Classic Horror Movies
Okay, the category is one of those inconsistent constructs. Why not call them classic monster movies? How do you define classic? What is the allowable chronological range? Are silent movies included? Well, I’m fudging all of these and just selecting what I want to, no matter that logical consistency probably goes out the window.
Let’s look at my list. Basically, it’s the Universal monster movies in their heyday along with “Nosferatu,” “Island of Lost Souls” and “House on Haunted Hill” thrown in for dubious reasons (basically because I like them). I’ve left out a dozen Universal films that could just as easily have been included and I’ve included “The Invisible Man” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” which really belong in a list of early science fiction stories. But that probably applies to the Frankenstein movies too. So, the whole thing is incredibly subjective and personal in nature.
So, I won’t belabor the point any longer and will instead chalk this up to a labor of love. As a little kid I thoroughly enjoyed these movies and hundreds more that provided a similar thrill. List your favorites in the comments. If you want my detailed reviews of most of these movies do a search on the site by title.
- NOSFERATU (1922)
- THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)
- DRACULA (1931)
- FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
- JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1931)
- THE MUMMY (1932)
- ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932)
- THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
- BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
- THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)
- THE WOLF MAN (1941)
- HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)
UPDATE
War Pig’s picks:
Black Sabbath 1963
Black Sunday 1960
Night o/t Living Dead
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde 1931
Psycho
The Birds
Phantom o/t Opera 1925
Last Man On Earth 1964
Incredible Shrinking Man
Curse o/t Demon
Island of Dr Moreau 1932
Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Tingler
M (also under film noir, crime, etc.)
I’ve not been a classic horror movie fan. I would watch them on occasion but never seek them out. The only movie of the genre that I thought especially good is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
I like that Dracula too. Gary Oldman is always fun to watch.
Black Sabbath 1963
Black Sunday 1960
Night o/t Living Dead
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde 1931
Psycho
The Birds
Phantom o/t Opera 1925
Last Man On Earth 1964
Incredible Shrinking Man
Curse o/t Demon
Island of Dr Moreau 1932
Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Tingler
M (also under film noir, crime, etc.)
Awesome lists, dudes. I was watching House on Haunted Hill (1959) last night and loved it. It was my second time seeing it, but it felt like the first. So ghostly.
That’s a creepy movie. The old blind lady must have been on roller skates in that scene where she glides through the dark.
Yeah, for reals. She just floats!
But the chief feature to note is that Nora and Mrs. Vincent Price can scream at a volume of about 200 decibels.
[…] blogger buddy photog at Orion’s Cold Fire posted last week about his favorite classic horror films, all of which are pre-1960. It’s a great list, and one of his readers, War Pig, added in […]