Although modern horror movies are usually mentioned when the discussion of the most terrifying films opens up, it's the old horror films that have stood the test of time that evoke the greatest fear.

History is rarely kind to the horror genre. For every work that manages to worm its way into the cultural unconscious — for every “Alien,” “Exorcist” or “Shining,” say — there is a heap of films and ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Simon is a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers film and TV. "This is all still very surreal. None of this is sinking in," ...