What is the most influential horror movie of all time?

[TheReaper1545]

Going way back to where modern day ideas came from, I think that "Frankenstein" would take the gold.

[Phantom Queen]

A lot of people site the original "Night of the Living Dead" and I think I have to agree with that.

[joker jr.]

Hmm...
I'd have to say Nosferatu, since it came about 9 years before Dracula.

[TMac]

I'd have to say Night of the Living Dead.

[Red Hot]

Nosferatu since that was THE very first vampire movie!!

[Soulshaker]

For your consideration:

Although Nosferatu (1922) is older, Dracula (1931) is still the more influential movie. Compare the titles of later vampire movies -- many more with Dracula in title.

Also consider the popular conceptions of vampires in other films -- much more often the vampire is sex-ay! Much less frequent is the nosferatu-like "freakish" vampire.

[joker jr.]

True.
Nosferatu was portrayed as a rat; He was more a symbol of the plague than anything.

[Pumpboy]

Halloween. Carpenter reminded the studios of what they were forgetting.

[ProcessionofAeons]

A lot of people site the original "Night of the Living Dead" and I think I have to agree with that.

yeah there are def a lot. Idk if it's possible to site just one because as the times have changed so have social standards etc. So in response horror movies have changed and I guess if I had to pick a few as I don't think just one is acceptable I would have to say (trying to cover all aspects of horror here):

1. Dracula
2. Frankenstein
3. Hellraiser
4. Dead Alive
5. Night of the Living Dead movies (especially)

night of the living dead movies because as a lot of people know was meant as a social statement in part on how society lives so I think that's prolly one of the bigger influential ones being that it reflects society as a whole.

[Witchfinder1]

Deffo agree with Nosferatu - great Movie
For modern times I would say The Exorcist or the Texas Chainsaw
Both films rewrote the book

[Soulshaker]

True.
Nosferatu was portrayed as a rat; He was more a symbol of the plague than anything.

Very interesting, I didn't know that.

Does anybody know if Schreck or Murnau ever saw a play production of Dracula, specifically the one starring Bela Lugosi?

[Red Hot]

I also never knew that, JJ! I can now see this to be true as I vision Nosferatu's appearance in my head and he sure was not handsome at all!!

[E.F. Benson]

Well the Universal Monster movies did have monsters in the movies for many years.

"Psycho" and "Night of the Living Dead" changed horror into new directions.

"The Exorcist" pushed the envelope using demon possession in an unlikely victim.

"Halloween" started the teenage slasher flick which dominated the horror genre until not long ago.

But the single most influential horror film in my opinion? "Frankenstein".