With such a rich canon of performances to choose from, selecting the 10 greatest is a daunting feat.

Rightfully still celebrated almost a century later, Boris Karloff’s performance in Frankenstein is perfect.

NEXT:The 15 Best Horror Movies Without Jump Scares

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Linda Blair as a possessed Regan MacNeil in ‘The Exorcist’

Image via Warner Bros.

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Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) holding a sledgehammer in Misery.

Image via Columbia Pictures

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Tony Todd wearing a fur coat, looking at the camera in ‘Candyman’

Image via TriStar Pictures

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Frankenstein’s monster (Boris Karloff) peers through the bushes in 1931’s ‘Frankenstein.'

Image via Universal Pictures

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Jack Torrance pishign his face through a broken door in The Shining

Image via Warner Bros.

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Clarice Starling showing her FBI ID in The Silence of the Lambs

Image via Orion Pictures

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Rosemary looks over crib while holding a knife

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Kōji Yakusho holding a lighter in Cure.

Image via Shochiku-Fuji Company

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Annie screaming into the camera in ‘Hereditary’

Image via A24

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Norman Bates in Psycho looking sinister while smirking.

Image via Paramount Pictures

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