When younger people today look at the earlier versions of some titles, such as House of Wax, they don't see the appeal.
Today, I'm here to tell you why these films should still be regarded as some of the scariest, and greatest, films of our time.
#1: Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock, 1960
Alfred Hitchcock has always been and always will be one of the masters of suspense. Films such as The Birds, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train have seriously become underrated in today's shock driven society.
It is understandable that as years pass, directors have to up the anti when it comes to inciting fear in their audiences. However, without directors like Hitchcock, they wouldn't have a clue about where to start.
Released in 1960, the film was based off of the 1959 novel of the same name written by Robert Bloch. The film follows Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, after she steals a great sum of money from her job and goes on the run. Marion finds herself in the middle of nowhere and decides to spend the night at the Bates Motel. With seemingly no one around but the hotel's proprietor, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, Marion decides this is a safe place to hide for now. However, it becomes apparent to the audience that Norman and his so far hidden mother may not exactly be the healthiest of people. Deciding to stay under the circumstances turns out to be Marion's biggest mistake, as she is murdered, seemingly by Norman's mother, while taking a shower. The rest of the film follows the investigation into Marion's death, and the shocking twist at the end is one that left audiences rattled for years to come.
The great thing about this film is its atmosphere. One thing that audiences lack nowadays is patience. The desire for instant gratification is far too high. For the time, even the first 40 minutes of the film gave audiences a feeling of great suspense.
Would Marion get away with her crime? Who is Norman's mysterious mother, and what are she and Norman hiding?
It's questions like these that kept audiences captivated up to that iconic shower scene. And it's that build up that should keep people engaged when watching a film, it's what makes films great to watch. Movies are like books that have come to life, a true statement for this one in a sense.
It isn't just the atmosphere of the film that creates suspense. It's Hitchcock's clever use of camera angles, lighting, and even a lack of music. Music in films is often used to build suspense, but silence on the other hand lets a viewer create that through visuals alone. That's what Hitchcock did well with many of his films, but Psycho takes the cake for the best use of these techniques.
It's no secret either that Norman Bates himself was based on real life serial killer, Ed Gein. Taking inspiration from one of history's most prolific serial killers is bound to create an unforgettable character. To this day, the final frame of the film has become just as iconic as the shower scene before it.
#2: House of Wax, Andre DeToth, 1953
While perhaps not as iconic as Psycho, the 1953 film House of Wax was still quite the film. One of my personal favorite Vincent Price appearances, House of Wax took atmosphere and elevated it into the realms of disturbing for the time.
A combination of clever uses of lights, sounds, and the amazing performances by the actors make this film a highly underrated horror classic.
The story centers around Professor Henry Jarrod, played by horror movie icon Vincent Price, who is a talented wax sculptor at a museum. He specializes in historical figures and has an intense passion for his work. When his business partner, Matthew Burke, played by Roy Roberts, demands that he make more sensational displays to increase profits, Jarrod refuses. After Jarrod gives a private tour of the museum to a man who intends to buy the museum under Burke's nose, Burke sets the museum on fire intending to claim money from insurance.
Jarrod survives the fire, but comes out just as twisted and mangled as the figures he so loved. Rising from the ashes, Jarrod builds a new museum, and inevitably decides to create more popular displays. How he does this is part of the film's miraculous ending twist.
The thing that I personally love so much about this film is its subtle hinting at what's really going on. While you may know from the beginning what's going to happen, little things throughout keep you second guessing yourself until the final reveal. When that moment comes, it's a delicious shock for the mind.
Not only is this film creative and innovative in the way it presents its story, it takes the viewer for a good ride and has you feeling ultimately sympathetic for the main villain.
That's another thing, a sympathetic villain is always the most shocking villain. If you're made to feel empathy for a monster hiding under human flesh, the payoff when he's revealed is that much more shocking.
#3: Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero, 1968
Widely regarded as the first real zombie apocalypse film, the original Night of the Living Dead is a horror classic that has become highly underrated considering today's obsession with undead flesh eaters.
George A. Romero did it right with this film in every possible way. With this film, he revolutionized the horror genre and created the foundation for which many horror films built themselves upon for generations to come.
The story follows Barbra, played by Judith O'Dea, and Johnny Blair, played by Russel Streiner (though he's not credited as his part is very brief) as they drive to rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave. While there, Barbra is attacked and Johnny tries to save her. However, Johnny is killed after having his head struck on a headstone. Barbra escapes the attacking stranger and finds herself in a farm house. Inside, she finds the tattered remains of a woman and tries to flee. Unfortunately, outside she meets another stranger similar to the one who attacked her. She then encounters Ben, played by Duane Jones, who takes her back into the house, barricades them inside, and drives the monsters away. The rest of the film follows them and more characters they meet as they try to survive the horrors that await them on the outside.
This film took what shock value SHOULD be and gave it to audiences with no apologies. The thing about shock value is that it needs build up to be powerful. That is what this film did well. While you're not entirely sure in the beginning what is going to happen or what these creepy strangers want, when you find out what they are it becomes all the more shocking to you.
Not only that, but the fear of the unknown is what drives a lot of horror films to be great. This film's use of that kind of mystery creates an atmosphere that sucks the viewer in for a more immersed experience.
#4 Nosferatu, F.W. Murnau, 1922
Great films from the Silent Film Era have gone so far under the radar in recent years. It's quite depressing. Considering that, without them, the movies of today wouldn't even exist. These films built the foundation for which future generations of film would be built upon.
In terms of horror, the ever iconic 1922 film Nosferatu was groundbreaking for future films involving the undead.
This film follows a Germany based real estate associate named Hutter, played by Gustav von Wangenheim, as he is dispatched to the castle of Count Graf Orlak, played by Max Schreck. The Count wishes to purchase and isolated home in Wisbourg, and it is decided that Hutter's company will sell a home located right across from his own. The locals surrounding Orlak's home refuse to go near the castle, as there have been many strange things happening there. Eventually, Hutter makes it to the castle and convinces the Count to buy the home. However, Hutter notices that there is something strange about the Count and his home. Hutter becomes trapped at the castle while Orlak, transporting himself inside a coffin, makes his way to Wisbourg leaving a trail of death behind him.
The film is loosely based on Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. I say loosely based because the rights for the story were never authorized. Names were changed and certain characters from the original story were omitted and the director and producers took their own creative liberties to create one of the most iconic horror films in history.
Because it is a silent feature, the film was set to a score composed by Hans Erdmann. However, much of the original score has been lost. Thus many versions of the film that are available have new scores added to keep the original essence of the film intact.
As mentioned before, sometimes all that is needed is silence or music to create the perfect atmosphere for a film. With Nosferatu, this rings true as that was all that was available for the time, and the creators of this film made the absolute most of what they had. Creating a film with suspense to draw audiences in wasn't always easy. Nowadays, nobody would have the patience to sit through this film and appreciate it unless they truly understand that. There are many moments where there is no dialogue, there are only visuals and the talents of the actors in the film.
There are moments in this film that are HEAVY with anxiety, you can truly feel Hutter's dismay when he discovers the Count's secret. You become drawn in to what's going to happen next. You anticipate each and every move the Count makes and you root for the people fighting against him. It's a highly underrated film these days.
I tried showing this film to some friends of mine, also horror buffs, and they couldn't keep their attention on it at all. This is highly disappointing. The films they praise are ones that have no grasp of story, no concept of creating a rich atmosphere to immerse the viewer in. It's disappointing that while we have come so far with making movies, the simplest of techniques are lost in a lot of today's films.
The thing that makes Nosferatu so great is that while it had very little to work with at the time, what it created became so recognizable, so iconic that just mentioning the name of Nosferatu sets the image of that tall, spindle-fingered, sharp-toothed, gangly creature in a person's mind.
When you want to make a film great, you make it the way that these people made Nosferatu. They didn't try too hard, and the result was a beautiful piece of film that always looks as if it was found in a time capsule.
#5: House on Haunted Hill, William Castle, 1959
When it comes to psychological horror, this movie is an absolute go-to if you want to take a look at one of the most brilliantly made films of all time. The remake of this film was so disappointing and really didn't even try to hold on to what made this film so powerful.
In this movie, we follow millionaire Frederick Loren, portrayed by the always brilliant Vincent Price, as he invites five unsuspecting people to a party at an allegedly haunted house. He promises to award each of them the sum of $10,000 as long as they stay for the entire night after the doors are locked at midnight. Frederick's wife, Annabelle, played by Carol Ohmart, warns the guests that her husband is scheming something and that she suspects he has murdered his previous wives. What follows is a night that none of the patrons will ever forget.
When you want to delve deep into the human mind, you've got to do it the way that this film did. The analytical look at what different people will do in a certain situation, how they will react to fear and what it does to their minds is absolutely fascinating. To see how five different people handle different levels of stress, what they will do when confronted by something they never expected, it grabs you and pulls you in. It thrusts you right into their shoes and makes you feel everything they're feeling.
It makes you wonder, what would you do? How would you handle these kinds of situations yourself? Films that make you think are the ones that stand the test of time as great films. This one is so fascinating, it's definitely going to stay on par with the films of today no matter how many years pass.
While we as a society have become desensitized to a lot when it comes to horror films, we can't deny that films such as these have laid down the stepping stones to what movies are today. Even if you DON'T feel a twinge of fear when you watch them anymore, you can at least look back and appreciate what they did for what we have now. The legacy they've left is one that we can honestly say will never be broken, no matter how far we continue to grow.
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