A while back, in March, I made a list of horror films that I considered some of my favorites. I know, what more an appropriate time to do a list like that than at the begging of Spring. As I mentioned in that article, I have never really gravitated towards the genre, mainly due to my admittedly squeamish nature. I’ve experienced so many iconic films of all genres that my other lists typically comprise of lesser known films, but because I am something of an inexperienced horror connoisseur, these entries will lie more on the well-known status.
Now that Halloween is approaching, I wanted to do a follow-up to that article detailing some of the films on my journey. Years of repression have washed away as I have come to realize that many of these horror films were quite easy to sit through…I guess my nerves aren’t as shot as I thought they were. I decided to spin this one into more detailing my inexperienced mind’s first reactions to this cavalcade of horror delights, and to, perhaps, persuade those who are just as squeamish as I once was to give these films a chance. From atmospheric terror to gory bloodbaths, I tried to narrow it down to various types of horror. In the month of spookiness, these films could not be more perfect for those looking for an entry-way. Cowards beware, you’re in for some care.
Monstrous Beginnings
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
If there’s anything less accessible than horror films these days, it’s films of the classic era. Without much room for shocking content, many of these films were held back by extreme censorship, but there’s something fascinating about watching these films work against those conditions. In the first article, I talked about The Invisible Man. Today, it may not be recognized as very frightening, but one cannot deny the attempts of sheer terror than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Released in the golden age of the classic Universal monster movies like Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy, this film was Paramount’s attempt to cash in on the craze. Before the Wolf Man made the whole split-personality gimmick a more marketable trope, this film did it ten years earlier. What the latter film doesn’t quite get is the balance between horror and tragedy. This film, which portrays an ambitious scientist that wishes to separate the animal instincts of man from the more refined sentimentality, causes a mistake that sees him switching into a terrifying creature with little remorse and the need to treat people like dirt, especially a woman who he wishes to chain up as his personal mistress.
This film feels very tame compared to the horror films that came out past the late sixties, but it does manage to embody much of what has been echoed in years to come. Jekyll is quite a tragic character, unable to control the monster that decides to appear when he sees fit. All Jekyll wants is to marry the love of his life, but his experiment has led his life into complete misery. The mere notion of a separate person taking you over in unexpected moments is terrifying alone, but it’s the way our lead character is stripped of everything good on his life that makes this more of a cerebral horror.
There is an outdated feeling that can wash over this film. It’s always difficult to veer people in the direction of older films, but these classic monster movies have managed to remain timeless in the eyes of many film enthusiasts. There’s a lot to appreciate with the technical aspects as well, but as a plain horror film, it does manage to make you feel tense. I think it’s best to place yourself in the lead role, asking yourself what you would do if you were put in that position. You also get these themes of domestic abuse that have felt more timeless than anything else in this film. The way Hyde abuses the woman he has fallen in love with and how she cannot do anything to stop it is surprisingly relevant to the awareness of today.
Freaks (1932)
If you wanted to talk about old horror films that feel shockingly relevant to the lessons of today, Freaks is an interesting one. This film was banned from cinemas in 1932 after audience members were left horrified at the imagery portrayed in the film. When my eyes glanced over this film in the horror section, I was ready for a movie that would be uncomfortably mean-spirited and a product of a less sympathetic time, I did not expect such a fascinating insight into the imperfections of the world and how it dares audiences to acknowledge and accept these very things.
I was debating putting this film in the list, as I don’t view it, completely, as a horror, but it’s hard to deny what exactly made audiences so terrified in the thirties. Focusing on circus performers, the movie used actual circus “freaks” as their main cast of characters. With a mixture of people with dwarfism, a man who exists only from the waist up, a series of deformed, childlike performers, Siamese twins, a living torso and various other shocking characters, the horror draws more from the imagery than anything else. While there is a plot surrounding the “normals” who mock these disabled performers, and a faux wedding, it’s mostly an observational piece.
To the unknown eye, this seems like a film that is mocking the disabled. I thought I was in for some truly uncomfortable bigotry, but director, Tod Browning, chose to paint a more sympathetic picture. In a similar to the works of Guillermo del Toro, the real monsters of the film are those consider themselves normal. The film embraces the bizarre in a time of religious belief as we’re told to look upon God’s imperfections as they are. But, much like an actual circus performance, we are made to look in real terror at the appearances of these unfortunate people. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t dumbfounded by the appearances of certain entertainers, questioning their biology and how they can still be alive.
This film is an uncomfortable one. Because of how accepting we have become as a society, the look of these people isn’t as shocking as it would’ve been during the thirties. It isn’t so much terrifying, now, as it is slightly surreal. The final act certainly doubles down on the more horrific side of the genre, but the rest of the film feels very tame. The age of the film should not dissuade you, however, it’s something worth watching, if only to say you have. It’s short and ever-so-fascinating.
Distressing Disturbances
The Haunting (1963)
So, perhaps the classic horror films are a little to silly for you. Most of the early horror films were more focused on showing you creepy imagery and shocking looking monsters. To me, there is nothing more terrifying than psychological horror. Very, Very recently, I managed to watch the classic ghost picture, The Haunting. It’s often heralded as one of the greatest horror films of the classic era of cinema, and not for its scary looking monsters, but its ability to make you feel just as horrified as the characters on screen. As someone who generally anxious, I can’t think of a more perfect approach to horror.
Take four characters, lock them in a house full of ghosts and let the terror speak for itself. When your main character is someone who is mentally unstable, feeling guilt-ridden over letting her sickly mother die and having to stay at a house with a similar history of circumstances, it’s not difficult to feel that same sense of sheer fear and anxiety. You are the main character in this film, or at the very least, you feel like a fifth presence. Mysterious noises, bumps in the night, scrapings across the floorboards and doors slamming shut. As simple as all this is, it’s terrifying in its simplicity.
Growing up, I was surrounded by ghost stories. My mum has always been quite the skeptic, believing in ghosts, and while I may not be entirely convinced, there is so something so natural about the fear I get from watching a story like this. Ghost stories always feel so much more natural because there’s always a possibility that these types of things have happened. The film plays around so well with our own reluctance to believe that it presents these ideas plain and simple. It’s atmospheric, it uses the architecture to make you feel like your trapped.
The fear of the unknown is what makes this film soar. Muffled sounds can make you feel on edge, and the protagonist that you latch to is not doing much better. In such a short time, I can herald this as one of my favorite horror films ever made. There are some slightly outdated moments of acting that could take you out of that atmosphere, but it mostly keeps this feeling of complete dread all throughout.
The Thing (1982)
I wasn’t quite sure where to put this horror classic. It’s very disturbing, but it also fits into a genre of Eldritch horrors that almost had its own section on this list. I also debated between this and Halloween as the John Carpenter film to go with, but out of the two, there was no debate which one scared me more.
A remake of a cheesy B-movie from the fifties, it’s wild to think this film bombed when it released. Of course, when you release the same day as Blade Runner, it was always going to be hard task to beat that one out. But for all my worth, this film is leagues better. Carpenter has had a mixed history with horror, but his magnum opus is this film right here. It takes everything great about both implied and outwards horror and combines them into this behemoth of sheer fear.
In a rather cliche setup of trapping a team of people in a remote location while a monster runs around axing everyone off, it stands out by how little of the “thing” you actually see. We never know what exactly this creature looks like, nor do we know what its motives are. We only know that it can mimic living organisms, and that at any point, it could have replaced one of the team members. The atmosphere of this remote station and the various designs of the creature as it destroys the bodies of these living organisms is so paralyzing. The realistic look of the practical effects to pull off the creature’s indescribable look are nothing short of perfection.
There wasn’t a single moment of this film that I wasn’t engaged. It’s terrifying in all the greatest meanings of the word. Even after all these years, it manages to remain scarier than most iconic horror films. It’s a playground for the alien to take advantage of and it makes it so much easier to picture yourself in that environment. The look of the creature is just part of the fear, the fact that it could lurking around the corner, or has replaced one of the main characters is just as frightful. It’s not an easy one for the non-horror fan to start with, but it’s essential for your horror viewing.
Ringu (1998)
No doubt that you’re familiar with the American remake with the simple translated name of “The Ring”, but very few westerners have gone out of their way to watch the original Japanese film that inspired it. I too watched the remake beforehand, many years back, but the original film was always on my mind. I had always heard stories of how ridiculously terrifying this film was, so my more anxious past self was never going to take the plunge and give it a try. Quite honestly, I think I made the right choice. Even as a fully-grown adult, this film left me a little shaken.
We all know the iconic imagery of the girl crawling out of the TV, brought on by a mysterious tape that made it into the hands of a curious reporter. Said to cause the death of those who watch within a week, it plays around with urban mythology and the inherent creepiness that came from the blankness of a tape. There’s definitely more terror for those who grew up in the VHS generation. I’m just about old enough to remember the last of the VHS tapes before they were made obsolete by the eve of DVDs.
It’s difficult to contextualize this film for modern audiences. Found footage was much more of an occurrence than you would get today, what with the internet telling you everything you need to know beforehand. Anyone could make a tape, and the idea of finding a blank cassette was immediately terrifying. This film uses that basic fear so effectively, where even the graininess of the footage sends shivers down your spine. Even the static that appears before and after any tape creates this eerie feeling that there’s something sinister lurking behind those frazzled dots. This isn’t even taking into account the somewhat graphic dead bodies and the mysterious aura around the ghostly girl, Sadako.
If you can put aside the various trope-like problems that blanket the story, the simple horror is perfect. I was quite harsh on some of the film’s plot in my initial review of the film, but there’s no denying just how terrified I was. I rarely ever feel such a sheer sense of blood-curdling, spine-crunching horror than what this film managed to do. It has a fair share of jump-scares, which can often bother me in any movie, horror or not, but they’re used effectively and do not take away from the complete sense of anxiety. It’s not as accessible for the more squeamish person, but it’s a nice segway into the more conventional stuff.
An Ungodly Fear
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Religion and horror seem to go together so naturally. This obviously stems from that biblical view on good vs. evil, but it surprising to see how its managed to stay so synonymous with the genre all these years later. As someone who has previously experience the whole religion aspect first-hand, one of the worst aspects about it is how frequently they instill the fear of God in you. Rosemary’s Baby is the culmination of many of these same guilt-riddled fears that those in same position can relate to. In one of the most surreal horror films of the sixties, this one is near enough a masterpiece.
Take a newlywed couple and place them in a dingy apartment, this film doesn’t start off in the most conventional way for a horror film, but you get this sense there’s something “off” about the atmosphere of the film that’s hard to explain. When the couple meets their elderly neighbors, intrusiveness turns into a forced friendship and bizarre things begin to unfold. The titular Rosemary becomes pregnant after a strange dream where she is raped by the devil. There’s nothing natural about her pregnancy, losing weight, only to suddenly gain in a moments notice. Mix in some possible witchcraft and you begin to question what is real and what is merely Rosemary overthinking things.
I’ve mentioned how mere implication can be so much more terrifying than outwards shock. This film is entirely dependent on the audience’s need to question what is presented. The vagueness of everything leaves you in this constant state of battling your own beliefs. Rosemary’s innocent, religious ambivalence to much of the darkness surrounding her life makes it so hard to justify much of her won skepticism. This questionable reality will lead you to believe your own theories. “Is Rosemary really housing the anti-christ?” I would keep repeating to myself. The rape scene felt too real, but it was hard to make sense of it all.
This one of those films that is better left for the audience to see first-hand. Having me explain the film would be to give away far too much. What I will say is that it never ceases to feel terrifying. There is always this air of something going on, vague hints of a powerful evil presiding over Rosemary. By the final act, you feel nothing but complete distress as you beg for Rosemary to be safe. If you’re looking for a psychological nightmare of a film, this is a perfect start, just don’t look into the personal life of the director; I don’t want to ruin the film for you.
Saint Maud (2019)
Modern horror has always been very difficult for me to get into. There’s far too much reliance on jump scares and gore that it often ignores the roots of why horror films were so beloved to begin with. Earlier this year, I was looking into modern alternatives that most typically don’t talk about. Saint Maud was one that I could get on board with.
Using that fear of religion and really pushing it to its limits, you take this religious zealot and throw her into the most extreme case of religious fanaticism you can muster. We see Maud take on the responsibility of someone else’s life in what she thinks an act of God communicating through her directly. We watch a radically disturbed person with a vague past lose her mind before her eyes, flitting back and forth between the realm of reality and fantasy. Not reliant on those two fallbacks I mentioned before, this film is so much more about implication and disturbing you through simple mannerisms.
I don’t think this film is amazing and as monumental as the films I mentioned. The main reason I chose this is because of how modern and accessible it is. There’s some fantastic imagery in this film, and manages to capture that disturbed sense of being so well. I can believe that someone could be this brainwashed into thinking that God is communicating through them because I’ve met people who are almost as disillusioned. It’s not using religion as the power to defeat evil, its flipping it on its head.
I would urge anyone who is looking to start on horror to go with this one. It doesn’t take too many risks, but does manage to tell a rather terrifying tale of a woman progressively insane. It’s just the right levels of disturbing to keep you hooked throughout, allowing you to fill in the gaps of this purposely vague story.
A Bloody Good Ending
The Evil Dead (1981)
If it hasn’t become obvious enough, I’ve never been one for gore in horror films. Gore can be done with a level of purpose, outside of merely satisfying some sadistic urge that lies in our subconscious, but I generally revile the stuff. There are a few horror films, however, that I do think utilize gore in superb ways. I considered both Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, but they never felt anything more than ‘enjoyable’, but then we have Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead.
As someone who grew up in the early 2000’s, my exposure to Raimi’s direction was purely through the classic Spider-Man trilogy. It’s only years later that I was alerted to his trilogy of horrors. While I do enjoy Evil Dead II more, I look at as more of a comedy, the first film: a bloodbath of some of the goriest cinema you could see. Put a group of teenagers in a remote cabin, let them find a demonic book and let the insanity speak for itself. Much of this film is just Bruce Campbell having to deal with the countless demonic entities that posses his friends and the torrents of bloody massacre that comes with it.
This film is shameless in its approach to blood and gore. At every turn you get gruesome moments of body parts flying off, demons spewing out blood and Campbell getting bathed in all of this. There isn’t much substance, but that’s what makes it so fun, it’s all just pure terror and insanity. You rarely ever get a moment to stop and breath, it wants to leave such an impact. The make-up and prosthetics are phenomenal for such a low budget. The horror always takes precedence. It’s not easy to recommend gore films to newcomers to horror, but the overly exaggerated nature of the film can often alleviate much of that worry. Evil Dead is a prime example of a specific director’s vision overtaking everything, and the sequels are just as good.
The End…?
Yeah, it’s the end. I’ve really enjoyed these seven months of horror exposure. A year ago, I was very selective over the horror films I would watch, always preparing myself for the inevitable jump scare. My evasiveness really held me back from watching some truly great classics. It’s still not one of my favorite genres, but I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who can pull it off, especially now with the genre failing to capture that fearful spirit. I hope, to anyone who was just as nervous as I was, that I could shed some light on what tales of spook could rattle your bones…You made it this far, let me be cheesy for a little.
You can read part I here: https://conorjohnson1.wordpress.com/2022/03/14/conors-cinematic-contemplation-horror-films/
Written by Conor Johnson.