Gentle reader, do you eschew modern horror with its gory slasher aesthetic for the subtler, more delicate terror of classic horror and cult films? Do you remember watching low budget monster movies on late night television, introduced by cheerfully macabre hosts like Zacherley and Dr. Shock? Does the sight of an actor in a rubber monster suit stomping his way through a 1:25 model of Tokyo make your heart thrill? If so, then this is a list for you – all collected from resources available through the Burlington County Library System.
Kanopy is an excellent place to start – and our first movie out of the gate is the 1922 silent film, Haxan, directed by Benjamin Christensen. Haxan features grave-robbing, torture, possessed nuns and a satanic Sabbath, but all to serve the hypothesis that what was referred to as hysteria in 1922 could have been responsible for the behavior of accused witches in the Middle Ages. When first released, Haxan allegedly shocked and scandalized 1920s audiences, was banned in the U.S. and censored in other countries. What’s not to love?
Let’s cast our eyes next to the silent film Nosferatu, directed in 1922 by F.W. Murnau, featuring legendary actor Max Schreck as the titular character. Max Schreck! Those teeth! Those eyes! That coat! Those buttons! Schreck’s Count Orlok is genuinely unsettling and otherworldly. With apologies to Werner Herzog and Robert Eggers, while modern remakes of this classic film might sate your cinematic bloodlust, there is nothing like the eerie, atmospheric original.
If early German Expressionism is your game, then 1919’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is for you – and Kanopy has a lovely version remastered from the archival German material, and tinted according to the original instructions. Roger Ebert has called The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari the first true horror film, and it is a testament to the power of extraordinary set design’s ability to establish mood and tell a story. And what a mood it sets! Hypnotists, somnambulists and murder most foul, all inhabiting a landscape of wild angles and jarring scenery.
Next is director James Whale’s The Old Dark House. Wretched weather forces travelers off the road and into an old dark house overseen by an eccentric – and possibly murderous! – cast of truly oddball family members. The Old Dark House was thought lost until rediscovered in a Universal Studios film vault in 1968. Featuring a cast of actors like Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton and the frankly astonishing Ernest Thesiger (“Have a potato!”), The Old Dark House is a spooky delight from start to finish.
Last on this list but not last in our hearts, it’s Carnival of Souls – “A story so unusual it will burn itself into your mind!” Director Herk Harvey’s only feature film, Carnival of Souls was made for $33,000 and originally marketing as a B movie, but transcends B movie constraints with an above paygrade use of cinematography, setting and musical score. Young church organist Mary Henry stumbles onto a muddy riverbank after what appears to have been a fatal car accident, and begins to experience an eerie disconnect from the world around her - all while being pursued by either a ghastly apparition of a man, or her loutish new neighbor. Egad! With choices like these, is it any wonder she didn’t crawl right back into the mud?
As you might have noticed, Kanopy has so many excellent classic horror and cult films that were they all to be listed here, this post might go on forever – or at least, for a really long time. Suffice to say that if the above movies are of interest to you, you might also want to check out these other Kanopy films:
The Haunted House – a favorite of reference librarians everywhere, Buster Keaton amazes and astounds with his legendary acrobatics and clever special effects in this charmingly spooky silent film.
Black Sabbath – from legendary horror director Mario Bava. C’mon, the band had to get their name from somewhere! Not a crazy train to be found here, though, just Boris Karloff – and that’s quite enough.
Evil Dead II – If you like your horror slapstick-style with a generous helping of the Three Stooges and a host of practical effects, you’re in luck – but then again, if that’s the case, you’re already a fan. This is a movie that stands up to repeated viewing – watch it again and again!
Night of the Living Dead – “They’re coming for you, Barbra!” From director George Romero, this film puts forth the hypothesis that the most frightening zombies shamble instead of run, and proves it most ably.
House on Haunted Hill: One could argue that it would be easy to populate this list with only the elegant and debonair Vincent Price’s movies, but restraint dictates only one Price movie should be featured, so let’s make it this one. An eccentric millionaire (of course!) invites five people to stay overnight in an allegedly haunted house. From prolific B movie director William Castle.
While Kanopy has a host – a swarm! A murder! – of movies too fright-inducing to miss, it would be a crime not to mention the other chilling, thrilling, cult-y movies in our collection, including:
Explore a chilling collection of classic horror films that have terrified and thrilled audiences for decades. From iconic monsters to suspenseful thrillers, this list features the must-see movies that defined the genre and continue to inspire fear and fascination.
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Check out this swarm … this murder ... of chilling, thrilling, cult-y books about films too fright-inducing to miss!
