Before Jigsaw, Pennywise, and Ghostface, there was Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man. Yeah, horror movies and their monsters were more about creaky doors, freaky costumes, and spooky atmospheres than green-screen frights, puzzling torture porn, and high-octane mayhem.

So ahead, we’re breaking down the horror movies that stand out in the crypt of classics; those that required their filmmakers to act as mad scientists to craft eerie and visceral tales with nothing but great storytelling and a formidable fog machine.