With roots dating all the way back to 1896, the horror genre is both a punching bag for critics, and a cash-cow for studios, who can produce them relatively cheaply, and rake in big box office dollars. In recent years, we've seen a resurgence of the genre that has led many to believe that horror is once again in its golden age. With recent successes such as Scream 6, M3GAN, and Evil Dead Rise, it's hard to argue that fact, despite what critics have to say.
Of course, the first golden age of horror began in the early 1920s during the silent film era, and lasted all the way into the 1940s, before the genre became too diluted for audiences to keep up with. However, during this time period, there were a plethora of notable films released that have stood the test of time, and have gone on to become regarded as classics in the genre. Here are the 10 best horror films from an age like no other.
10 King Kong (1933)
Released nationwide on April 7th, 1933, King Kong is not only one of the best movies from the golden age of horror, but perhaps one of the best horror movies of all time. Starring Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot, and Robert Armstrong, it's about a film crew that travels to Skull Island, an uncharted area in the South Pacific. There they encounter a giant ape who becomes smitten with Wray's character. After subduing the primate, they bring him back to America to put him on display, and well, all hell breaks loose.
What Makes it One of the Best
Known for its groundbreaking use of effects such as stop-motion animation, miniatures, and rear projection, King Kong proved you could make an effective monster movie long before the advent of CGI. Praised by critics and audiences alike, the film has had a lasting legacy, and spawned an entire franchise of movies that are still beloved the world over. In 1991, the movie was added to the National Film Registry and deemed culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress.
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9 Nosferatu (1922)
Directed by F.W. Murnau, the German expressionist film Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula that frightened audiences all the way back in 1922. Because it was an unofficial adaptation, and wasn't approved by the Stoker estate, names and locations had to be changed; thus, we saw Max Schreck in the role of Count Orlok, rather than Count Dracula.
What Makes it One of the Best
An influential movie to say the least, Nosferatu is known for its themes of xenophobia, politics, and sexual repression, and has since gone on to be known as one of the best vampire films ever made, despite its deviations from the source material. In terms of vampire lore, it was the first movie to feature a creature of the night dying from sunlight exposure. Up until that point, vampires had only been mildly annoyed with the sun.
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8 Cat People (1942)
Cat People
- Release Date
- December 25, 1942
- Director
- Jacques Tourneur
- Cast
- Kent Smith, Simone Simon, Tom Conway
- Rating
- Not Rated
- Main Genre
- Horror
No other film from the golden age of horror embodied sexuality and feminism more than Jacques Tourneur's Cat People. Released in 1942, the movie starred Simone Simon as Irena, a Serbian fashion designer who believes she's descended from a tribe of cat people that morph into black panthers when they are aroused.
What Makes it One of the Best
At the time, Cat People became one of RKO's biggest hits, and considering they had just released Citizen Kane a year prior, that's saying something. Film critic Roger Ebert described it as a landmark film of the '40s, and it would go on to heavily influence other films in the genre such as She-Wolf of London, The Cat Creeps, and Daughter of Dr. Jekyll, though none would have quite the resonating effect as Cat People. It spawned a 1944 sequel, The Curse of the Cat People, and in 1982, a remake was directed by Paul Schrader that starred Malcolm McDowell and Nastassja Kinski.
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7 Freaks (1932)
Hoping to capitalize on the success of Dracula, MGM hired director Tod Browning to helm their version of a horror film by way of 1932's Freaks, which starred real-life sideshow performers, and people with disabilities. Originally intended as a vehicle for silent film star Lon Chaney in 1925, Freaks tells the story of a trapeze artist who joins a carnival with plans to seduce and murder a dwarf. Those plans go awry, though, as the other performers catch wind of the plot, eventually leading to the man getting his comeuppance.
What Makes it One of the Best
Though it was a box office bomb for MGM at the time, Freaks is now widely considered one of Browning's best films. While some have questioned its status as a horror movie, that hasn't stopped it from being one of those films that still shock audiences even today, some 80 years later. Some have even gone so far as to call it one of the most important films ever made, and like others on the list, in 1994 it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Its influence can still be felt today in movies such as Martin Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street, which pays homage to Freaks in one of its scenes.
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6 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The silent era of film produced a lot of experimental movies, but few have had the lasting effect that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has had. This German film directed by Robert Wiene tells the story of hypnotist Dr. Caligari, who uses a somnambulist to carry out a string of murders on his behalf.
What Makes it One of the Best
Film critic Roger Ebert once called The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari the first true horror film, and to this day it remains the perfect example of German expressionist cinema. While it features a superbly dark visual style, the film also contains architectural elements such as twisted landscapes that give it a surreal feeling. Though it's more than 100 years old, the movie can still be found being taught in introductory film courses, and shown in museums as an example of the exact moment German cinema gained worldwide notice.
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5 The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Based on of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, The Phantom of the Opera stars Lon Chaney as a deformed man who terrorizes an opera house in Paris, all in the hopes of making the woman he loves a star. This 1925 silent film was produced by Carl Laemmie, who would go on to produce other notable classics such as Dracula, and Frankenstein.
What Makes it One of the Best
While special effects movies today have a team of make-up artists used to bring the macabre to life, back then Lon Chaney was given free rein to create his own version of the phantom. He stayed true to the description in the novel, giving himself a skull-like face, which remains today the most accurate depiction ever put to screen. The film is most notable not only for Chaney's make-up, but for its gothic atmosphere, which was no doubt influenced by German expressionist films of the time. It's regarded as a quintessential horror film, and one of those movies everyone should see at least once before they shuffle off this mortal coil.
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4 The Wolf Man (1941)
Though Lon Chaney Jr. had a successful career in Hollywood long before the release of The Wolf Man in 1941, it has gone on to become his most memorable role. He portrays Larry Talbot, a man who falls in love after returning home to bury his recently deceased brother. Rescuing the woman of his dreams from an attack by a wolf, Talbot is bitten in the process, and over the course of the film transforms into a werewolf.
What Makes it One of the Best
A staple in Universal's monster movie collection, The Wolf Man has influenced every werewolf film since, including modern classics such as An American Werewolf in London, and The Howling. Dealing with themes of repressed aggression, puberty, and ego, it's one of only three Universal monster movies to not be tied to a literary source, with the other two being The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Mummy. This alone sets it apart from the pack (pun intended) as a truly unique piece of cinema that managed to penetrate pop culture all on its own. Chaney Jr. would reprise his role of Talbot four more times, making The Wolf Manthe only Universal monster to be portrayed by the same actor in all its appearances.
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3 The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein
- Release Date
- April 20, 1935
- Director
- James Whale
- Cast
- Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester, Gavin Gordon
- Rating
- NR
- Main Genre
- Comedy
As far as horror movie sequels go, we all know there aren't too many that stand up to their originals, but when it comes to The Bride of Frankenstein, we have ourselves a film that actually surpasses its predecessor. Directed once again by James Whale, Boris Karloff returns as everyone's favorite shambling monster, as the movie picks up right where Frankenstein left off. This time around, Henry has found himself a partner by way of Dr. Pretorious, and together the pair work to create a mate for The Monster. Things go awry, however, when she rejects him, just like everyone else has.
What Makes it One of the Best
Released on April 20th, 1935, TheBride of Frankenstein was an immediate hit for Universal, with many calling it James Whale's masterpiece. Taking inflation into account, it earned the studio a profit of around $16 million dollars, which was rare for the time. Dealing in themes of sexuality, gender, autonomy, and xenophobia, TheBride of Frankenstein is widely considered a landmark film not only for its subtext, but for its gothic atmosphere that somehow managed to outdo the original. In 1998, it was added to the National Film Registry for preservation, and though there were many sequels to follow this one, none could quite compare to TheBride of Frankenstein, or Karloff's tender, yet commanding, performance as The Monster.
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2 Frankenstein (1931)
1931 was a great year for Universal, as they released not one, but two classic monster movies that have gone down as some of the greatest horror films ever made. The second of the pair was Frankenstein, which hit theaters on November 21st, 1931. Adapted from the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, it follows Henry Frankenstein, a fringe scientist who is obsessed with building a living corpse from the body parts of the recently deceased.
What Makes it One of the Best
Universal was in a slump during this time, losing $2.2 million dollars in revenue in 1930. Thanks to the success of not only Dracula, but Frankenstein as well, the studio was able to get back on its feet with the $1.4 million the film had earned in its first few months of release. Regarded as not only one of the best horror films of all time, but one of the best movies ever, Frankenstein set the standard for monster films going forward. Boris Karloff's performance as The Monster was a riveting sight to behold, not only in terms of his movements, but thanks in part to the make-up effects created by Jack Pierce. One can't forget that it also gave us one of the most quoted lines ever from a movie, when Colin Clive's Henry Frankenstein uttered the now-famous words, "It's alive! It's alive!"
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1 Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1931)
- Release Date
- February 14, 1931
- Director
- Tod Browning, Karl Freund
- Cast
- Béla Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan
- Rating
- PG
- Main Genre
- Horror
Adapted from the 1897 book by Bram Stoker, Universal's 1931 production of Dracula is the first film adaptation of the novel to feature sound. It stars Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, a centuries-old vampire who migrates from his home in the Transylvanian countryside to England, looking for love, and blood. There he meets Abraham Van Helsing, the yin to his yang, leading to a final battle for the ages.
What Makes it One of the Best
Directed by Tod Browning, Universal gambled big time on Dracula, shelling out $40,000 for the rights to the novel and stageplay during a time when things weren't so healthy for the studio. Shot in just 36 days, the film had its United States premiere on Valentine's Day, 1931, with audience members fainting in shock, as they had never seen anything like Dracula before. It earned the largest profits for Universal in 1931, even beating out Frankenstein, which was released later that year. Critical reception was largely positive, and in the decades following, Dracula became widely considered one of the most influential movies of all time, and helped kickstart our fascination with vampires. It's an iconic piece of cinema that found its way into pop culture, and can regularly be found on any Top 100 list when it comes to the greatest horror movies ever made.
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