Tag Archive: movies

Three, three, three! classic silents

October 29, 2010 0 Comments

It’s the Friday of Halloween weekend. Maybe you’re bored. Maybe you’re looking for something to occupy your time. That’s why I’m packing three, three, three horror classics of the silent era into one blog post. The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Forget about song and dance and Broadway, the real Phantom of the Opera was a creepy classic that was ahead of its time. The story has been remade five times, but it’s tough to beat a silent classic with Lon Chaney. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1920) Jekyll and Hyde don’t rate very highly in modern horror, but way back when it was a pretty creepy story about man’s dual nature. This 1920 adaptation is considered by many to be among the best silent…
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White Zombie (1932)

October 28, 2010 0 Comments

For most of this week of horrors I’ve focused on classics of the silent era. Here I thought I’d throw something else into the mix. Not only is 1932’s White Zombie not of the silent era, it’s not really a classic, either. But it IS something of a landmark. Featuring screen legend Béla Lugosi, best known for being creepy as hell (and the most recognizable Dracula), White Zombie is probably the first ever zombie film, albeit not in the George Romero way we think of zombies today. This is classic voodoo and witch doctor stuff. Is it any good? The reviews were not great (though it’s quite a moody picture), and I’m afraid time hasn’t sparked a renewed interest in the film, either. Still, if…
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Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

October 27, 2010 2 Comments

When I first began to explore silent film, one of the earliest movies to convince me of the power of the silents was 1922’s landmark horror film, Nosferatu, a Dracula adaptation in all but name. I say in all but name because the film was intended to be an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but the studio could not obtain the rights the story. A few name changes and plot tweaks and wala! A brand new story … sort of. Nosferatu is one of the great silent films and is still one of the great horror films, relying on a creepy, moody approach rather that jump-at-you scares and gore. The film is in the public domain, so that means you can watch it in full,…
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House on Haunted Hill (1959)

October 26, 2010 0 Comments

Many of the films we dive into during this week o’ horrors will be silent films. Not this one. House on Haunted Hill is an influential B-movie from 1959 starring the legendary Vincent Price. So influential, in fact, it was one of the inspirations for Alfred Hitchcock’s slasher classic, Psycho. House on Haunted Hill tells the kind of story you’ve probably heard before. Five people are invited to stay in a house overnight. Guests who stay until morning win a boatload of cash. But staying is dangerous, and terrible, terrible things begin to happen. The film is in the public domain, and that means you can watch it right now: A few things to note: * The film was re-made in 1999, starring Geoffrey Rush,…
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The Golem (1920)

October 25, 2010 0 Comments

This creepy, dreamlike film from 1920 is based on the old Jewish folklore of the Golem, an artificial creature made of inanimate matter and brought to life. (Shades of Frankenstein’s monster there.) In this moody German production, the creature comes to life and, naturally, wreaks havoc. This variation on the tale — the full title is The Golem: How He Came into the World — is one of the great examples of German impressionist cinema. Both the story as well as the approach to visual storytelling in this film proved highly influential, guiding the work of legends like Alfred Hitchcock. Since the film is in the public domain, you can check it out yourself right here: * The film is available to download (legally) right…
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