The best horror movies

Saw is a 2004 American horror film, directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars  Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell as two men who find themselves chained in a dilapidated subterranean bathroom, with one being ordered to kill the other or his family will die. It is the first installment of the seven-part Saw  franchise.

Psycho is a 1960 American psychological thriller-horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay is by Joseph Stefano, based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch loosely inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein.

The Exorcist is a 1971 novel by American writer William Peter Blatty. The book details the demonic possession of twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the Jesuit psychiatrist priest who attempts to exorcise the demon. Published by Harper & Row, the novel was the basis of a highly successful film adaption released two years later, whose screenplay was also written by Blatty.

The Shining is a 1980 British-American psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers. The film is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name, although the film and novel differ in significant ways.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise consisting of seven slasher films, comics, and a video game adaptation of the original film. The franchise focuses on Leatherface, who terrorizes unsuspecting visitors to its territory, and typically kills and cannibalizes them. The original film was released in 1974, and was written and directed by Tobe Hooper, with additional writing credit going to Kim Henkel. Hooper and Henkel were involved in only three of the later films. The film series has grossed over $235 million at the worldwide box office, and ranks eighth in the United States box office in adjusted 2013 dollars when compared to other American horror series.