If you’re looking for an alternative to your usual Halloween horror movie viewing, here are a few fright flicks you might have missed:
 

Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1921) - Though creaky in parts, this seminal horror film remains visually impressive, particularly the way in which the vampire is shot from extreme low angles to emphasize his supernatural power, and how his distorted shadow, the distillation of pure evil, is menacingly cast on walls. Plus, Max Schreck’s verminous Count Orlok remains, some eight decades later, the creepiest vampire incarnation ever.

White Zombie (Victor Halperin, 1932) — Young newlyweds vacationing in Haiti have a slight crimp put into their honeymoon plans when evil voodoo master Bela Lugosi turns the blushing bride into a lifeless zombie! (And you thought your sex life was boring!). Can the Power of Love conquer Lugosi’s diabolical scheme? The general creakiness and poor acting notwithstanding, this is an impressive little horror movie, which uses Expressionistic lighting, creepy set design, eerie music, and unsettling sound effects (a screeching vulture; the creaking of a huge wheel turned by zombies in Lugosi’s sugar mill; bongo drums of the natives beating in the background) to surprisingly poetic effect.

The Body Snatcher (Robert Wise, 1945) - Of all the fine horror films Val Lewton produced, this one, which has shades of the notorious real life Burke and Hare murder case, is my favorite. Not only do the foggy nights of old cobbled Edinburgh provide wonderful atmosphere for this macabre tale of murder, grave robbing and secret medical dissections, but Lewton’s literate script features fascinating interplay between Henry Daniell’s Dr. MacFarlane, the outwardly respectable physician with a shady past, and Boris Karloff ‘s Mr. Gray, the creepy “body snatcher” who won’t let Daniell forget that past. Though seemingly opposites, they are in fact “of the same skin,” and as the story plays out, their antagonistic, yet oddly symbiotic relationship develops into one of the most psychologically compelling in cinema.

Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954) - Far better than its campy reputation would suggest, this horror/sci-fi classic, the granddaddy of all BIG BUG movies, effortlessly transcends its B movie limitations through effectively restrained direction, sharp, knowing writing, and fine acting. Happily, the colossal mutant ants, a nightmarish embodiment of the era’s paranoid fear of nuclear power, are defeated in the end. But beware! Given the current state of global affairs, it may not be too long before those giANT insects rear their nasty heads once more and start wreaking havoc yet again.

Devil Doll (Lindsay Shonteff, 1964) - Excellent little-known chiller stars Bryant Halliday as a diabolical mesmerist/ventriloquist who transfers the soul of a hypnotized subject into a dummy and then commands it to carry out his evil biddings. Convincing performances ensure suspension of disbelief, while stylish direction and a creepy talking/walking/murdering dummy give the film real punch. Shamefully overlooked thriller beautifully sustains its creepy atmosphere all the way to a neat little twist ending.

Further recommendations:

Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932)
Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton, 1933)
The Black Cat (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1934)
The Seventh Victim (Mark Robson, 1943)
Curse of the Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1958)
Eyes without a Face (Georges Franju, 1959)
Black Sunday (Mario Bava, 1961)
The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963)
Onibaba (Kaneto Shindo, 1964)
The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
Martin (George Romero, 1978)
Evil Dead 2 (Sam Raimi, 1987)
Dead-Alive (Peter Jackson, 1992)
A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Ji-woon, 2003)

Posted on October 31st, 2008 by Mat Viola
Filed under: Miscellaneous