getting better, Hereditary doesn’t hesitate to remind viewers that sometimes that just doesn’t happen. The heady, heavy Hereditary also questions free will. It makes sense for a thriller practically arguing on behalf of predestination is as impeccably devised and crafted as one of matriarchal Annie (Toni Collette)’s eerily lifelike dioramas. It still somehow feels spontaneous and even realistic thanks to uniformly perfect performances.
Hereditary
When her mentally ill mother passes away, Annie, her husband, son, and daughter all mourn her loss. The family turn to different means to handle their grief, including Annie and her daughter both flirting with the supernatural. They each begin to have disturbing, otherworldly experiences linked to the sinister secrets and emotional trauma that have been passed through the generations of their family.
6 ‘Get Out’ (2017)
Written by Jordan Peele
The road to Oscar glory for Jordan Peele‘s now-iconic feature about a Black man meeting his partner’s mysterious, white yuppie family was a rocky one, with accounts of the film being outright rejected by many Academy voters early in the 2017 season. Nothing could keep the truly original, creepy and darkly hilarious picture down, though. It was nominated for Best Picture, and Peele won the first ever Best Original Screenplay Oscar in the horror genre.
There are so many mixed things to be said about the original, darker ending of Get Out: It’s chilling, rings of reality—and, damn, what a downer. Peele’s genius is in delivering social commentary on the razor’s edge while never prioritizing it over good old-fashioned entertainment audiences pay for. So of course this movie made about 60 times its budget at the box office.
Get Out
- Release Date
- February 24, 2017
- Director
- Jordan Peele
- Cast
- Daniel Kaluuya , Allison Williams , Catherine Keener , Bradley Whitford , Caleb Landry Jones , Marcus Henderson
- Runtime
- 103 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Jordan Peele
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Tagline
- Just because your invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome.
5 ‘Jaws’ (1975)
Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley.
If there’s a pattern on this list, it’s movies that were released within months of novel they were based on; sometimes a figurative exclamation mark appears over the Hollywood skyline when a story is just that good and cinematic, often leading to a bidding war. Co-adapting his bestseller about a killer great white off the coast of New England, Peter Benchley famously hated an adjustment to the ending that was made above him, a scientifically implausible but spectacularly satisfying shark combustion. A quieter ending works great in the book; director Steven Spielberg was right not to budge on the more cinematic finale on film.
There’s nothing in all the (admittedly, stunning and timeless) theatrics of Jaws that can match one of the most notorious monologues in film history, Quint’s (Robert Shaw) scarring account of the USS Indianapolis. Artistically, it’s the most impressive scene in a movie brimming with iconography.
Jaws (1975)
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it’s up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
- Release Date
- June 20, 1975
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb , Jeffrey Kramer
- Runtime
- 124 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Thriller
- Writers
- Peter Benchley , Carl Gottlieb
- Production Company
- Zanuck/Brown Company, Universal Pictures
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4 ‘Alien’ (1979)
Written by Dan O’Bannon
You could nitpick the painting and light show (in lieu of pyrotechnics or even models) of the exploding Nostromo at the very end, but that’s about the only thing that’s aged in Ridley Scott‘s masterpiece about an extraterrestrial stowaway picking off space truckers. Check Alien out in its 4K restoration, and it’s essentially a modern thriller, not to mention arguably the most confidently composed movie ever made in the horror genre. It all started with an exquisitely understated script.
The greatest strength of this script is how much it knocks us around. We don’t even know who the main character of Alien is until the final act, when cool-headed, resilient Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) remains the only survivor. It’s the performance that launched Weaver’s career; James Cameron‘s masterful 1986 sequel made Ripley a screen hero for all time.
Alien (1979)
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
- Release Date
- June 22, 1979
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Cast
- Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
3 ‘Scream’ (1996)
Written by Kevin Williamson
Hardcore cinephiles and even casual fans can tell you there are two eras for horror movies and horror scripts: before Scream and after Scream. The great innovation here? It’s a horror movie where the characters have all seen horror movies. Most of the characters think they’re one step ahead of Ghostface’s inaugural string of slashings, which makes it all the more frightening and tense when they in fact are not.
Scream is about one-fourth satire and three-fourths red-blooded horror film. It remains diabolically effective as both. Williamson beautifully frames most of the narrative around ultimate final girl Neve Campbell‘s rise to badass (it’s still a thrill to watch her turn the tables in act three), but the pièce de résistance in the scribe’s career (and director Wes Craven‘s) remains the opening 12 minutes, where Drew Barrymore‘s Casey Becker has a casual phone chat with a stranger about horror movies—only to discover she’s about to be a horror movie. It’s still chilling and tense as all hell, even after decades of references and spoofs.
Scream
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
2 ‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Written by William Petter Blatty. Based on his novel.
Before jumping in, it’s important to note that the late, incomparable William Friedkin had final cut over the greatest horror film ever made. Despite handpicking the director, author William Peter Blatty disagreed with him on many fronts throughout production. Friedkin’s original 122-minute cut of the supernatural thriller is one of few movies out there that is undeniably, irrefutably perfect.
Evil loses by a thread in The Exorcist, only undone by selflessness as Father Karras (Jason Miller) intercepts the demon possessing young Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), then hurls himself down the Georgetown Steps. Blatty’s foremost sticking point with Friedkin was in the film’s final moments; the writer’s original, drawn out happy epilogue was later restored in a 2000 recut (Roger Ebert called the revision “catastrophic”). Friedkin’s filmmaking instincts were without peer; he knew the movie’s original, swift and subdued conclusion was just enough to bring us back into the light. Despite the arguments behind the scenes, Blatty’s own ingenuity remains intact here: the plot exhausts scientific explanation before the supernatural becomes incontrivertible.
The Exorcist
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
- Release Date
- December 26, 1973
- Director
- William Friedkin
- Cast
- Ellen Burstyn , Max Von Sydow , Linda Blair , Lee J. Cobb
- Runtime
- 122 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Production Company
- Hoya Productions
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1 ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Written by Ted Tally. Based on the book by Thomas Harris.
Like Jaws, Thomas Harris‘ 1988 psychological horror/crime procedural hybrid caught the attention of Hollywood right out of the gate. The page-turner, about an FBI cadet (Jodie Foster) seeking the help of an incarcerated, erudite cannibal (Anthony Hopkins) to save a senator’s daughter from a killer’s clutches, is adapted with remarkable fidelity.
There is exactly one major change to the book—a series of small changes rather—and that’s in Clarice Starling’s backstory. Screenwriter Tally streamlines and adjusts it to make the steadfast underdog even more sympathetic. It’s simple things like details surrounding her father’s death (she’s orphaned only in the movie) that complement Foster’s most lauded performance. Much of the power and mystique of The Silence of the Lambs is evocative of the classic hero’s journey and even myth, only the hero here is a young trainee whose male peers tower over her in an elevator. Crucially, Clarice isn’t perfect. Early on, she goes along with supervisor Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn)’s low-key scheming before relying on her own morality and intelligence (it’s heavily implied in the book and the movie that a man wouldn’t have the instincts to follow this trail). There’s never been a more compelling hero in movies.
The Silence of the Lambs
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
- Run Time
- 1 hr 58 min
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Release Date
- February 14, 1991
This article was originally published on collider.com