The U.S. Library of Congress National Film Registry preserves films that are historically, aesthetically, or culturally significant, including horror. While the horror genre often gets an upsetting lack of respect from mainstream critics and awards ceremonies, horror is just as essential an element of film's past, present, and future as any other genre. There's a reason horror has been a go-to for movies since the early days of the medium, and that's because the genre allows for almost anything to happen, and offers filmmakers a limitless well of creativity that's only constrained by money and time limitations.
One could easily argue that horror is currently experiencing one of its best periods ever, with studios like Blumhouse and Warner Bros. making enormous profits off the genre, and the streaming landscape making it easier than ever for indie filmmakers to get their work seen as well. Additionally, horror and horror-adjacent TV shows now dominate the programming landscape, with The Walking Dead, The Haunting of Hill House, Stranger Things, American Horror Story, Supernatural, Black Mirror, and Castle Rock amassing huge fanbases.
Thankfully, the National Film Registry operated by the U.S. Library of Congress hasn't forgotten to give horror its due, inducting quite a few fright flicks into its hallowed halls. Here's a complete list of horror films deemed important enough to be preserved.
- The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
- Dracula (1931)
- Frankenstein (1931)
- Freaks (1932)
- The Invisible Man (1933)
- King Kong (1933)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- Cat People (1942)
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
- The Thing from Another World (1951)
- House of Wax (1953)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- House of Usher (1960)
- Psycho (1960)
- The Birds (1963)
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- Jaws (1975)
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
- Eraserhead (1977)
- Halloween (1978)
- Alien (1979)
- The Shining (1980)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
As one might expect, the above selections are predominantly undisputed horror classics that earned rave reviews from both critics and fans. It's a bit surprising to see no horror films included from after 1991, but then again, there really hasn't been much post-1990s material added to the National Film Registry as of yet. One assumes more will be as the decades go by. What's there includes some really heavy hitters though, such as Halloween, Alien, The Exorcist, The Shining, and The Silence of the Lambs.
There's also some cult classics included in the bunch, such as midnight movie staple The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and David Lynch's insanely weird debut film Eraserhead. Horror comedies are also represented by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. That Frankstein's monster sure is hilarious. Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock gets some love via Psycho and The Birds, while classic Universal Pictures horror is heavily represented, including Dracula, Frankenstein, and Bride of Frankenstein. Up to 25 new films are chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation each year, and one wonders what will be the next horror selection.
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