Horror Films That Still Creep All These Years Later...
 

The truth is, what scared the pants off of everyone in 1931 will hardly keep a 10 year old kid awake at night these days. Frankenstein is now fun, and the polite warning at the beginning is now almost funny.

But while those classics aren't necessarily scary anymore, quite a few still retain elements of "creepy" in terms of image or environment. And that is probably why we love them. I won't attempt to rank them, but here are some of my favorites.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - For me it isn't the unmasking scene that shocked so many. The ones that make a deeper impression are the Death Mask (probably no more film besides the Wizard of Oz had a more dramatic b/w to color transition) at the party and the even more powerful "snorkling phantom" roaming the underground caverns.

Nosferatu (1922) - This film is pretty much creepy personified. While Bela Lugosi would go on to define the image of a "vampire" for most of the 20th century, Count Orlok scared us in a way the Hungarian master never could and in a way that wouldn't happen again until 1979 with Salem's Lot when Barlow taught the children of that generation why vampires are scary.

The Walking Dead (1936) - An interesting horror/gangster hybrid where Karloff manages to outcreep his monsters like Frankenstein (I know that isn't the monsters name but it has become common usage) and The Mummy. An early proto zombie who may or may not be supernatural seeks justice against the gangsters who set him up for his own death. Reminded me a little bit of Thirteen Women (1932) starring Myrna Loy.

Anyway those are the ones that come to mind for me. Please add your own nominations.

Night Of The Hunter

Added to my Netflix queue. Looks interesting. I just recently started getting into the Noirs, I never quite took to them before with the exception of a few films like the original Postman. Being a Lillian Gish fan this might be one to add to the DVD library.

The Tall Man still creeps me out...25 years and counting!

While I wouldn't qualify that one as a "classic horror film" due to it's age, that is definitely a creepy one from the modern genre. Truly bizarre film with the whole alien planet work camp plot line but the Tall Man and the flying ball are the stuff of nightmares.

Btw, Phantasm was 1979 so we are at 32 years and counting.

I meant the Tall Man has been creeping me out for 25 years......Sorry I didn't see it on the fucking day it was released you pretentious douche bag.

The Innocents, for sure.

Wow. I thought you had simply made a mistake about the release date and/or how long it had been since seeing it as a kid or something like that.

I wasn't trying to be pretentious or a douche bag. Nice attitude you got there.

The Haunting.....

Nosferatu still creeps me out. Something about the silence and the way Orlok would just appear in the distance standing there still freaks me the fuck out.

Ditto, the best haunted house film ever made!

Also I like to add Onibaba (for that freaking mask sequence near the end) & Les Diabolique....now, H.G. Cluzot made this outstanding chiller without using any background score & that amazingly creates a very eerie feeling & unsettling atmosphere from start to finish.

The atmosphere is many of these classics were enough to creep you out. Especially the silent movies....the makeup and the way people moved....very creepy....just look at this guy

http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsG/56986.gif

Alexander Granach as Knock in Nosferatu (1922)

The Birds always gave me the creeps, even more than Psycho, which I still admit is a brilliant film.

Along the same lines as the lack of scoring in Les Diabolique, there's no real score in The Birds, but the electronic twitterings that Bernard Hermann put under the bird sounds when they attack, make it so much more disturbing from such a subtle thing.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

another one that creeps me out



could be the lipstick

The Exorcist....when she levitates, head spin, the demon voice, the way her face looks.....I still can't watch it without covering my eyes....or ears

You do better than me, I still can't watch it after walking (running) out of the theater when I was 13!

Thank you, atmosphere was actually the word I was looking for and exactly what I'm talking about. And yeah, Nosferatu has it in spades.

I wonder what it must have been like for a person in 1922 seeing that for the first time.

Les Diaboliques
Eyes Without A Face
Vampyr
The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1929 version)
Cat People
Curse Of The Cat People
The Innocents
Nightmare Alley (more film noir than horror)
Night Of The Demon (1957)
Night Of The Eagle aka Burn Witch Burn

Nosferatu for me as well. I like silent films, they make you feel the movie, more acting involved I think. Still creeps me out the way he just stares at you.

I would say (The Fall of the) House of Usher (1960) and The Haunting (1963). Believe it or not, I watched those movies just a few months ago and they actually scared me. I didn't think movies from the 1960s could be scary, but,in my opinion, they actually were (don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great older movies, I just didn't think they could be scary).

THE HAUNTING and NIGHT OF THE DEMON for sure. I might also add JAMAICA INN. We started to watch it a few weeks ago and we both agreed to watch it later. Too creepy in a slimy sort of way.

I agree with Sfear. The Haunting & The Night Of The Demon.

Also I might add Black Sabbath
The Exorcist
The Kingdom Of The Spiders (I have arachnophobia!)


I'm sure that there are others but I can't think of them right now.

A lot of the scenes from Creepshow like the Crate monster, or the couple he couldn't drown and how their gargling voices echoes through that haze. The SHining blood girls, and when the dude got his face smashed into the curb in American History X.

The Haunting ( best ghost movie ever)
Nosferatu
Night Of The Living Dead
The Uninvited

The Beyond. And not very old but The Strangers, gives me a feeling of helpless isolation which can be scarier than any monster.

The Exorcist
The Grudge
stephen King's IT

HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE. 1964

Some really good titles here, especially BLACK SABBATH, NIGHT OF THE DEMON, THE HAUNTING (1963-not the remake::embarrassment::), ONIBABA and especially the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD-still can give me the heebie jeebies although I've probably seen it 45 times or so.
Some other titles that still creep me out although I've seen them numerous times...
FRIDAY, THE 13th (1980)-Sure it's silly and cheap, but I saw this right before I graduated and it scared the shit out of me, especially when Betsy Palmer is "conversing" with Jason and smiling when she finds Alice's hiding place. When I finally met here at a convention, amazed at how little and sweet she was.
DELIVERANCE (1972)-Many people probably don't consider this a horror film, but I sure do. "That scene" gave me nightmares for years and a perfect example of how vulnerable we can be.
EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1959-may have been mentioned)-Despite the corny musical score (at least on my disc), found this way creepy, especially the audacity of the operation.
CAPE FEAR (1962)-Again, not a horror film per se, but how frightening it would be to be in Gregory Peck's position. Avoid the awful Scorcese remake .
STRAW DOGS (1971)-When I watched the limp THE STRANGERS, I thought a lot of this .