The Exorcist (1973)

William Friedkin's adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel grossed $441 million worldwide on a $12 million budget and became the first horror film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film's documentary-style conviction — Friedkin reportedly fired blanks on set to provoke genuine shock from actors — created a visceral authenticity that sent audiences into documented episodes of fainting and panic. Fifty years on, it remains the benchmark against which every supernatural horror film is measured.