This is partially inspired by @UsedJavelin's thread about Seven Samurai.
I watched a lot of the Western "film canon" when I was younger, and lately I've just been craving some good "artistic" movie content. But I don't trust the :reddit-logo: crowd nor the letterboxd nerds for serious recommendations, so I turn the question to my comrades
Night Of The Hunter (1955) is one of my favourite movies ever. A pitch black piece of Americana, a cautionary tale about the power of religion, and a genuinely unsettling proto-modern horror movie in lots of ways. It's absolutely beautifully shot in a German Expressionist via Noir mix and created more sinister tropes than most people would ever know. So many moments are etched in my brain forever.
Critics actually mostly panned it at the time, mostly due to moral concerns over religion, but since then it's become considered a classic.