Given almost all of my favorite horror films are from the past 10-15 years, here is some older horror recommendations from me.
10. Peeping Tom (1960)
Dir. by Michael Powell
I had to watch this for a film class last year, and it was truly chilling. The film follows Mark, who works at a film studio and loves photographing people. But his voyeuristic desires go further than that.
9. Freaks (1932)
Dir. by Tod Browning
What starts out as a drama following different members of a circus, quickly changes as you discover the sinister motives behind the guise of friendliness. This was one of the first movies to frame little people as actual characters, equal to everyone else. There is one scene near the end that is actually terrifying, for such an old movie.
8. The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
Dir. by Peter Weir
I would not call this a scary film, but Letterboxd classifies it as horror so I thought I would throw it in here because its so much fun to watch and I don’t think its something many people have seen. The beginning of Peter Weir’s (The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society) expansive career spawned this campy, crazy, shocking film about a mysterious isolated little town that has a lot of secrets. If anything, watch this to see crazy-looking cars run stuff over.
7. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Dir. by Stephen Chiodo
Another campy gem with a very simple story of clowns terrorizing a town. Even if it is not a masterpiece, I have so much fun with this movie and it is perfect to watch with friends. Some of the practical effects are freaky in this, and the costumes are absolutely wild.
6. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Dir. by John Landis
If you can’t tell, I enjoy horror/comedy movies that try something different with the genre. This especially is a perfect example of a fun buddy movie that rapidly turns into a brutal horror story that the locals are covering up. The special effects in this will blow your mind for 1981, you’re guaranteed to be laughing and freaked out at some point.
5. Cronos (1993)
Dir. by Guillermo del Toro
A while ago, I randomly put this on to try out more of del Toro’s work, and I was blown away. Simple, but wildly creative in terms of visuals, genre, and plot twists. Fantasy and horror mixed together with solid dramatic themes make for a great time.
4. Cure (1997)
Dir. by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
A masterclass in making you horribly uncomfortable, especially throughout the entire second half. With an incredible lead performance and nuanced, complicated direction by Kurosawa, it will leave you needing to watch it again and again and again, despite the sheer level of darkness present on all levels of this film. It is a pessimistic look at society and its violent desires.
3. The Thing (1982)
Dir. by John Carpenter
You knew you had to see some John Carpenter on here. This, along with Cure, I really need to rewatch to fully appreciate them. The Thing is one of those films that will make you angry that the credits roll, because I could have watched 3 hours of this story. It masterfully builds tension through paranoia, isolation, and fear of the unknown.
2. Funny Games (1997)
Dir. by Michael Haneke
Similar to Cure, this is another film that is a clear criticism of people’s relationship to violence. I don’t know how I feel about most of Haneke’s films, but a few of them, including this one, really hit the spot in pinpointing what is wrong with the human race, while simultaneously making the viewer feel guilty for enjoying the very film that he made. A true horror story.
1. Psycho (1960)
Dir. by Alfred Hitchcock
THE classic horror movie that shaped the genre to what it has become today. I am not a Hitchcockian, but it is hard to deny the brilliance of Psycho. I would give anything to see this on opening night in a packed theater in 1960, experiencing the turn from the woman escaping society plot straight into the depths of slasher horror. My favorite scene has to be when they are having an uncomfortable conversation in the room with all the birds on the walls. This movie is so great that when my grandpa saw this in theaters, after he left the theater and was driving, he was completely convinced that the movie was in color and my grandma couldn’t convince him otherwise.