I love this time of year. I love the costumes, decoration, and all the chocolate. But I also love the TV shows and movies–maybe because I’ve been addicted to horror novels since I was a kid and can’t get enough of being scared. But, regardless of the why, one of the things I look forward to the most is watching my favorite black and white horror movies. From Dracula to The Thing, I love the overacting, moodiness, and general gothic feel of them all. So let’s get started. Below are a few of my absolute favorite black & white movies to watch this weekend! (Thank you IMDB and WikiCommons for the links and images!)
The Thing From Another World
Also known simply as “The Thing.” This movie, made in 1951 is more of a Sci Fi flick than straight up horror movie, but it is still terrifying. It’s about a group of scientists and Air Force pilots (all of whom fought in WWII) who are stationed up at the North Pole, in a storm, all alone, and how they have to fight off an alien invader to save the world. It’s also famous for the two women who also star in this film. In the face of a lot of male-dominated action, the women hold their own and throw out a few sexual innuendos that I honestly didn’t catch until I was an adult. It’s a fast-paced movie, with a lot of (good) jump scares, a bit of well-time humor, and a touch of romance that is charming despite the fact we assume no one will get out alive.
Dracula
Don’t let the color movie poster fool you. This movie is a solid black and white classic. And it stars the great Bela Lugosi. If Bela Lugosi (or Vincent Price) are in a movie, I’m watching it. But this one, in particular, is a real treat. Made in 1931 (I can’t believe it’s almost 100 years old!), this movie follows Count Dracula as he moves to a London estate and begins his hunt for his victims. This movie, although not as deeply philosophical as Bram Stoker’s book (which is one of my all time faves!), has many of the vampire tropes we expect: coffin sleeping, afraid of crosses and garlic, he wears a cape, etc. Maybe its the age of the film, or the low light in which it was filmed, or the never-ending fog, but this movie still gives me the creepy gothic vibes I need this time of year. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it!
Frankenstein
One of the first movie adaptations from Mary Shelley’s famous novel, this is still my my favorite. The gloomy lighting and great acting (yay for Boris Karloff!) add to the movie’s creepy feel, but I honestly think that this movie is still scary because there are few special effects. It was filmed in 1931 and due to the technology available at the time this movie relies on the power of the original story, great acting, and set design to set up a scary story. This movie proves that more is not necessarily better.
The Black Cat
This is my favorite adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s story by the same name. Again, it stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and was filmed in 1934. And it proves that evil has been around this world for a long, long time. When a newlywed couple end up in an accident, and at the mercy of a devil-loving priest, it will truly take a miracle of love to survive.
The Raven
Another Poe adaptation with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff filmed in 1935. Although the original work is a poem, this is a great “expansion” of the story beneath the poem. There is a later movie with Vincent Price and Boris Karloff, but this one is my favorite. Again, maybe because special effects weren’t as sophisticated, this movie is just super-duper creepy and relies on setting and dialogue for emotional impact. This makes a great double feature with The Black Cat!
The Haunting
One of many adaptations of Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House, this one is my favorite. (Athough I do love the Netflix TV version). Of all the movie adaptations, this one tries to stay true to the original book. The book was s wonderfully scary in a psychological way that can be hard to put on screen, but the amazing acting–especially by Julie Harris–and the new-at-the-time way of filming makes this a movie you do not want to watch while alone in the house. And if you haven’t read the book, go read it. It will make all the movie/tv adaptations that much scarier!
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
This movie, made in 1954, was one of the first 3D movies I ever saw. Now, it was old at the time that I saw it but I watched it in a small theater that specialized in classic B&W movies–and the Saturday matinees were $1.50 for TWO movies! Anyway, this is a classic story of a group of post WWII scientists bumbling around the Amazon and discovering a gilled man who lives in the Black Lagoon. It might sound corny, and it kind of is, but there are still twists and turns to the story that will keep you up all night.
The Bride of Frankenstein
I actually like this movie better than Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein, who survived the first movie (if not the original book), is now being bullied by another scientist into making the monster a mate. While it is a weak premise, the morality issues this movie brings up are actually quite relevant and terrifying. In this movie, the monster (Frankenstein) has evolved into a much more complex being who just doesn’t want to be lonely anymore. It was filmed as a sequel to the original Frankenstein movie, but apparently there is some lost prologue footage that tied the two moves together more easily. Hopefully someone will, one day, find that lost footage!
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This is my favorite adaptation of my favorite Robert Louis Stevenson story. It stays pretty true to the original work, and the acting is superb. Again, because the special effects were limited in 1941, the director had to pull all the emotion he could out of his actors and his set designers and the results fabulous. Great writing, directing, and acting has left us with a gift of a true study in the horror of the duality of mankind.
Murders in the Rue Morgue
I adore Poe, and this 1932 Bela Lugosi classic is one of my favorite all-time Poe adaptations. The filming is a bit dark, but the dialogue is sharp and witty. If you don’t know the story, basically it’s about a scientist who wants to mix human female blood with that of an ape. The premise might seem silly, but both the short story and this movie are actually terrifying as only Mad Scientists can be. When this movie was made, censors cut out scenes where the women were brutally murdered. I recently saw those scenes and was shocked at how violent they were for the time. While I’m kind of used to current slasher pics, these old scenes, all in B&W, were quite brutal. Honestly, if you have the choice, watch the cut version. Those added scenes gave me nightmares.
The House on Haunted Hill
Another adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. While this one doesn’t stay as true to the books as The Haunting movie, it stars Vincent Price which is why it’s on this list. It was filmed in B&W in 1959 and has since been colorized. But I prefer it in black and white–it’s much spookier that way. Instead of paranormal scientific endeavor, this movie is about a millionaire who offers money to five people to spend the night in a haunted house. This isn’t my favorite movie in the list, but it’s worth watching, especially if you love the book since there are nods to the original work.
The Mummy
What do you do if you’re an Egyptian prince who is inadvertently resurrected in 1921? Why you wait around for ten years, disguising yourself as an accomplished Egyptologist, until you find the reincarnation of the lost love of your life and try to convince her she’s in love with you? I guess, if you’re Boris Karloff who is playing the mummy, you fight hard to win the girl of the your dreams while taking down all those who oppose you. This movie is a bit silly, but I love it. It’s got a never-ending love story that makes the scary parts seem reasonable–if one decided that killing others for love is a reasonable thing. Anyway, this Boris Karloff classic has great dialogue and one of my favorite scary movie heroines of all time. Helen Grosvenor, the reincarnation of the mummy’s great love, is beautiful, witty, and leaves all the men in the movie wanting more.
