Fear is timeless. From even before we had words to describe it, man has huddled around the warm fires of our protective hovels and made monsters of the noises in the dark. For all the romanticization of frilly skirts and haughty language, people hundreds of years ago were just as afraid of the creeping terrors that lurk beyond the candlelight. Probably more so, since that rustle in the leaves could likely be a hungry pack of wolves, and good luck fighting that off with a flintlock pistol and candlelight.
Unfortunately, good period piece horror is hard to come by. It seems most people would rather watch a Mr. Darcy-type woo an Elizabeth Bennet-type over the course of a hundred misunderstandings and flowery speeches. Bleh. The fools. So, when a good horror period piece comes around to show us that the past isn’t all funny clothes and fainting over social faux pas, it’s worth celebrating.
I first saw the trailer for The Witch as a preview before the recent film adaptation of Macbeth. I saw it with a bunch of people that were super excited for Macbeth, so I was the only horror fan in the group. After the trailer, there was a tangible tense energy among my friends. The Witch looks dark, unique, and terrifying. A good period piece’s terror should both reflect the time it takes place in and be enhanced by it. The struggle of a small frontier farm mixed against the terror of an untamed forest makes The Witch a chilling snapshot of 1600’s dogmatic fear. On the border between Puritanism and Paganism, reality and superstition blend.
So to honor this release, here are 9 other Timeless Period Piece Horror Films:
9) Sauna (2008):
In 1595 and the wake of the Russo-Swedish War, two brothers are on an expedition to mark the new border between the two countries. Amidst the muddy swamp and barren trees, they come across a meager village with a mysterious sauna. Haunted by past misdeeds, the line between reality and fiction is blurred as their souls are tested.
Yes, that kind of sauna. I doubt anyone watching this film would know beforehand that A) saunas are actually hundreds of years old and B) they have ancient, spiritual traditions. With medieval Finland as the backdrop, the story of Sauna is as much about change as it is atonement. Shifting borders, beliefs, and even Eerik’s failing eyesight paint a picture of a world that is changing too fast. The friction between past and present is made tangible by the spirits of the sauna, reminding us that guilt remains even after the past has been buried.
8) The Burrowers (2008):
As if the Old West frontier wasn’t troubling enough, what with all the pillaging natives, rapey cavalrymen, bandits, dehydration, and rattlesnakes. Now, terrifying nocturnal monsters with a taste for human flesh want to bury you alive and turn you into soup. Just great. Set in 1879, a motley crew consisting of an Irishman, former slave, young teenager, and pair of Indian fighters (as in people that fight Native Americans, not Native American warriors) set off to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a frontier family. They soon find out that it wasn’t the Sioux but rather the previously mentioned monsters called “Burrowers.”
Only the dwindling Native American tribe of the Ute know how to successfully fight the monsters. The Burrowers uses the racial tensions and environmental destruction of the time to deliver a dark message of cooperation and understanding. It isn’t a “hold hands and sing a song” story, opting instead for a “unite or die” message. Hell, the Burrowers wouldn’t even be eating us if we didn’t kill all the buffalo! It’s a classic tale of mankind destroying itself with greed but with badass monsters.
7) Crimson Peak (2015):
If I’ve learned anything from movies over the years, it’s “don’t kill a wronged Victorian woman in a mansion.” Do you want vengeful ghosts? Because that’s how you get vengeful ghosts.
Crimson Peak is a stunning and macabre look at the turn of the 20th century. The dilapidated Allerdale Hall is a vision of faded glory, rotting away in equal measures with the family’s standing. With industrialization on the rise, self-made men are replacing the nobility at the top of the food chain. The declining Sharpe family must parasitize the successful Cushings just to maintain a little while longer. This temporary act of selfish preservation gives rise to eternally tortured (and gorgeously designed) spirits. Even if you don’t care for the love story, this rendition of the industrialization meta narrative regarding the shifting hierarchy is a visual masterpiece.
6) Shadow of the Vampire (2000):
I intentionally didn’t add any of the classic Frankenstein or Dracula films to this list since those stories are only period pieces by virtue of when they were written. Shadow of the Vampire gets to squeak by, though, as it’s a vampire period piece about the making of Nosferatu. If Bram Stoker’s Dracula was about Bram Stoker writing Dracula, then it would also get a pass.
There’s a lot of Shadow of the Vampire that’s historically inaccurate and done for laughs. A lot of the main characters are killed but in fact lived long and happy lives, and Max Schreck is not in fact a real life vampire. I also highly doubt that Murnau was so evil as to kill people just to get the perfect shot. As a metaphor for the ruthless early days of filmmaking, it’s both clever and compelling. It’s unique and fun, and Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of vampire Schreck rivals Schreck’s portrayal of vampire Orlok. How’s that for meta?!?
5) I Sell the Dead (2008):
Honestly, I have no idea if grave robbing was a huge part of the socioeconomic class struggle of the working poor in late 1800’s England. I’m sure there’s a lot to be read into regarding Blake and Grimes’ flimsy morals in light of their uncouth profession. Reading too much into a horror comedy about grave robbers who graduate from pilfering regular graves to pilfering supernatural graves makes you lame. I don’t want to be lame. This one can just be here for fun.
That’s not to say it’s a dumb movie. I Sell the Dead is witty, clever, and a hell of a lot of fun. It’s the kind of macabre setting that black humor flourishes in, but it also isn’t afraid to be slapstick and goofy from time to time. It’s got a great cast of anti-heroes and villains and a subject matter that I’d wager is 70% genius and 30% drugs. It is the best movie out there about people who steal zombies/vampires/banshees for a living.
4) The Woman in Black (2012):
Remember what I said about not murdering wronged Victorian women in mansions? That goes double for making them commit suicide. That’ll net you a whole village worth of curse, with a bonus death of your firstborns to boot.
I used to have a joke with my friends that this movie should have just been called Harry Potter Gets Spooked for 90 Minutes in a Creepy House. It wasn’t an entirely fair assessment, as the movie does subtly reflect the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, especially in regards to women judged to be mentally infirm. It’s a tragic little piece of history to dig into, so feel free to do so on your own. The movie only briefly hints at this, as most of it is dedicated to creepy dolls and jumps scares. I’d normally deride a film like this, but it’s exceptionally well done. You have to respect a movie that you like despite typically not caring for the style. Between the candlelit corridors and cackling ghost, The Woman in Black wins you over.
3) Deathwatch (2002):
It’s strange that we haven’t seen more WWI horror films, since the consensus seems to be that it was literal hell. Between the barbed wire, gas attacks, artillery fire, starvation, machine guns, and trench foot, ghosts seem like they would fit right in. Luckily, Deathwatch is here to address this discrepancy. In the wake of a gas attack, nine disoriented British soldiers stumble onto a nearly abandoned German command trench. Serving as both refuge and prize, the squad clears out the few remaining German soldiers and hunkers down to wait for reinforcements. It soon becomes clear why this trench is almost abandoned and that the threat from within might be greater than any weapon of war.
Deathwatch shines as a film that uses its unique setting to tailor scares and visuals that fit the era. Barbed wire envelops everything, both protective barrier and suffocating confinement. The trench itself is menacing, dark, and decrepit but is the only shelter against the almost certain death of no man’s land. Nature itself is against them, with constant rain and fog making the trench a horrid place in which to try to survive. Even in the end the villain is nebulous, with only a vague message about kindness giving any solace to the horrors. It’s an excellent reflection of the hopelessness of living a life caught between trenches and machine gun fire.
2) Ravenous (1999):
Some myths have trouble translating into modern fiction. For the Wendigo, there are two reasons why it just doesn’t work anymore. First off, in a modern society, it’s pretty hard to get lost in the woods so bad that you’re forced to eat your friends. We all have cell phones and at our most desperate can just find the nearest highway and cook up some roadkill. Secondly, thanks to the internet, it’s pretty easy to do some research and find out that eating people doesn’t literally turn you into a monster. I mean, not a literal monster. Dahmer didn’t have claws and superpowers.
If you found any of that funny, then Ravenous is the film for you. Watching this film, you will either totally miss the comedy because you’re shocked by the cannibals, or you’ll think it’s fucking hilarious because of the cannibals. Laughing at this movie is how I test for friends. Set in the isolated Fort Spencer nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, this 1850’s tale of macabre mastication works best in the era. It’s a time when people did actually accidentally get lost and have to eat each other, so the idea that a madman is out there looking to do just that is pretty great. If you’re hungry for a dark good time, check out Ravenous.
1) Black Death (2010):
Of all the films on this list, Black Death kicks it most old school in 1348. At the height of the Black Plague, a group of mercenaries led by knight Ulric (Sean Bean) are tasked with tracking down and capturing a reported necromancer capable of stopping the plague. Through a supposed combination of black magic and human sacrifice, the necromancer has successfully kept a remote village healthy. Church don’t stand for no black magic. Young monk Osmund offers his aid to the group, though his agenda is less “witch hunt” and more “escape with my love.”
I didn’t format this list as worst to best, but if I did, then Black Death would still easily be #1. On a list of my top 10 favorite films, it would hover somewhere around 5. The brutality of religion and its clash with Paganism are brought to full bloody force. It’s a bleak time when a torture device is the most technologically advanced thing you’ve ever seen. Dogma and conviction lead to savage and terrible acts on both sides, and the movie doesn’t blink in the face of abject cruelty. It leaves you feeling heavy and dreadful as only something so unmistakably real and unflinching could.
The Witch (2016):
Black Death was a fitting end note, as The Witch takes aim to unseat it as my favorite period piece horror film. Paranoia and religion mix, creating a dread that uniquely reflects the time. The marketing so far as been vague, so audiences are as yet unsure if the threat of witchcraft is real or just an invention of the fervent imagination of the ignorant Puritans. Personally, I can’t wait for February 19th to answer that question.
So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite period piece horror flick? Disagree with any of my choices? Think I left anything amazing out? Are you also excited to see The Witch? Let me know below!