The Thing Is Added to the National Film Registry! What Horror Film Will Be Next?
John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) has been added to the United States National Film Registry at the Library of Congress. The registry is a collection of films that have been preserved for posterity for possessing cultural, historic or aesthetic importance.
Inclusion isn’t based on perceived quality (although The Thing is certainly an excellent film), but on a film’s influence and staying power. The Thing joins Halloween (1978) as Carpenter films that are preserved in the registry. The original Michael Myers installment was added back in 2006.
Why is this is a big deal? Well, few horror movies, especially flicks released in the past half century, have been added. Many of the registry’s horror films are old classics like Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and Freaks (1931).
Legendary ’70s movies like The Exorcist (1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Carrie (1977) are also included. The most recently released genre film to gain entrance is The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
The registry adds 25 films each year. Before The Thing, the last horror movie to gain inclusion was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2024. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is another recent notable addition. It was added in 2021.
What’s Next?
What horror movie will be the next added? Scream is a strong contender. I don’t think anyone could argue against its historical or cultural significance. It’s my pick for the clear frontrunner. Here are a few other plausible contenders:
Dawn of the Dead (1978) – Night of the Living Dead (1968) is already in, and I’m surprised Dawn isn’t too. George Romero deserves to have both movies included.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – Its historical and cultural influence over the past 25 years is unquestionable.
Child’s Play (1988) – Why not? Everybody knows who Chucky is. He’s as famous as Freddy and Jason.
The Sixth Sense (1999) – This would seem like an obvious contender, but has Shyamalan’s reputation fallen too far?
Poltergeist (1982) – Really surprised this isn’t in there, although admittedly this franchise’s best days are long behind it. Is being an iconic part of ’80s pop culture enough “cultural significance” for inclusion?
Candyman (1992) – let’s get a Tony Todd horror flick in!
Longer Shots:
Carnival of Souls (1962) – A haunting underrated classic that has influenced countless works, including parts of my novel, Ghost Town.
The Bad Seed (1956) – This taboo breaking film was plenty influential to many of the horror movies that followed.
Return of the Living Dead (1985) – This gleefully demented zombie flick, loosely connected to the Romero franchise, is probably never getting in, but I’d love to see it. Its unique take on zombies has influenced many.
Friday the 13th (any of them) – this is probably the longest of long shots, but it would be fun to get one of these movies in the registry. Unlike Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street, the original Friday the 13th does not have an exalted status compared to the rest of its series.
Jason Voorhees is certainly culturally significant, but I think it would be a puzzle to figure out which of his movies to include. Maybe part 4? That’s my personal favorite. Sure, most mainstream film critics think that the Friday films are “bad”, but, remember, quality isn’t part of the criteria used for the registry.
