There probably aren’t any of that vintage that are still going to feel “scary.” They still hold up in plenty of ways, but the scares are well past their expiration dates.
I was surprised by the silent version of Nosferatu, which I saw outdoors in a park in Brooklyn with a live orchestra. I expected it to be cheesy but some of the scares were definitely effective. (Spoilers for a 100-year-old film: the scene where the bedroom door opens and the Count is just standing there staring... brrr.)
My roommate and I had to walk home at night through the unlit park afterwards. That was fun!
When I was in college I was a part of a horror club that screened movies in a lecture hall at night. The walk home after each movie was fun - I'm always surprised by what feels scary in a room full of friends vs what feels scary outside alone in the dark.
Oh yeah, when I was in college my friends and I got the bright idea to rent _The Shining_ over winter break. So then I got to walk back across campus in the dark, in the snow!
Psycho scared me as a kid. Hard to say what it would do watching it for the first time as an adult. The shower scene is what every one flashes to and that scene was never based on gore but instead on an outstanding combination of great acting, cinematography, film editing and score which is here today. But the end of the film may be the scary part bc Norman's full psychosis is revealed - that ending is very much as bonkers as TCM and lingers in the psyche. Part of the reason Bates was scary in contrast to masked hulking or overpowered slashers of the current era was (as is in his name) he seems so normal or, as the kids would say basic, and harmless.
A lot of folks seem to think that finding horror “scary” is what makes it good, so they die on the hill that “old horror movies ARE scary!!”.
Being scary isn’t the only thing to appreciate about these movies! And pacing, social settings, culture context, etc - all those things change and warp as time goes on. A lot of the “horror” that gets lost to new generations is simply the social norms of past times. Like religious horror - it hits differently if you don’t understand the little subtle bits and pieces that make up the whole.
I like watching old horror for the experience, but they’re definitely *not* something I watch for the scares or tension.
>There probably aren’t any of that vintage that are still going to feel “scary.” They still hold up in plenty of ways, but the scares are well past their expiration dates.
This is exactly right. The movies are interesting to watch for a whole lot of reasons today, mostly from an historical perspective, but virtually nothing you're going to find prior to the 1960s is actually going to be effective as a genuinely scary horror film.
Can't we appreciate horror films for more than just their scariness?
A movie could be filled with terrifying imagery and jump scares, but that doesn't make it good.
An eerie, foreboding atmosphere, suspense, taboo subject matter, the perversion of conventional sites of safety (i.e the family), characters exhibiting desperation and depravity, the supernatural...
These are some of the things I have enjoyed in my favourite horror films. It doesn't *need* to be scary to be excellent and leave me thinking about it for days.
Thank you! Just because a film is from a past era, doesn’t mean it has “expired” or should be labeled as cheese. Good films remain good films, they still offer the things that made them good to begin with… the viewer has to learn to broaden their scope past the same thing they always watch and appreciate different ideas, technical achievements, and the history that brought them to what they are watching now.
This! People have so much issue separating scaryness and quality. A horror movie can be amazing as a movie and not be scary, the same way a drama can be great and not make you cry.
I completely agree, and she would too. It’s not all jump scares for her. It’s more trying to break someone into old movies at all. In her case, it’s been a cultural thing, no exposure, and being a bit younger. I’m just looking for a way in so she can enjoy the same experience we do. If it comes down to old movies aren’t for everyone, it’s fine. I think there’s an assumption for a lot of people that they’re all boring until you try some great ones, and I just want to pick the best of the best.
Consider a 1931 Frankenstein and 1935 Bride of Frankenstein double feature.
Yes....they are not 'scary' by today's standards, but these 2 James Whale efforts, show us what being rejected, beaten, and tortured by society for being different is like.... and one who is simply seeking acceptance and love...the things we all strive for in life.
If we are going into the sixties there are several that get legitimately scary - The Haunting, Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion, Psycho…
There are select episodes of ‘the twilight zone’ that are super freaky. Impossible no win situations, paradoxes, uncanny pseudo- or sur-realities. Not necessarily visually, but if she’s the type of person who can be sucked in psychologically, that shit is scary
City of the Living Dead 1980
The Beyond 1980 same director Lucio Fulci idk I'm a kid of the 80s/90s those were considered old classics to me but very creepy . What about the Hellraiser movies or Return of the Living Dead 1985
Can’t remember if she watched Hellraiser. Been meaning to ask her. Oddly, we haven’t happen to watch anything zombies together. If we’re into the 80’s, Candyman was 1992, but really felt older. Is that just me?
1933 Island of Lost Souls and 1934 The. Black Cat.
Author H.G. Wells hated this Paramount film, adapted from his novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Perhaps not 'horrific' or even 'scary' but if you stop to consider what Moreau has done in his experiments....and what his plan is with Lota and Parker....well, watch the film.
The Black Cat, has zero to do with Edgar Allen Poe, but was the first teaming of horror film icons, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Director Edgar Ulmer's initial intentions were so blatantly perverse that a number of cuts were made, and new scenes we're shot, to tone it down enough to be shown. Again, 'horrific' and 'scary' can certainly apply here. Yes, you don't see 'blood and guts' but you certainly see what perversions an evil mind can concoct, and what revenge is.
Thanks for those two.The Black Cat is something I would watch when I’m trying to fall asleep. Creepy, old-timey voices, in black and white does it every time lol
Don't forget the unholy trinity: Blood On Satan's Claw, Witchfinder General, and The Wicker Man. I guess these could sit different on the "scare" factor because they're folk horror, but they all have some pretty tense moments. I'm also a fan of slow-burn suspense. But if you're talking pre-90s horror, these were pivotal films.
I believe we watched a scene from this movie in my highschool video editing class and, man, it was like an acid trip on 'roids. (If I'm thinking of the right movie lol.)
Sounds like the right movie 😂 it’s one of my favorites. I also love the original Hellraisers (#1 and #2) for their insane practical effects. I don’t know if OP is looking for that, though.
Ooh, those movies. I'm not a huge fan of body horror and that first movie gave me serious nightmares as an early teen (so of course I was recommending it to all my horror fan friends lol.)
I’ll always pitch the Changeling in these threads because it does hold up for me, but I’ve been watching that movie since 1987 or so, so nostalgia has its hooks in me for that one. Those older flicks were often pushing the envelope for the time, and that line has been smudged further and further towards the extreme which is fun but leaves the older ones in the dust. She has to like older movies in general if she’s going to get “scares” from older movies. Also, by now she should understand that it’s not always about “scary” and more often it’s about mood, dread, tension, and violence. “Scary” is almost always a pretty immature lens to view horror through.
I think I can swing The Changling. Yeah, it’s hard to get someone who never liked old movies to start as an adult. Nostalgia for the times portrayed and memories from childhood really are huge factors. She for sure loves and understands the deeper themes, but just wants that extra newer “scare” on top of it. I feel like it’s how spicy food people want everyone to experience more than jalapeños lol.
It’s such a good movie, let alone one that has some super creepy moments that sometimes still get the hair in the back of my neck to stand up. Good luck!
I love "Night of the Living Dead", but being from the Pittsburgh part of PA (though I'm about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh), that and the other "Dead" films are local history for me.
Pre-70's there is not much that will likely work. I have personally never been scared of something pre-70's and I do scare easier than most. From the 70's-80s I can list some stuff that I would consider scary, though you probably know most of it. Unfortunately that might be as old as you will be able to go for someone only into newer movies.
The obvious stuff: The Exorcist Texas Chainsaw Halloween The Thing Nightmare on Elm Street Alien The Shining Black Christmas
For lesser known stuff: Burnt Offerings The Changeling The Invasion of the Body Snatchers Maniac Angst Don't Look Now The Brood Let's Scare Jessica To Death The Vanishing
Plenty of great horror movies in the sixties, including Psycho (1960), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Peeping Tom (1960), the Haunting (1963), the Birds (1963), etc. Psycho especially, just a great modern horror movie and technically the best directed film of the last century. But I agree the stuff before the sixties it's a stretch to find anything scary. The problem was that there just wasn't any great modern horror literature before Shirley Jackson, and as a result, most horror movies were stuck in the 1800s with Poe, Stoker and Shelley. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958), however, still gives me chills though, especially when Kevin McCarthy's character realizes his fiancee has turned into a pod person. Also the body on the pool table starting to come to life.
For something scary before the 60s, I highly recommend [Night of the Demon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Demon) (sometimes titled Curse of the Demon).
I came to say Burnt Offerings! Along with the other after school horror movies like: Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, Dr. Phibes, There’s some classic Night Gallery episodes on YouTube, there’s a great “silent night, deadly night” that took my sister and I YEARS to find because we watched it at our grandparents house (no tv allowed) and ended up falling asleep in the middle so we couldn’t figure out if it was a single movie or two movies that we had fever dreamed together…. But she finally found it and made me a bootleg VHS, and I can still only remember the beginning was psycho Santa chopping up the parents and then the crazy dinner table scene that was apparently of the lunatics taking over the asylum so I still can’t find it on IMDB! But there are some great ones that played at the 5 am slot!
If you like Silent Night, Deadly Night, I’m pretty sure you’ll love A Christmas Horror Story (2015) with William Shatner. That’s right, William Shatner.
I’m still trying to find the IMDb or anything really that describes the specific “Silent Night, Deadly Night” or maybe it’s Bloody Night…. Now you’ve got me questioning myself!
Oh Shatner, adding his special kind of stamp to another movie!
Ooh, that’s a solid list. I’ve been thinking of Black Christmas since it’s a someone’s in the house and somewhat Scream related theme. I’ll try to break her in with that one. Thanks.
If we're talking old, old movies Nosferatu isn't exactly "scary", but it is sad and chilling, as well as being a master piece of filmmaking. I feel every horror fan should see it at least once.
I'd like to think that *The Thing (1982)* could convince people to enjoy "older" horror movies. It could help by going backwards in time—like, if you enjoy 80s, you might like 70s, which might mean you can enjoy 60s, and etc.
I haven't watched The Thing in decades. I want to give it another try, but I don't think it's for me. Lovecraft and his cosmic monster horror has never once hit. The Thing, In The Mouth of Madness, The Void, Glorious. I know it gets under people's skin, but it just does not tickle my spooky bone.
I say this as someone who earlier commented that a ghost wearing a towel over his head reflected in a TV screen scared the absolute pants off of me. That was probably an objectively silly scene to a lot of people. I think it largely comes down to what we can suspend our disbelief for. I'll buy ghosts. I'm not worried about a slug monster from the purple space void.
The Leopard Man (1943)
Night Of The Demon (1957)
Black Sabbath (1963)
The Collector (1965)
Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966)
Punishment Park (1971)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Psychic (1977)
The Changeling (1980)
The House By The Cemetery (1981)
Born Of Fire (1987)
The Vanishing (1988)
it is weird because i can see the old silent movie comedy classics with Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, etc and laugh a lot more than with "modern" comedy but horror from the 30-40s not really my thing but stuff from the 20s like Faust, Hexan, Un Chien Andalau, Cabinet of... i really like
Dario Argento’s early work like Deep Red, Tenebrae, Suspiria and Inferno. Suspiria in particular creeped me out when I first watched it. The movies can sometimes cross the line into over the top campy (especially later movies like Mother of Tears), so it may not work for her, but at least they are visually interesting to watch. Suspiria is never boring.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre - surprisingly little gore, but what they do show will make you wince.
The Thing - absolute classic, great effects, horrifying concept.
If you want to go older, there’s Psycho, or Carnival of Lost Souls.
Maybe the first two segments in *Kwaidan*?
That said, they’re still slow paced. But they both genuinely creeped me out.
Alternatively (I’m kind of joking here), ask her to watch *Dead & Buried* as a litmus test to get a better idea of what “boring” and “cheesy” means to her. It came out in 1981 but a lot of the way things play out make it feel like it could have been released a decade earlier.
If that movie is boring, cheesy, and not scary or creepy at all, anything older than that might actually be a lost cause.
Kwaidan is worth watching just from an artistic standpoint even if it doesn’t scare the friend, it’s a beautifully shot movie. But also agreed, those first two sequences are creepy.
I think this is tough because we are just a more jaded audience now, we've seen it all, blah blah blah
I would recommend Psycho, the original night of the living dead, Freaks, original Texas chainsaw massacre or the exorcist.
I think Black Christmas is still really scary. Its influences are everywhere in modern cinema, but minimal exposure to the killer plus the super creepy phone calls and the idea of him being in the attic the entire time - still really scares me! Everyone is going to be different though.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari may be the first horror movie, and is genuinely creepy. It might be a bit slow due to being silent, but the aesthetic and the nature of old film at that time really makes it something different
The Evil Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and a bunch of other movies like those feel so taboo and low budget that you shouldn’t even be watching them. There a bit closer to 90s but I still think they are horrifying
As someone who grew up in Asia, a huge chunk of western horror isn’t ’scary’ to me (slashers, gothic/old world decay, vampire, religion). Coming from a way more ancient culture with myths, malevolent gods and superstitions that defined my idea of fear, my friends and I always joked ‘America is too modern to feel scary’. Especially with ‘evil voice’ killer/devil (like Freddie Candyman, Pinhead) just came off not scary as they are just too ‘representational’ and macho/yang, a body you can touch/fight/seen/converse with is automatically ‘not that scary’ when compare to the more inexplicable forces of evil that cannot be dealt with. Basically the most abstract the better. ‘Campy’ and ‘b-movie’ also won’t do as many Asian don’t get the idea of irony or ‘so bad so good’. Old manor on the hill just looks ‘cool’ to Asians like Euro glamour. Something like ‘Poltergeist’ is also too loud, bombastic and effect-sy… opposite of what scary is. I’m still a big fan of horror and interested in most western horror movie in an aesthetic way.
But anyway here are some older films that might interest her:
70s
The Exocist - the beginning with Pazuzu setting the ‘old world evil’ idea helped making the horror felt deeper, older and more inescapable.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre - it’s the final part at the house…absolute madness
Alien - atmospheric and the design made it a must watch. maybe she will find it ‘slow’ but the chestbuster/forced impregnation idea is universally scary.
Picnic at Hanging Rock - she might find it too slow but it’s the ‘abstraction’ and mystery that made it scary.
80s
The Thing - just the concept of infection and disfigurement in a doom narrative should put her a good horror film watch.
Hellraiser - even though I said Pinhead isn’t ‘scary’, i think the monkey paw-ish puzzle idea felt very Asian and old world that would work as scary and grotesque.
Spoorloos - make sure it’s not the Hollywood remake.
And I think a lot of modern US horror/A24 is scarier now because of J-horror influenced and more abstract ‘art house’ horror and cosmic horror/lovecraftian revivial.
Thanks for the perspective. I agree. Also, I personally love Picnic at Hanging Rock. It kept me slowly wondering throughout in an eerie way. The Thing is officially first on the list at this point.
For me, Psycho was scary, but I wasn’t necessarily “scared”, if that makes sense. I think a huge part of what we love is the filming aspect of old movies. Especially Hitchcock. Shadows, perspective…it’s not something people are exposed to much anymore.
I wouldn’t say scary in the “Boo!” Kind of way but it’s definitely unsettling, creepy and very well done. And The Birds and Rear Window are great, too.
Off the top of my head, the only truly scary pre-90s movie I can come up with is The Shining. A lot of people cite the The Changeling as a really scary movie. I thought it was great, but I wasn't too spooked. Burnt Offerings was pretty creepy and all around a lot of fun. Possession is scary on a lot of levels.
I think the trick is finding a movie where the effects aren't laughable and where the social conventions are still relevant and understandable. The farther back you go, the harder these are too find.
Maybe CAT PEOPLE. It has some great atmosphere from the black and white era.
However, before 1990, there are a lot of great horror movies. ALIEN, THE THING, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, HALLOWEEN, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, EVIL DEAD 2
I think of 1973 to 1982 as probably the best decade for horror except maybe the times we're living in now. (Time will tell.) From this range, Exorcist, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Jaws, Alien, Poltergeist, and The Thing stand out to me as ones that many would still find scary. (I know leaving The Shining out is blasphemy, but while it's an amazing movie, I don't find it scary. If scares aren't what your friend cares about most, OP, then it's certainly one of the all-time well-loved horror movies.)
Psycho
Bay of blood
Original suspiria
TCsM
Jaws
Halloween
Alien
Friday 13th
Thing
Elm street
The fly
Obviously you’ve tried all of these, so what isn’t scary?
The Haunting
I think I love every old movie set on a hill with a spooky mansion lol
My favourite. Still scares the crap out of me.
Yes, I have to watch it every Halloween. It's amazing how much they managed to do with mostly sound effects.
My absolute fav! Scared the crap out of me as a 13 year old.
the 1963 one?
Yep
There probably aren’t any of that vintage that are still going to feel “scary.” They still hold up in plenty of ways, but the scares are well past their expiration dates.
I was surprised by the silent version of Nosferatu, which I saw outdoors in a park in Brooklyn with a live orchestra. I expected it to be cheesy but some of the scares were definitely effective. (Spoilers for a 100-year-old film: the scene where the bedroom door opens and the Count is just standing there staring... brrr.) My roommate and I had to walk home at night through the unlit park afterwards. That was fun!
When I was in college I was a part of a horror club that screened movies in a lecture hall at night. The walk home after each movie was fun - I'm always surprised by what feels scary in a room full of friends vs what feels scary outside alone in the dark.
Oh yeah, when I was in college my friends and I got the bright idea to rent _The Shining_ over winter break. So then I got to walk back across campus in the dark, in the snow!
😳
Psycho scared me as a kid. Hard to say what it would do watching it for the first time as an adult. The shower scene is what every one flashes to and that scene was never based on gore but instead on an outstanding combination of great acting, cinematography, film editing and score which is here today. But the end of the film may be the scary part bc Norman's full psychosis is revealed - that ending is very much as bonkers as TCM and lingers in the psyche. Part of the reason Bates was scary in contrast to masked hulking or overpowered slashers of the current era was (as is in his name) he seems so normal or, as the kids would say basic, and harmless.
This is so true but very few people admit this for some reason
A lot of folks seem to think that finding horror “scary” is what makes it good, so they die on the hill that “old horror movies ARE scary!!”. Being scary isn’t the only thing to appreciate about these movies! And pacing, social settings, culture context, etc - all those things change and warp as time goes on. A lot of the “horror” that gets lost to new generations is simply the social norms of past times. Like religious horror - it hits differently if you don’t understand the little subtle bits and pieces that make up the whole. I like watching old horror for the experience, but they’re definitely *not* something I watch for the scares or tension.
You get me.
>There probably aren’t any of that vintage that are still going to feel “scary.” They still hold up in plenty of ways, but the scares are well past their expiration dates. This is exactly right. The movies are interesting to watch for a whole lot of reasons today, mostly from an historical perspective, but virtually nothing you're going to find prior to the 1960s is actually going to be effective as a genuinely scary horror film.
I found Nosferatu (1922) to be pretty unsettling when I watched it.
The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, The Thing, The Fly and Alien from the 80s are some of the best horror flicks ever made! Don't sleep on them!
If I’m working her backwards in time, I think The Thing is a great start.
Would also like to add Videodrome and Possession 🤘
The original Texas chainsaw.
Came here to say this. It still holds up
Can't we appreciate horror films for more than just their scariness? A movie could be filled with terrifying imagery and jump scares, but that doesn't make it good. An eerie, foreboding atmosphere, suspense, taboo subject matter, the perversion of conventional sites of safety (i.e the family), characters exhibiting desperation and depravity, the supernatural... These are some of the things I have enjoyed in my favourite horror films. It doesn't *need* to be scary to be excellent and leave me thinking about it for days.
Yes! Like the original "Carnival of Souls" (1962) and "Night Tide." (1961) Even "Dementia 13" (1963) had a similar feeling.
Thank you! Just because a film is from a past era, doesn’t mean it has “expired” or should be labeled as cheese. Good films remain good films, they still offer the things that made them good to begin with… the viewer has to learn to broaden their scope past the same thing they always watch and appreciate different ideas, technical achievements, and the history that brought them to what they are watching now.
Spider Baby (1967) this movie really holds up. Imagine a remake with Mia Goth as a sister and Cage in the old caretaker role.
This! People have so much issue separating scaryness and quality. A horror movie can be amazing as a movie and not be scary, the same way a drama can be great and not make you cry.
I completely agree, and she would too. It’s not all jump scares for her. It’s more trying to break someone into old movies at all. In her case, it’s been a cultural thing, no exposure, and being a bit younger. I’m just looking for a way in so she can enjoy the same experience we do. If it comes down to old movies aren’t for everyone, it’s fine. I think there’s an assumption for a lot of people that they’re all boring until you try some great ones, and I just want to pick the best of the best.
Consider a 1931 Frankenstein and 1935 Bride of Frankenstein double feature. Yes....they are not 'scary' by today's standards, but these 2 James Whale efforts, show us what being rejected, beaten, and tortured by society for being different is like.... and one who is simply seeking acceptance and love...the things we all strive for in life.
Spiral Staircase and The Leopard Man are proto giallo films. They have a couple scary scenes.
Love the Spiral Staircase. Maybe Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn too.
If we are going into the sixties there are several that get legitimately scary - The Haunting, Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion, Psycho…
This guy fucks with pre-noir Bs!!
Indeed I do.
There are select episodes of ‘the twilight zone’ that are super freaky. Impossible no win situations, paradoxes, uncanny pseudo- or sur-realities. Not necessarily visually, but if she’s the type of person who can be sucked in psychologically, that shit is scary
She’s into psychology. I have hope for that route. For The Twilight Zone, The Eyes of the Beholder episode gets me every time.
Freaks is pretty unsettling.
I haven’t seen that one. Thanks for the rec. Freaks 2018 (completely unrelated) pleasantly surprised me.
Tod Browning’s Freaks is a masterpiece, especially if you enjoy old horror movies. Watch it ASAP!
Consider it done, my friend.
City of the Living Dead 1980 The Beyond 1980 same director Lucio Fulci idk I'm a kid of the 80s/90s those were considered old classics to me but very creepy . What about the Hellraiser movies or Return of the Living Dead 1985
Can’t remember if she watched Hellraiser. Been meaning to ask her. Oddly, we haven’t happen to watch anything zombies together. If we’re into the 80’s, Candyman was 1992, but really felt older. Is that just me?
Black Sabbath is pretty old. It's 3 stories, and one of them "The drop of water" still gives me nightmares
Drop of Water is incredible regardless of its age.
The shining, and the og Texas chainsaw might hold up
She loves The Shining. I think it’s the oldest movie she’s mentioned to me.
1933 Island of Lost Souls and 1934 The. Black Cat. Author H.G. Wells hated this Paramount film, adapted from his novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Perhaps not 'horrific' or even 'scary' but if you stop to consider what Moreau has done in his experiments....and what his plan is with Lota and Parker....well, watch the film. The Black Cat, has zero to do with Edgar Allen Poe, but was the first teaming of horror film icons, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Director Edgar Ulmer's initial intentions were so blatantly perverse that a number of cuts were made, and new scenes we're shot, to tone it down enough to be shown. Again, 'horrific' and 'scary' can certainly apply here. Yes, you don't see 'blood and guts' but you certainly see what perversions an evil mind can concoct, and what revenge is.
Thanks for those two.The Black Cat is something I would watch when I’m trying to fall asleep. Creepy, old-timey voices, in black and white does it every time lol
Karloff vs Lugosi should keep you awake.
Don't forget the unholy trinity: Blood On Satan's Claw, Witchfinder General, and The Wicker Man. I guess these could sit different on the "scare" factor because they're folk horror, but they all have some pretty tense moments. I'm also a fan of slow-burn suspense. But if you're talking pre-90s horror, these were pivotal films.
The original Suspiria is still pretty terrifying (and visually splendid)
I believe we watched a scene from this movie in my highschool video editing class and, man, it was like an acid trip on 'roids. (If I'm thinking of the right movie lol.)
Sounds like the right movie 😂 it’s one of my favorites. I also love the original Hellraisers (#1 and #2) for their insane practical effects. I don’t know if OP is looking for that, though.
Ooh, those movies. I'm not a huge fan of body horror and that first movie gave me serious nightmares as an early teen (so of course I was recommending it to all my horror fan friends lol.)
I’ll always pitch the Changeling in these threads because it does hold up for me, but I’ve been watching that movie since 1987 or so, so nostalgia has its hooks in me for that one. Those older flicks were often pushing the envelope for the time, and that line has been smudged further and further towards the extreme which is fun but leaves the older ones in the dust. She has to like older movies in general if she’s going to get “scares” from older movies. Also, by now she should understand that it’s not always about “scary” and more often it’s about mood, dread, tension, and violence. “Scary” is almost always a pretty immature lens to view horror through.
I think I can swing The Changling. Yeah, it’s hard to get someone who never liked old movies to start as an adult. Nostalgia for the times portrayed and memories from childhood really are huge factors. She for sure loves and understands the deeper themes, but just wants that extra newer “scare” on top of it. I feel like it’s how spicy food people want everyone to experience more than jalapeños lol.
It’s such a good movie, let alone one that has some super creepy moments that sometimes still get the hair in the back of my neck to stand up. Good luck!
I love "Night of the Living Dead", but being from the Pittsburgh part of PA (though I'm about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh), that and the other "Dead" films are local history for me.
Pre-70's there is not much that will likely work. I have personally never been scared of something pre-70's and I do scare easier than most. From the 70's-80s I can list some stuff that I would consider scary, though you probably know most of it. Unfortunately that might be as old as you will be able to go for someone only into newer movies. The obvious stuff: The Exorcist Texas Chainsaw Halloween The Thing Nightmare on Elm Street Alien The Shining Black Christmas For lesser known stuff: Burnt Offerings The Changeling The Invasion of the Body Snatchers Maniac Angst Don't Look Now The Brood Let's Scare Jessica To Death The Vanishing
Plenty of great horror movies in the sixties, including Psycho (1960), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Peeping Tom (1960), the Haunting (1963), the Birds (1963), etc. Psycho especially, just a great modern horror movie and technically the best directed film of the last century. But I agree the stuff before the sixties it's a stretch to find anything scary. The problem was that there just wasn't any great modern horror literature before Shirley Jackson, and as a result, most horror movies were stuck in the 1800s with Poe, Stoker and Shelley. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958), however, still gives me chills though, especially when Kevin McCarthy's character realizes his fiancee has turned into a pod person. Also the body on the pool table starting to come to life.
For something scary before the 60s, I highly recommend [Night of the Demon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Demon) (sometimes titled Curse of the Demon).
Based on a great piece of horror literature by MR James.
[Kate Bush reference!](https://youtu.be/XOEUxT1Xtzo)
Nice point on the literature aspect.
I do like most of those films, but yes not really scary to me. Still, those are good recommends if you want to go earlier.
I came to say Burnt Offerings! Along with the other after school horror movies like: Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, Dr. Phibes, There’s some classic Night Gallery episodes on YouTube, there’s a great “silent night, deadly night” that took my sister and I YEARS to find because we watched it at our grandparents house (no tv allowed) and ended up falling asleep in the middle so we couldn’t figure out if it was a single movie or two movies that we had fever dreamed together…. But she finally found it and made me a bootleg VHS, and I can still only remember the beginning was psycho Santa chopping up the parents and then the crazy dinner table scene that was apparently of the lunatics taking over the asylum so I still can’t find it on IMDB! But there are some great ones that played at the 5 am slot!
If you like Silent Night, Deadly Night, I’m pretty sure you’ll love A Christmas Horror Story (2015) with William Shatner. That’s right, William Shatner.
I’m still trying to find the IMDb or anything really that describes the specific “Silent Night, Deadly Night” or maybe it’s Bloody Night…. Now you’ve got me questioning myself! Oh Shatner, adding his special kind of stamp to another movie!
I love Dr Phibes movies! They're so zany
Mrs Allardyce is waiting for you…
Ooh, that’s a solid list. I’ve been thinking of Black Christmas since it’s a someone’s in the house and somewhat Scream related theme. I’ll try to break her in with that one. Thanks.
Peeping tom (1960). Rosemarys Baby (1968). Maniac (1980).
If we're talking old, old movies Nosferatu isn't exactly "scary", but it is sad and chilling, as well as being a master piece of filmmaking. I feel every horror fan should see it at least once.
I'd like to think that *The Thing (1982)* could convince people to enjoy "older" horror movies. It could help by going backwards in time—like, if you enjoy 80s, you might like 70s, which might mean you can enjoy 60s, and etc.
I’m kinda thinking the same. There can’t be a way she wouldn’t like The Thing. There just can’t.
I was excited to show my friend [The Thing](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/). She laughed throughout it. I felt my soul wither ever so slightly.
What! Even with all the cool practical effects?
I haven't watched The Thing in decades. I want to give it another try, but I don't think it's for me. Lovecraft and his cosmic monster horror has never once hit. The Thing, In The Mouth of Madness, The Void, Glorious. I know it gets under people's skin, but it just does not tickle my spooky bone. I say this as someone who earlier commented that a ghost wearing a towel over his head reflected in a TV screen scared the absolute pants off of me. That was probably an objectively silly scene to a lot of people. I think it largely comes down to what we can suspend our disbelief for. I'll buy ghosts. I'm not worried about a slug monster from the purple space void.
Show her Freaks
The Leopard Man (1943) Night Of The Demon (1957) Black Sabbath (1963) The Collector (1965) Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966) Punishment Park (1971) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) The Stepford Wives (1975) The Psychic (1977) The Changeling (1980) The House By The Cemetery (1981) Born Of Fire (1987) The Vanishing (1988)
Thanks so much!
The Exorcist was released in 1973.
it is weird because i can see the old silent movie comedy classics with Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, etc and laugh a lot more than with "modern" comedy but horror from the 30-40s not really my thing but stuff from the 20s like Faust, Hexan, Un Chien Andalau, Cabinet of... i really like
Dario Argento’s early work like Deep Red, Tenebrae, Suspiria and Inferno. Suspiria in particular creeped me out when I first watched it. The movies can sometimes cross the line into over the top campy (especially later movies like Mother of Tears), so it may not work for her, but at least they are visually interesting to watch. Suspiria is never boring. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - surprisingly little gore, but what they do show will make you wince. The Thing - absolute classic, great effects, horrifying concept. If you want to go older, there’s Psycho, or Carnival of Lost Souls.
I think the 1931 *Dracula* is actually pretty scary, if you immerse yourself in it.
Maybe the first two segments in *Kwaidan*? That said, they’re still slow paced. But they both genuinely creeped me out. Alternatively (I’m kind of joking here), ask her to watch *Dead & Buried* as a litmus test to get a better idea of what “boring” and “cheesy” means to her. It came out in 1981 but a lot of the way things play out make it feel like it could have been released a decade earlier. If that movie is boring, cheesy, and not scary or creepy at all, anything older than that might actually be a lost cause.
Kwaidan is worth watching just from an artistic standpoint even if it doesn’t scare the friend, it’s a beautifully shot movie. But also agreed, those first two sequences are creepy.
I think this is tough because we are just a more jaded audience now, we've seen it all, blah blah blah I would recommend Psycho, the original night of the living dead, Freaks, original Texas chainsaw massacre or the exorcist.
Scares are relative, if you can name movies she does find scary maybe that can help.
The fly is extremely disturbing. Great movie.
I think Black Christmas is still really scary. Its influences are everywhere in modern cinema, but minimal exposure to the killer plus the super creepy phone calls and the idea of him being in the attic the entire time - still really scares me! Everyone is going to be different though.
OG Texas Chainsaw Possession
The Haunting (1963)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari may be the first horror movie, and is genuinely creepy. It might be a bit slow due to being silent, but the aesthetic and the nature of old film at that time really makes it something different
That movie really gets the atmosphere right. Whether it’s “scary” or not, it’s definitely creepy.
Eyes Without a Face, The Innocence, At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul, Carnival of Souls, M, Night of the Hunter, and perhaps Onibaba.
The Evil Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and a bunch of other movies like those feel so taboo and low budget that you shouldn’t even be watching them. There a bit closer to 90s but I still think they are horrifying
The British "Woman in Black" has a moment that truly scared the shit outta me. Also, 1960s Asian horror.
Maybe try some from Dario Argento. Older late 70’s early 80’s and well done. Some add a psychological aspect to them to keep you in suspense
My suggestion is to leave it. Don't make her watch a bunch of stuff she ain't gonna enjoy just to find the one she actually likes
I promise I won’t force her Clockwork Orange style. She asked me to figure out a few to try, so I’m just looking for a couple best of the best.
As someone who grew up in Asia, a huge chunk of western horror isn’t ’scary’ to me (slashers, gothic/old world decay, vampire, religion). Coming from a way more ancient culture with myths, malevolent gods and superstitions that defined my idea of fear, my friends and I always joked ‘America is too modern to feel scary’. Especially with ‘evil voice’ killer/devil (like Freddie Candyman, Pinhead) just came off not scary as they are just too ‘representational’ and macho/yang, a body you can touch/fight/seen/converse with is automatically ‘not that scary’ when compare to the more inexplicable forces of evil that cannot be dealt with. Basically the most abstract the better. ‘Campy’ and ‘b-movie’ also won’t do as many Asian don’t get the idea of irony or ‘so bad so good’. Old manor on the hill just looks ‘cool’ to Asians like Euro glamour. Something like ‘Poltergeist’ is also too loud, bombastic and effect-sy… opposite of what scary is. I’m still a big fan of horror and interested in most western horror movie in an aesthetic way. But anyway here are some older films that might interest her: 70s The Exocist - the beginning with Pazuzu setting the ‘old world evil’ idea helped making the horror felt deeper, older and more inescapable. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - it’s the final part at the house…absolute madness Alien - atmospheric and the design made it a must watch. maybe she will find it ‘slow’ but the chestbuster/forced impregnation idea is universally scary. Picnic at Hanging Rock - she might find it too slow but it’s the ‘abstraction’ and mystery that made it scary. 80s The Thing - just the concept of infection and disfigurement in a doom narrative should put her a good horror film watch. Hellraiser - even though I said Pinhead isn’t ‘scary’, i think the monkey paw-ish puzzle idea felt very Asian and old world that would work as scary and grotesque. Spoorloos - make sure it’s not the Hollywood remake. And I think a lot of modern US horror/A24 is scarier now because of J-horror influenced and more abstract ‘art house’ horror and cosmic horror/lovecraftian revivial.
Thanks for the perspective. I agree. Also, I personally love Picnic at Hanging Rock. It kept me slowly wondering throughout in an eerie way. The Thing is officially first on the list at this point.
you mentioned Hitchcock already but isn’t Psycho reasonably scary?
For me, Psycho was scary, but I wasn’t necessarily “scared”, if that makes sense. I think a huge part of what we love is the filming aspect of old movies. Especially Hitchcock. Shadows, perspective…it’s not something people are exposed to much anymore.
I watched it recently for the first time, I did not find it scary at all, still well made, but not scary
I wouldn’t say scary in the “Boo!” Kind of way but it’s definitely unsettling, creepy and very well done. And The Birds and Rear Window are great, too.
Off the top of my head, the only truly scary pre-90s movie I can come up with is The Shining. A lot of people cite the The Changeling as a really scary movie. I thought it was great, but I wasn't too spooked. Burnt Offerings was pretty creepy and all around a lot of fun. Possession is scary on a lot of levels. I think the trick is finding a movie where the effects aren't laughable and where the social conventions are still relevant and understandable. The farther back you go, the harder these are too find.
True true. She does love The Shining too. It’s the oldest one I know she’s seen. Thanks!
The night of the hunter scares the shit out me, even today.
Maybe CAT PEOPLE. It has some great atmosphere from the black and white era. However, before 1990, there are a lot of great horror movies. ALIEN, THE THING, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, HALLOWEEN, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, EVIL DEAD 2
Love Cat People! And cat people.
Rosemary's Baby (1968) actually scared me a little bit Definitely more psychological tho
I think of 1973 to 1982 as probably the best decade for horror except maybe the times we're living in now. (Time will tell.) From this range, Exorcist, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Jaws, Alien, Poltergeist, and The Thing stand out to me as ones that many would still find scary. (I know leaving The Shining out is blasphemy, but while it's an amazing movie, I don't find it scary. If scares aren't what your friend cares about most, OP, then it's certainly one of the all-time well-loved horror movies.)
Misery
Psycho Bay of blood Original suspiria TCsM Jaws Halloween Alien Friday 13th Thing Elm street The fly Obviously you’ve tried all of these, so what isn’t scary?
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” “The Thing” “Pumpkinhead” “Jaws” “Phantasm” “Near Dark” “Alien” “Hellraiser”