Famous Film Monsters
This Japanese mega-lizard monster was first brought to the screen in a namesake 1954 film and has since found its way into Hollywood, even winning the franchise's first Oscar for last year's entry to the series.
Godzilla
This 2018 horror movie was directed by and stars John Krasinski as the patriarch of a family who has to survive in a world overtaken by blind alien creatures by staying silent.
A Quiet Place
This classic 1960 psychological horror directed by Alfred Hitchcock shows the murderous encounter between a young woman fleeing the authorities and a timid hotel owner at the infamous Bates Motel.
Psycho
A common trick used by horror directors to provide an unexpected burst of fright to the audience, usually accompanied by a quick cut or loud noise.
Jumpscare
Adapted from the 1818 novel of the same name, this patched-together creature has appeared in many different forms, from The Nightmare Before Christmas to Poor Things.
Frankenstein
Black Swan
This cult classic satire follows the homicidal antics of an insecure investment banker in 1980s New York City as he balances his high-class social life with his part-time status as a serial killer.
American Psycho
Common in religious/supernatural horror movies, this trope involves a malevolent spirit taking host inside an unsuspecting victim, controlling their thoughts and actions.
Possession
This extraterrestrial predator is a fierce, primal creature that reproduces by planting a larva in a victim's stomach. It made its debut in an aptly-named 1979 classic, and has since spawned a 9-film franchise.
Xenomorph
A deadly zombie epidemic infects the titular vehicle, leading an overworked father to protect his estranged daughter in this 2016 South Korean thriller.
Train to Busan
Considered one of the defining pioneers of the slasher genre, this 1974 gory independent horror movie follows a group of friends who are targeted by a family of bloodthirsty cannibals.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
This commonly used trope is common in slashers and horror movies, in which a group of characters decides to break into smaller divisions to find clues or evade danger (it never ends well).
Splitting Up
Based on Bram Stoker's classic bloodthirsty Romanian, this monster made his debut in a revolutionary silent horror movie by German director F. W. Murnau.
Nosferatu
Set in 1918, this psychological horror follows a young woman who falls into murderous insanity while confined to her isolated Texas farmhouse.
Pearl
This 1988 slasher cult classic was directed by Tom Holland (no, not that one) and follows the murderous tendencies of a possessed children's doll.
Child's Play
This trope, which limits modern-day characters' ability to communicate with the outside world or call for help, is frequently used in horror movies that take place in a single location to ensure they can't leave.
No Phone Reception
This green, horned, one-eyed beast makes up one of a frightening duo in an iconic 2001 film and is played by Billy Crystal.
Mike Wazowski
Written by Alex Garland, this post-apocalyptic horror follows a man who awakens from a weeks-long coma to discover the world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse.
28 Days Later
This 1977 absurdist Japanese horror comedy follows a schoolgirl and her friends as they travel to her aunt's house and encounter a bizarre display of supernatural activities, picking them off one by one.
House
Present in classics like Friday the 13th and Halloween, this trope names a female character who remains the only survivor by the end of a horror movie.
Final Girl