Do you dare to bite into this?
Having an extensive film collection and a deep interest in movies, primarily old movies, come with a great benefit. The utter and complete freedom from modern movie trash. Allow me to present some horror gems from the past. Horror and thrilling movies we keep returning to in this household. Tomorrow this list will look different, as it did yesterday. Today it looks like this.
Imagine a steak. Ideally as if you are a vegetarian. Then imagine this steak in its various cooked states. The bloodier the steak is, the more disturbing it is to the eye. This is what I have used to rate the movies below.
A steak in a hamburger form has been reduced to a ground beef, in other words further removed from its originating state and thus easier on the eye. Medium to well done requires a certain level of acceptance. A willingness to bite into something soft and possibly encounter a remnant of rawness. A steak that is rare, well, you get the point. You cut into something that is lightly charred on the outside as if to fool the unsuspecting eater. Once the knife has made its first slice the truth is revealed and now it is up to the eye and brain to make a decision. The question now is do you dare to bite into this steak?
To investigate your horror movie background I have included polls for each movie. Please click yes or no for each movie to indicate if you’ve seen the movie or not. The investigation serves no other purpose than a) offering you a chance to click more buttons b) us to see how many of us have watched really scary movies and thus feel a certain sense of camaraderie in terror! [That last sentence should be read in a Vincent Price voice.]
Horror and tension for the mood of it: if a steak it would be a hamburger
Truly beautiful. Some scenes have intriguing sci-fi vibes that struck me as before their time.
This one gets a tad more deep and disturbing with each watch. Contemplative and like a fever dream. [See my previous post.]
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
Possibly belongs in the next category as it is quite creepy. Jodie Foster is quite amazing in this role.
Horror: if a steak it would be medium to well done
When this is shown on TCM I always hop on Twitter to offer my translation services for the scene cards (that is in Swedish) for those who watch live. Körkarlen in Swedish.
Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a magnificent and stylistically super clean, almost futuristic, horror story. My favorite Karloff and Lugosi film. Excellent suspense.
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
A bit more disturbing than expected, with Vincent Price as a very sadistic character.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Vincent Price. I think this is the second of three Vincent Price movies in this list of recommendations. Always on the verge of comedy but not quite. And the not quite matters.
Freaky. Just watch it and wonder what mind could come up with this. And then re-watch it next year again!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
One of my favorite pseudo-realistic horror movies. Increases in intensity until you wonder if there is any way out.
Gorgeous, if one can call a horror story gorgeous. Decadent, extravagant and obligatory watching for all Dracula fans.
Deeply disturbing horror: if a steak it would be rare
This is now the deep end of the pool, and you don’t know how deep the water is. In fact, you could be in the middle of the ocean with not clue how far you are from the shore. This is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen, and I will only watch it again in the daytime. Evil children movies really do a number on you, you know.
Don’t be fooled. This story includes way more horror than you can imagine. Just wait and watch if you can stomach it. Vincent Price is at it again.
Cronenberg craziness. You’ve been warned. What is it with these 1970s horror movies? Is it the brown and orange color theme and wood panels that elicits claustrophobia? Or is the fact that you have to wait, and wait, and worry in horror, to see the unspeakable monster that is lurking just out of sight? And believe me, Cronenberg will show you. Everything.
This last one… if you’ve seen it you know. I doubt I will ever watch it again because it’s just too much for me. Cronenberg knows how to visualize the most disturbing.
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This was great!!! I've only seen one of the movies but i'm a total horror wuss, but i plan to check out some of the older ones. Thanks for a great resource, I'm going to share it with my friends who love horror