Many years ago, before CGI, horror movies relied on more visceral effects to elicit scares. Monsters, ghosts, and all things gory had to be created with hours upon hours of special effects wizardry. It was, arguably, a much scarier way of making horror movies.
Some of those movies became vintage classics. These types of movies are often fondly remembered as a person’s “first time”… forever attracting them to the genre.
10. Freaks (1932):
One of the first horror movies, Freaks hit the screen in 1932. Tod Browning’s masterpiece needed no special effects at all. Instead, Browning used actors who were real-life carnival sideshow performers. Schlitzie, who played himself in the film, was a well-known sideshow performer at the time. While the “freaks” in this movie may look like monsters, we learn that the true monsters in life look very much like ourselves. If this movie had been made in recent years, it probably would have never made it past the first pitch, but luckily for all of us horror fans, it is available for all to see.
9. Nosferatu (1922):
Pre-dating even Freaks, Nosferatu could easily be considered one of the scariest movies of all time. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the movie almost didn’t survive after Stoker’s family sued and all but a few copies were destroyed. Shot in black and white before even 8mm was around, it has a creepy “found footage” effect that reminds us that a movie can be frightening without modern day advancements. When talking about Nosferatu, the story of how the film was made has to be discussed. Rumor had it that lead actor Max Schrek was a real vampire. Whether he was just getting into his character, Count Orlok, or was indeed a blood-sucking menace has been debated for years. Of course, his bizarre real-life appearance only added to the suspicion. His behavior on the set was so frightening that the story was turned into the 2000 horror film, Shadow of the Vampire, staring John Malkovich.
8. Burnt Offerings (1976):
Burnt Offerings should probably be on a “great horror movies nobody has seen” list, but that is all the more reason to include it. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see this unsettling movie, definitely take the time to check it out. Starring Karen Black, this haunted house movie centers on a family who moves into an old summer house that, of course, is a heck of deal. If there is any indication that a house is going to regenerate itself by taking the souls of its occupants, it’s the fact that it’s being rented for dirt cheap. Short on special effects, this movie relies on an unsettling mood and an ultra creepy score to deliver one of the best haunted house movies of all time. You will never be able to listen to a music box again.
7. The Last House on the Left (1972):
Wes Craven’s directorial debut, after making X-rated films, was The Last House on the Left. Heavily censored and even banned in several countries, its heavy violence and shocking themes include graphic scenes of rape and murder. The movie focuses on two teenage girls who are kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered by a gang of miscreants. The gang end up, coincidentally, at the home of one of their victims. The second half offers up one of the first times that revenge would become a motivating factor in horror and the protagonist and antagonist essentially change places. Spectacular in its graphic violence and disturbing from beginning to end, this movie is a must-see. A follow-up was attempted in 2009, but like most sequels, it should be avoided as the original is pure perfection.
6. Psycho (1960):
No vintage horror list would be complete without an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and Psycho is easily one of his best. A creepy hotel owner with an unholy obsession with his mother takes his mommy issues out on the guests of his hotel. Made during a time when women could not be filmed naked in a shower, Hitchcock manages to use that rule to his advantage and create one of the most well-constructed horror scenes ever created… the shower scene. From the epic sound effect that accompanied Norman Bate’s knife entering his victim to the closeup of a stream of blood trickling down the drain, this and several other scenes from Psycho have left an indelible mark on the horror genre. Known for the proverbial “twist,” Hitchcock waits until the end to introduce us to Norman’s mother, thus creating one of the most memorable and shocking endings in horror movie history.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):
The movie that made Wes Craven famous, A Nightmare of Elm Street is a supernatural horror movie with one of the most well-known antagonists in horror movie history. Freddy Krueger (or should I say the angry, tortured soul of Freddy Krueger) haunts and eventually kills teenagers in their dreams. Freddy, a villain with a sense of humor, uses his famous bladed glove to slice through his victims in creative and sometimes laughable ways. Returning to a theme of revenge, Craven’s Freddy is out for blood after neighborhood parents kill him by burning him alive in a boiler room, an act of revenge perpetrated against Freddy for crimes against children. Feeling persecuted and out for his own payback beyond the grave, Freddy pursues the children of the parents of Elm Street. While the teens try to stay awake to avoid Freddy’s wrath, sleep cannot be put off forever, thus creating the kind of “edge of your seat” terror that makes horror movies so fun. The special effects were shockingly good, and unlike some older movies, you don’t go back and find yourself in awe that you ever found it so realistic. The effects still hold up, even today. While this movie spawned a slew of sequels, none really compared to the genius of the original. A definite must-see… again and again and again.
4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974):
Questionably billed as a true story based on real-life serial killer Ed Gein, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is often considered one of the most frightening movies of all time. Banned in several countries, it follows a group of young friends who encounter a cannibalistic family in middle of nowhere Texas. Leatherface, the prodigal son of this murderous family, is as sadistic as he is physically repulsive. Wearing the skin of his victims, this chainsaw-wielding, human monster chases his victims one by one until they all perish in the most gory of ways. Made with a shockingly low budget of $60,000, the film ended up grossing millions and just goes to show that money doesn’t necessarily equate to quality filmmaking. In fact, the low budget gave us a much more scary film because it looks like you might be watching the real home videos of one real sick family.
3. Poltergeist (1982):
Steven Spielberg’s attempt at horror paid off in spades in Poltergeist. While, admittedly, its special effects don’t hold up as well as some other movies of the same decade, this film does manage to hold its own over time and remains one really creepy supernatural horror movie. Much like a great recipe, this baby has all the necessary ingredients: From a desecrated Indian burial ground to a creepy little girl that sees ghosts to an even creepier paranormal investigator, this movie may read as a stereotypical ghost story… but that is only because it was this movie that set the standard for all the supernatural horror that came after it. It is the original recipe fried chicken of the horror genre. Lacking any major plot holes, a common crime committed in the genre, Poltergeist has become a true horror classic.
2. The Shining (1980):
When Stanley Kubrick decides to do a horror film, people take notice, and rightfully so. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Kubrick created a masterpiece. However, he could not have achieved this without Jack Nicholson’s stellar performance as Jack Torrance. The story focuses on Torrance, his wife, and small psychically-abled child Danny. Taking on the role of caretaker for the remote Overlook Hotel during its off season, writer Jack becomes increasingly unhinged in this haunted hotel with a murderous history. This movie, like most of Kubrick’s works, is on most cult classic movie lists and with good reason. Famous for his unique camera work, Kubrick manages to scare the audience in often the simplest of ways. From long shots of hallways to sweeping views from high above the Overlook Hotel, he creates an incredible sense of desolation, loneliness, and fear. This movie is a true vintage classic, and without it we might never have known how murder is spelled backwards…. redrum, folks… redrum.
1. Carrie (1976):
When horror enthusiasts are asked what movie introduced them to the genre, Carrie, is an oft heard response. Brian De Palma’s horror classic is another film based on a Stephen King novel. The movie’s titular character is a psychic and highly disturbed young girl who is incessantly bullied in school. Living with a mother who makes Mommy Dearest look like a contender for mother of the year, Carrie White is pushed to the limit – with frightening results. With arguably one of the greatest jump-scares of all time, Carrie forever made us think twice about putting flowers at a grave.