The 13 Best Directors - Contemporary
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-(1920)
Of the dozen or so silent versions of this story by Robert Louis
Stevenson, John Barrymore is best remembered as the spidery Mr.
Hyde in this the first and most famous version of the classic tale.
One of the first American made horror movies and readily available
for audiences today. Also the first version to introduce the idea
of two seperate woman for each personality. Remade countless times.
Nosferatu-(1922)
In all of cinema history no villian has ever topped Dracula in
darkness and evil and no version of the vampire has yet to match
Max Schreck
as the dreaded Count Orlok. Considered to be the first
vampire movie and as one of the most creepy looking vampires to grace
the screen. Count Orlok swept through the German town of Bremen like
as plague claiming the innocent until a fair heroine takes it upon
herself to stop this monster. Schreck's rather stiff and corpse-like
Count makes this film a pure classic and would forever be known.
Remade in 1979.
The Phantom of the Opera-(1925)
After 70 years no one has yet to match the unforgettable presence
of Lon Chaney
as the disfigured skull-faced Erik, who courts a lovely
young singer in the Paris Opera behind a faceless mask. A sad tale
of a man who is driven into madness and becomes a monster due to
rejection and hatred from those around him. Chaney's presence is
unforgettable in such scenes as his appearnce as Poe's Mask of the Red
Death during the masked ball, the abduction scene through the
catacombs of the opera house and the famous unmasking which even today
packs a shocking blow. Phantom will be remembered as a classic horror
and trajedy and Chaney's portayal would setup an archtype that has yet
to be matched even by today's musical version of The Phantom.
Bride of Frankenstein-(1935)
The monster having survived the fire in the mill which had supposedly
killed him is taken in by a blind hermit who teaches him to speak and
falls under the evil influence of another scientist who influences him
to demand a mate from Dr. Frankenstein. A rare sequel which is better
then its predecssor, the film marks the reappearance of
Boris Karloff
as the monster and Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Shelley and the classic
bride we all remember. Remade as The Bride.
Dracula-(1931)
Bela Lugosi
will always be remembered as Count Dracula and in this
his first film as the famous blood sucker we see the Count leaving his
native Transylvania for the fresh blood of London. His stiffness and
ethnic charm add to this classic which would be his hall mark role
for the next three decades. Remade at least once or twice a year since.
Frankenstein-(1931)
Rarely does a monster draw more sympathy and love from an audience then
does Mary Shelley's tragic monster.
Boris Karloff portray's Shelley's
monster with a childlike grace that is a cinema classic. We all know
the story, a mad scientist by the name of Frankenstein steals bodyparts
and creates a man who his bent on muder due to his criminal brain. The
monster kills a young girl and is hunted by angry townsfolks. Several
sequels were to follow with Karloff returning as the monster.
Freaks-(1932)
Tod Browning gives the viewers a look at a carnival sideshow and shows
us a world were the freaks are every bit as human as we are. A midget
inherits money and is seduced by a greedy aerialist into marriage.
From there she hopes to poison him and run off with her lover yet
is caught and hunted by the freaks for hurting one of their own.
Browning wisely portrays geniune carnival performers as circus
freaks and shows the audience that it is the normal humans who are
the monsters and the freaks as normal. A classic which has to be seen.
King Kong-(1933)
King Kong will always be remembered as the monster on the rampage but
even more it is a classic in every sense and will be known as an FX
triumph. Fay Wray
plays the fair maiden who soothes the giant ape as
he is taken from his island home to New york where he escapes and
climbs the Empire State building where he meets his sad fate. Tragic
and Endearing, Kong is so convincing that the veiwer forgets he is
not real and sees him as a tragic victem of circumstance. Yet another
classic which would be followed by inferior sequels and an awful
remake.
M-(1931)
Set in an industrial darkworld, M is the tale of a frighented city
which is held hostage by a child killer. The search is so intensive
that the local crime organizations join in because the killer is
bad for business. When found he is identified with the M that is
placed on his back, soon after he is hunted down and revenge follows.
A powerful German Crime/Drama which has great horror elements
and will remain a classic of all three genres.
Peter Lorre's
first film and a great career he would have.
Mummy, The-(1932)
Boris Karloff
once again sets the screen afire with yet another great
performance as a classic monster. He portrays an excavated mummy who
is brought back to life by a sacred Scroll. Ten years later the mummy,
who is now in the guise of a scientist seeks to return his beloved
princess with whom he is reminded of by another modern woman. All the
elements are present is this wonderful classic horror film which would
be disgraced by many inferior copycats and a Hammer remake.
Raven, The-(1935)
Bela Lugosi
and Boris Karloff
at their terrifying best, Lugosi is a mad doctor who
wishes to wed a fair dancer he has saved yet is denied the request by
already promised woman's father. The result is Lugosi indulging into
his obesession for EA Poe by setting up a Pit and the Pendulum style
torture for the father. A must for fans of Lugosi.
Son of Frankenstein-(1939)
Boris Karloff's
final appearance as the famed monster, in this sequel to
the classic movie we find Basil Rathbone playing the son of famed
doctor who happens to discover the still living monster in the ruins
of the laboratory. Lugosi is perfect as Ygor who has cared for the
monster in the time before his discovery. Great settings and an
impressive score only help to make this movie a classic.
Tower of London-(1939)
This elaborate period piece is a chiller. Rathbone is the power-mad
leader who along with Boris Karloff
as the chief torturer play very evil
and sadistic tyrants of terror.
Vincent Price
makes his debut as a horror icon portraying an ill-fated Duke. An outstanding cast is well
used in this timeless classic.
Vampyr-(1932)
A German-French production of Le Fanu's Carmilla is still considered a
minor classic in the horror circle. A young man is asked to locate and
rescue a pair of lovely sisters from the clutches of an old hag who
happens to be a vampire. Unique camera work helps to create a spooky
atmosphere for this early vampire film.
Werewolf of London-(1935)
One of the first werewolf movies has Henry Hull playing the unfortunate
botanist who is biten by a werewolf in Tibet. Yet is this version it is
petals of a rare flower which will cure him of the curse. Intended for
Boris Karloff
and Lugosi, Hull is not that great but Warner Olan is great as
the werewolf.
White Zombie-(1932)
Bela Lugosi
is at his frightful best as a voodoo master in Haiti who puts
a curse on a bride-to-be Madge Bellamy at the request of a jealous
jilted suitor. Afterwards Lugosi decides to take Bellamy for himself
and spirits her off to a cliff-top castle where he hopes to dispose
of the suitor. Lugosi's performance adds well to this independently
made film.
THE BEST HORROR FILMS OF THE CLASSIC MONSTER AGE (1919-1939)
1919-1939
This was the beginning of the horror craze with two major boom, the first in 1920’s in Germany and the
second in the 1930’s in the US. This was the Age of Classic Monster’s with a number of films featuring
the acting talents of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney and his son Lon Chaney’Jr. The first period
featured many silent films but with new technology came the talkies and later color. This era was best
noted for some of the most timeless horror classics ever made.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-(1919)
Long considered to be the first true horror movie, Dr. Caligari
is the archtype mad scientist out to do evil deeds with the aide
of a sleepwalker named Cesere. Cesere murders those whom the the
Doctor feels are too close to his evil deeds. The setting is both
nightmarish and expressionistic in its use of exagerated sets and
weird angles. The shock ending is only the icing in a movie that
literally invents a whole genre of horror devices- the mad scientist,
the zombie, the helpless heroine carried onto the roofs.
**THE LOSMAN'S OTHER PAGES**
*The Losman's Lair of Horror
* More Disturbing Movies * Lair of The Losman * Horror Movie Clichés*
* Really Bad Horror Movies* Movie Index*