golden age horror cinema you must watch

some of my fave classic horror movies from the 50s & 60s

With Halloween in sight, many people are gearing up to tear through their usual spooky favorites and discover some new ones. The horror film genre and its many subgenres became codified starting with the release of Dracula in 1931. Since then, filmmakers have used it to push the boundaries of what we can do visually, technically, and socially. Hollywood’s Golden Age of Cinema brings to mind glitzy starlets walking the red carpet outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to promote their latest romantic melodrama. On the flipside, auteurs and novices explored the dark, strange, creepy, and scary, creating films that influenced the horror genre today. You’ve probably been told to see Frankenstein, Psycho, Nosferatu, etc. and for good reason, so I want to focus on other influential films of the time, some instantly recognizable and others cult classics.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) dir. Don Siegel

why aren’t they making movie posters like this anymore?

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers follows Dr. Miles Bennell as he notices that the residents of the sleepy California town Santa Mira seem off. They look, talk, and act normal, but something is missing. When he and his girlfriend Becky are called to his friend Jack’s house to investigate a strange body that begins taking on Jack’s likeness, Miles and Becky slowly uncover the truth behind what’s happening in Santa Mira. This film is so iconic that you can probably guess what it’s about without me having to spoil anything, but in case you really don’t know, it’s best to go in as blind as possible for maximum enjoyment of the sci-fi horror that unfolds.

Since its release, the film has been interpreted as an anti-McCarthyism and anti-Communist film but none working on the production ever intended it to be. The film’s original ending was more open-ended and unsettling. However, the studio insisted on edits to make the film’s ending more optimistic, which severely altered how the film could be interpreted. Because of this, it’s hard not to connect the film’s events to the Second Red Scare. Regardless of that, though, this is a perfect example of tight filmmaking. No second on screen was wasted and despite being made in the 1950s, the makeup and special effects hold up. Fun fact: the iconic Miss Carolyn Jones who played Morticia Addams in the 1960s Addams Family TV show, has a main role.

“In my practice, I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind... All of us - a little bit - we harden our hearts, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear.”

Night of the Living Dead (1968) dir. George A. Romero

Night of the Living Dead follows a group of strangers who barricade themselves in an old house to escape hoards of flesh-eating zombies that are taking over the country. One of the things I love most about the story is that it tricks you into thinking the first characters you see are the main characters until it introduces Ben. Played by Duane Jones, Ben is the first Black lead character in a horror movie. But that’s not the only way this film pushed the boundaries of its time. Coming out shortly before the MPAA rating system, the film broke ground by portraying explicit violence and gore, leading to controversy and negative reviews. But, good filmmaking prevailed, because it made back more than 250 times its budget at the box office. Using guerrilla filmmaking techniques, the film maximized its low budget by filming on location at a condemned rural farmhouse with unknown actors and a skeleton crew, using whatever they could get their hands on as props and special effects.

All of the horror films of today that have tried to Say Something should owe their success to this film. Unabashedly and horrifically portraying taboo topics, without beating audiences over the head with any one particular theme, allows the film to live way beyond its director’s intentions. Film critics and scholars have endlessly discussed the many interpretations. I view it as a horrifying, gritty piece about the decay of American society, the incompetence of the American government, and the police state. The ending of Night of the Living Dead is the most devastating, tragic thing I’ve ever witnessed, and this is coming from someone who’s seen every Ari Aster film.

“Well…the television said that’s the right thing to do.”

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) dir. Roger Corman

Many people are probably familiar with the musical from the 1980s and its many runs off and on Broadway, but this famous story was once just a cheaply made B-movie thrown into a double feature. The Little Shop of Horrors follows floral shop owner Mushnick and his two employees Audrey and Seymour. Located on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, the shop doesn’t attract many customers and is doing poorly financially. But Seymour plans to fix this; he’s cross-pollinated a new plant that could save the shop–if only it weren’t so puny. Seymour tries everything to get the plant to eat and grow, but it all fails; until he accidentally discovers the plant loves human flesh.

What I love most about this film is that it’s very apparent it was shot in 3 days and it’s not trying to act like it wasn’t. It’s cheap, slapstick humor with campy performances and cartoonish set pieces. The film was only made in the first place to take advantage of the sets from a previous film that hadn’t been taken down yet. It may not be the best horror comedy of all time but it paved the way for the ones we have today. Also, Jack Nicholson makes an unexpected bit appearance in what is one of his earliest roles.

“I happen to represent the Society of Silent Flower Observers of Southern California.”

House on Haunted Hill (1959) dir. William Castle

another great movie poster

I think I first saw House on Haunted Hill in middle school. Possibly younger, my memory isn’t what it used to be at the ripe age of 27. But it has stuck with me ever since. The film follows eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren (played by the iconic Vincent Price, who, let’s just say it, I would, any day) after he invites five strangers to stay in a haunted mansion overnight. If they survive, they each get $10,000. In today’s money, that’s around $80,000 and look, if I was offered that, hell yeah I’d stay in a haunted house overnight, I got student loans to pay. The guests are allowed to back out until midnight when the doors are locked, the windows are barred, and there is no escape until morning. I can’t say more about the story no matter how much I want to because its best tool is the element of surprise. I will say there is a story within the story, effectively subverting expectations and keeping you guessing the whole time.

The story is creepy and campy, and while all of the performances are great, much of its success is due to Castle’s direction and Price’s performance. Alfred Hitchcock himself was inspired by this film and made Psycho the next year, so that should tell you everything. There is nothing better than a campy, slightly gimmicky horror film that knows what it is and uses its full potential. Watching it is like going through a creepy carnival ride, and no matter how many times you view it, the plot twists still surprise and entertain. Watch this in the dark with candles and popcorn, you’ll have a great time.

Fredrick: “Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?”

Annabelle (his wife) [laughs]: “Something you ate, the doctor said.”

Fredrick: “Yes, arsenic on the rocks…”

Bonus: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) dir. Philip Kaufman

This isn’t a Golden Age film but it’s so good that I must include it. For discussion’s sake I’m going to spoil some of the plot so if you care about that, skip to the next paragraph. This iteration follows the original: a man and woman discover that aliens are taking over the bodies of humans while they sleep, erasing their humanity and turning them into pod people. But the similarities end there, and it’s why the film surpasses the original.

This is a film that knows it’s a remake but also isn’t trying to copy the original. The first few minutes bring you into the alien’s POV because it possesses self-awareness about its source material’s relevance in pop culture. The tension in this iteration comes from the knowledge that viewers have but that the characters don’t, the mystery unfolding slowly before exploding into a race for survival in the second half. The remake uses everything to its advantage: instead of a small town, they’re in bustling San Francisco, adding to the frantic feeling of a world takeover; two of the main characters work directly with the Department of Health, putting them right in the middle of the chaos; both female characters have a lot more to do; the advancements in film, from techniques to colorization to special effects to what is allowed on screen are all used to their fullest potential. But the best thing about this remake is that it finally gave the story the unsettling ending that the original never got to have. I’ll never forget the final moments of this film, it kept me guessing right up to the end and was deeply disturbing.

Like with the original, this film is thematically rich. Some said this iteration was an allegory for the ‘70s rebuttal of ‘60s counter-culture. Other interpretations suggest it’s a critique of American consumerism and obsession with self-improvement. Lastly, as a film made post-Vietnam and Watergate, mistrust of the government is a prominent theme as well. All of these interpretations are great and add a richness to the film, but if you also just want to turn your brain off and watch it as nothing more than a good sci-fi flick, it works as that too. You can tell when a remake has been done with care and Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a prime example.

“The rest of the world is trying to change people for to fit the world. I'm trying to change the world to fit people.”

I watched these films on Kanopy, a free streaming service for local and academic libraries. Sign up with your library card and you’re good to go!

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Thanks for reading! Have you seen any of these classics? If not, which ones interest you? Do you have any favorite old horror classics of your own?

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