Horror Films

Hi! What I am posting here are 100 horror films that I feel any filmmaker worth his salt should have seen at least once. These are the films I feel have shaped the genre weather for better or worse. You will see the beginnings of horror through the German Silents, to Universal and Hammer studios in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Some of the movies I don't actually care for (Last House on The Left, Cannibal Holocaust, The Beyond) but all I feel are worth watching at least once for various reasons. Here we go!

1.The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)- A great example of German Expressionism. You will see how atmosphere can make a horror film. You will also see more than a little of Tim Burton in this film.
2.Nosferatu (1922)-This film has an interesting history behind it. The director wanted to make a version of Bram Stoker's Dracula but couldn't get the rights. So he created a plagiarized version changing Dracula's name and other parts of the novel. Bram Stoker's widow accused the filmmakers of plagiarism and the film was ordered destroyed. Luckily copies survived.
3.The Phantom of The Opera (1925)-Great version of the classic story featuring the wonderful actor Lon Chaney who did his own makeup for the film. In the scene where the Phantom is unmasked it was reported that people actually fainted.
4.Dracula (1931)-Probably the most famous version of Dracula on film, this movie launched Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi to stardom with his performance of the titular Count. This film launched the Universal Monsters series of film which include Frankenstein and The Wolfman among many others.
5.Frankenstein (1931)- The second big Universal Monster film. Directed by the great James Whale this is a marvelous film with an absolutely brilliant performance by Boris Karloff as the monster.
6.M (1931)-The first serial killer film directed by Fritz Land who also directed the immortal Sci-Fi film Metropolis.
7.Freaks (1932)-Directed by Todd Browning this film used actual circus performers and is incredibly haunting. A good example of a film that works on both the levels of art and exploitation.
8.White Zombie (1932)-First significant zombie film featuring zombies being raised by voodoo to do their masters bidding instead of as flesh eating corpses.
9. The Old Dark House (1932)-Great early example of the haunted house genre. Is the house actually haunted? Watch and find out!
10.Island of Lost Souls (1932)-Great adaptation of the H.G. Wells story "The Island of Dr.Murnau this story has been remade several times but never as good.
11.The Mummy(1932)-Boris Karloff as the Mummy. See this before the Tom Cruise remake!
12.King Kong-(1933)-Besides Godzilla, Kong is not only the most famous giant monster but the special effects were absolutely groundbreaking, inspiring many of the mediums great special effects artists such as Ray Harryhausen.
13.Bride of Frankenstein (1935)- Possibly the best Universal Monster film, this gem is more comedic than scary, but what it lacks in scares it makes up in great images and atmosphere.
14.The Invisible Man (1933)-Another Universal Monsters film this movie features a great performance by Claude Rains as well as still astonishing special effects.
15.The Wolfman (1941)-Starring Lon Chaney's son Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolfman this film isn't as good as Dracula or the Frankenstein films but is still a must see.
16.Cat People (1942)Possibly the best of the great producer Val Lewtons films, this film features actress Simone Simon maybe or maybe not transforming into a cat as a metaphor for erotic desire. Remade in 1982 by Paul Schrader.
17.I Walked With a Zombie (1943)-The other early significant Zombie film.
18.Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)-This film completes the cycle of Universal Monsters.
19.Diabolique (1955)-This French thriller features one of the greatest endings in film history. Do not look it up.
20.The Bad Seed (1956)-First big evil child movie, this type of film has been done over and over again, perhaps most famously as Village of The Damned.
21.The Curse of Frankenstein(1956)The first big Hammer studio film this movie launched British Hammer Studios who would revive the classic Universal Monsters for a new generation with more sex and gore. With the increased exploitive elements however also came such great actors as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as well as gorgeous lighting and set design. Was rated X on release this would be at best a PG today.
22.The Horror of Dracula(1958)-The other great Hammer Horror(if you enjoy Curse and Horror I recommend also The Mummy, The Reptile, and Dracula Prince of Darkness all Hammer films).
23.The Tingler (1959)-Drive in classic with Vincent Price by gimmick master William Castle.
24.Eyes Without a Face(1960)-French horror classic, the plot involves a mad scientist kidnapping women and attempting to graft their faces onto that of his disfigured daughter.
25.Peeping Tom(1960)-Probably the best film about voyeurism ever made, this film by the great Michael Powell is now considered a classic and a favorite of Michael Scorsese. Released the same year as Hitchcock's Psycho this film practically destroyed Powell's career.
26.Psycho- (1960)- The great Bernard Hermann score, Anthony Perkins performance, the twist, and maybe the most analyzed scene in cinema history make this in my opinion Hitchcock's best film.
27.Black Sunday (1960)-Great Italian Gothic horror film by Mario Bava who along with Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento are the trinity of Italian horror.
28.The Innocents (1961)-Depending on where you put The Haunting this ghost story with a screenplay by Truman Capote is the best of its kind. Literate, atmospheric, and intelligent.
29.Carnival of Souls(1962)-Cheap drive in movie feels more like a European arthouse picture than a drive-in cheapie.
30.What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)-Come for the title, stay for the amazingly campy performances of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
31.Black Sabbath(1963)-The other great horror film by Mario Bava. Yes this is where the great Ozzy Osbourne band got the name from.
32.The Birds(1963)-Early example of the killer animal film and a classic Hitchcock film to boot.
33.The Haunting(1963)-Maybe the greatest Ghost story put to film. Ignore the terrible remake.
34.Onibaba(1964)-Great classic Japanese ghost story.
The Masque of The Red Death (1964)-Director/producer Roger Corman is famous for launching the careers of Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Demme, Joe Dante, Scorsese, and Fracis Ford Coppolla. This film in his famous Poe cycle of movies is his very best.
35.Repulsion(1965)-Incredible psychological thriller from director Roman Polanski.
36.Rosemary's Baby-(1968)-Famous psychological horror film starring Mia Farrow whose baby just might be the anti-Christ.
37.Night of The Living Dead(1968)-Revolutionized the Zombie genre by being not only the first film to have Zombies be reanimated corpses but to have Zombies eating human flesh.
38.The Abominable Dr.Phibes(1971)-Campy Vincent Price classic. Any more would be spoiling the fun.
39.Blacula(1972)-Much better than the title would lead you to believe this Blaxploitation horror film has a very good performance by William Marshall as the title character.
40.The Last House on The Left(1972)This early horror film by Wes Craven is incredibly disturbing, sad, and infamous for its rape scenes. I personally hate this film but I cant deny it has a place in horror and exploitation film history. Feel free to skip this one if you want.
41.Don't Look Now (1973)-Classic ghost story with Donald Sutherland and Julia Christie set in Venice.
42.The Wicker Man(1973)-Probably the greatest British horror film ever made. Anymore would be spoiling. Must watch.
43.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974)-Much less gory than you probably think it is, this Tobe Hooper masterpiece gets by on atmosphere, and incredibly disturbing set design.
44.Deep Red(1975)-Italian Giallo by Italian Horror master Dario Argento. Stylish, violent, and great use of color.
45.Jaws(1975)-Its Jaws. Nothing more needs to be said. My pick for greatest horror movie ever made.
(This should be enough to get you started) More will be posted tomorrow!