Ok, as I mentioned, this month is gonna be dedicated to old school horror. Now when I say old school, I mean shit from the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Now don’t bitch and piss and moan. There’s some good shit to be seen. Classic stuff. Hence the purpose for this here article. After you read this, you will know the top ten old school horror movies of all time. Trust me, I’m a professional. So how about we stop with the foreplay and get to the good stuff, yes? One more thing, after you read this, be sure and check out Sasha Slaughter’s
bio on the great Bela Lugosi. That’s some shit you wanna look in to. Ok, without further ado, here’s my list:
ZOMBIE ZANE’S TOP TEN OLD SCHOOL HORROR MOVIE CLASSICS
10. Coming in at the 10 spot is the silent classic (yes, I said silent) ‘DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.’ Now this is not to be confused with the other 1920 Hayden film. That one is only 40 minutes long. This one, too, came out in 1920 but it has John Barrymore in it. And it’s longer than 40 minutes. It’s based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) which, by the way, was a great remake with Tony Todd (Candyman) but that’s a whole other story. In any case, this classic tale of split personality has spawned cartoons and shitloads of remakes. But this is where it all began. Not wild about silent films, but I still enjoyed it (thanks to beer and some vodka shots) I give ‘DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE’ a middle of the road 2.5 out of 5.
9. At the nine we have another silent film. (Quit your bitchin.’) This one stars Lon Chaney as Quasimodo. The hunchbacked bell ringer. Obviously I’m talking about Universal’s 1923 classic, ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.’ This was Universal’s most successful silent film grossing about 3 million bucks. Now that’s a shitload of cash!! Who knew? Anyway, we all know the plot so I’ll spare you the details let’s just get to the ranking. I liked this film. Again, not a fan of silent movies but the ones on this list are for real worth it. I give ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME’ a solid 2.5 out of 5. Great make-up, great acting, and awesome set design.
8. How about we continue with the silent film trend and throw in 1925's ‘THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’ which also features Lon Chaney. Ok, I know, enough of the silent films. But again, these are good movies. Without these, horror today would be so different. So give ‘em a chance, yes? Anyway, the plot is familiar to everyone so again I’ll skip it let me just say that this film is definitely worth a watch. Lon Chaney is a bad motherfucker. I give this Universal Studio gem a 3 out of 5.
7. At number seven I have (and no, it ain’t a silent film) another offering from Universal Studios. How about ‘CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.’ I’ve mentioned this film in another article which you may or may not have read so if you haven’t shame on you. Read it after you read this one. This film is from 1954 and was the first film to be shot in 3D. Pretty cool huh? So grab your 3D glasses, get some popcorn and enjoy. I give this trend setting movie a nice 3 out of 5.
6. "IT’S ALIVE!! ALIVE!!" That’s right baby! Coming in at the six we have Mary Shelley’s classic ‘FRANKENSTEIN.’ This is also another Universal picture and was released in 1931. It stars Boris Karloff as the monster and was directed by James Whale. I reviewed this movie in my article, ‘Meet My Monster’ so if ya wanna know more about bop on over to the archives and give it a read. This is fo sho an old school classic and it gets a 4.25 out of 5 from me. Again, this film spawned sequels, and tons of remakes so you might wanna look into watching this one.
5. Halfway done. Hope you’re enjoying the list so far. For the five spot I am putting in 1941's ‘THE WOLF MAN.’ This film is full of star power! Ya got Lon Chaney Jr. as the werewolf, ya got Claude rains, and ya got Bela Lugosi. Need I say more. This was actually Universal’s second werewolf film. ‘Werewolf of London’ was the first and it was very successful. So with all that said, I give this iconic film a 4.5 out of 5. It’s a must watch when talking old school horror.
4. In 1931 one of the most duplicated ever horror films hit the big screen. I’m talking the classic horror film, ‘DRACULA.’ Produced by Universal and starring Bela Lugosi this vampire movie actually had people fainting from the horror on the screen. No shit. To this day, ‘DRACULA’ is preserved in the National Film Registry and as you know, this film started the whole vampire craze. So you Twatlight fans out there, can thank Universal Studio’s and Bram Stoker for introducing vampires to American audiences. ‘DRACULA’ gets a 4.75 out of 5. This is a MUST watch for horror fans.
3. Have you ever wanted to be invisible? I have. In 1933 Claude Rains got to do just that in H.G. Wells’ ‘THE INVISIBLE MAN.’ This film is an adaptation from Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name. This film was also directed by our buddy James Whale who, if you were paying attention, also directed ‘Frankenstein.’ This film also was preserved in the US Film Registry by the Library of Congress by saying this film is historically, culturally, and aesthetically significant. Neat huh? I give this sci-fi/horror film a 4.75 out of 5.
2. Jesus Christ this is taking for fucking ever! Who knew a top ten list was gonna be a career move. Ok, sorry. Not to be a bitch, but damn! My fingers are...You don’t wanna hear it. I understand. Let’s get back to the list. At the two spot I have the 1932 Universal produced ‘THE MUMMY.’ This iconic horror feature stars our man Boris Karloff and was directed by Karl Freund. Now this movie has spawned all kinds of sequels and shit. Most of them being not too bad. You remember all the Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser? Hell yeah, this ‘32 classic is the reason for it. I would have to say, Dracula movies excluded, that ‘The Mummy’ has created more sequels and prequels than any other old school horror film. ‘THE MUMMY’ gets a 4.75 out of 5.
1. Ok, now for the numero-uno film of old school horror. Now this film is not a Universal Studio production like the others on this list. Sorry to break the trend but...And yes, it’s another silent film. And if you don’t like well...SUCK IT! The final film in our list of ten is the 1922 German Expressionist film, ‘NOSFERATU.’ Directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok. This film is uber creepy! Now the music does tend to get on my nerves, but nevertheless this film is one bad motherfucker. Just the images alone are still, to this day, haunting. It is for sure a must see. I give ‘NOSFERATU’ a perfect 5 out of 5! When you talk classic vampire movies, this movie is always mentioned as one of the best if not best. So if you can procure a copy of it, get it and watch it.
Well, there it is. Zombie Zane’s top ten old school horror films. Be sure and check out Sasha’s stuff as well. She’s got some good shit on the slab that you will wanna read. As for me, I’m done here. So until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
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