Time for a list! These are a few horror films I think you should check out. Horror is one of the most difficult genres to do well. I’ll admit that most newer horror films I think are pretty terrible. It’s more than just making someone jump in their seat with well timed music or a gory image. You want to be truly frightened but still have a thought provoking experience. These are some that I think can do just that.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a silent German film from 1920 directed by Robert Wiene. It’s one of the earliest horror films and might be my favorite. And not just my favorite horror film but perhaps one of the best films ever made period. The use of the German Expressionist art aesthetic is really off putting and visualizes the feeling of insanity. Put any prejudices you have against silent and black and white films aside. If you enjoy horror films at all you owe it to yourself to see where it all started. Speaking of horror origin’s it would also be good to seek out 1921’s Destiny from the incomparable Fritz Lang. It was not as well received at first but is a film that Alfred Hitchcock enjoyed so much it persuaded him to make movies in that genre. So if it was good enough for the king of scary stuff then it’s good enough for me.
There is also a really interesting book about early film theory in Germany from 1947 by Siegfried Kracauer called From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of German Film that explores the link between this sort of escapist cinema in the early Weimar Republic after WWI to the propaganda films of Hitler’s regime. Worth reading, especially considering my next entry.
Yep. Another German film from the 1920s. I’m sure most of you are sick of the current state of Vampire movies and TV shows. Well then go back to a time before it was all sullied with sparkling in the sunlight and bad southern accents. Nosferatu is from 1922 and directed by cinema giant F.W. Murnau. It’s actually an unauthorized version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, hence the name changes from Count Dracula to Count Orlock and Vampire to Nosferatu. Dracula was only written in 1897 so the story was not that old at the time.
This is another film in the vein of German Expressionism so there’s a lot of spooky pointy things and sharp corners and is very dark. I could’ve chosen another of F.W. Murnau’s great films to be here, namely 1926’s Faust.
Another great alternative would be Carl Theodor Dryer’s Vampyr from 1932. These are both worth checking out too, but not as essential as one of the first and scariest look at vampires. Plus I’m working on a theme of films here. Don’t interrupt my flow. Speaking of flow why not also check out 1979’s remake Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht from one of my favorite director’s Werner Herzog. It’s his only horror film, but German’s really know horror. Klaus Kinski who plays the title character is one of the most frightening individuals ever.
If Vampires aren’t your thing then maybe you like witches. A terrific early film about witches is Haxan from 1922. It’s a Swedish/Danish coproduction that is actually a documentary about the evils of witch hunts but contains dramatized sequences as well that are on par with traditional horror films. It was actually banned in the U.S. for torture, nudity and sexual perversion, so you know it has to be good.
The 1930’s and the emergence of Hollywood bring our focus back across the pond. A list of great horror films to check out would be remiss if it did not include some the classic Universal monster movies. Everyone already knows the Frankenstein story, so why not branch out and try this sequel which I think is actually more interesting than the original. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my favorite books of all time, so it’s nice to have a film that can match it. The Bride of Frankenstein takes a subplot from the novel to create a mate for the Monster. Boris Karloff is again on display here as the Monster, but Elsa Lanchester knocks it out of the park playing not just the Monster’s mate, but also Mary Shelley herself.
Of course other great Universal monster movies to check out include a more mainstream (well is it mainstream if it was the film that set the trend?) look at vampires with Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931), The Mummy (1932) with the same actor that plays Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolf Man (1941) with Lon Chaney Jr. and The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954).
Perhaps I’ll do a list of more modern horror films to watch later, but I think it’s more important to talk about where it all came from first before delving into al the different genres of horror that are around today.
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