Halloween is three weeks away, and here is a list of classic horror films that are not only worth watching, but also stand out from all the other scary movies.
- Dracula (1931): Bela Lugosi’s best-known performance, although Dwight Frye’s portrayal of Renfield is scarier. Nevertheless, it will always be the most famous vampire movie.
- Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922): this silent film starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok follows the storyline of the novel Dracula closer than the Bela Lugosi version.
- The Phantom of the Opera (1927): Lon Chaney Sr. gives a spectacular performance as the phantom in this silent version, only to be rivaled by Claude Rains in the 1943 version.
- Frankenstein (1931): Boris Karloff’s breakthrough performance as the Frankenstein Monster is more famous than all other versions, although it deviated from the novel by Mary Shelley (whereas the Robert De Niro version did). At any rate, the film had several sequels, consisting of Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), and House of Dracula (1945)- the latter three also being sequels to Dracula and the Wolf Man.
- House of Frankenstein (1944): If you’re interested in a film that has all the classic monsters, then the fourth sequel to Frankenstein is worth watching. In fact, it probably can give The Monster Squad (1987), Van Helsing (2004), and even its sequel House of Dracula a run for the money.
- The Wolf Man (1941): Lon Chaney Jr. would follow in his father’s footsteps in the horror film genre, in this case portraying a werewolf.
- The Mummy (1932): Boris Karloff in the title role would spawn a series of non-sequel sequels, consisting of The Mummy’s Hand (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), and The Mummy’s Curse (1944).
- King Kong (1933): the confrontations that Kong (and the explorers for that matter) have with the monsters on Skull Island in this version outdo those shown in the 2005 remake. At any rate, both versions are better than the 1976 remake.
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956): this American version of Godzilla is probably than the original Japanese version from 1954, and perhaps outdoes the 1998 and 2014 remakes.
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954): the first film to introduce the gill-man, and would result in a pair of sequels- Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948): perhaps the best of all horror-comedy films, including Abbott and Costello’s other horror-comedies, as well as the Scary Movie saga and Hysterical (1983).
- The Invisible Man (1933): Claude Rains gives an excellent performance as a mad scientist, only to be rivaled by Frederic March and Spencer Tracy’s portrayals of their respective Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films.
- The Blob (1958): starring Steve McQueen, this movie was better than the 1988 remake.
Feel free to add to this list.
