Following after the big Sci-Fi boom of the
1950’s, it made the 60’s a special time of transition … a time to reignite the chills
of the golden monster movie age, while also moving forward with contemporary
frights and thrills. For me, I find the 1960’s to be a severely underrated
decade for horror cinema, as it’s not as contemporary as what took shape in the
70’s with classics like "Halloween", “Jaws” and “The Exorcist”. Regardless, the 60's still
had its share of classics, as well as lesser-known gems that still haunt me
into my adult years. As such, I felt the occasion was finally right to stop and
rank my own personal Top 10 favorite horror movies of the 1960’s. Just a quick
disclaimer … I’m not trying to make any kind of official best of the 60’s, these
are just the ones that have stuck with me the most as personal favorites.
#10 The
Night Walker (1964)
A woman is forced to live under the cruelty of her possessive
husband, and even after his apparent death, there’s still no peace for her.
Even in death, the villain continues to appear in her dreams as a nasty corps … perhaps an influence on Freddy Kruger. The whole movie revolves around nightmares and
dreams taking on a life of their own, so naturally, it has its share of
nightmarish sequences, which are truly haunting spectacles all these years
later. There’s a wedding, with a church full of motionless manikins, and
montages of strange, euphoric visuals. Some of the imagery is reminiscent of
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 classic “Spellbound”, right down to all the eyes
floating around in the dark, but I personally find this far more eerie and
spine tingling by contrast. While the movie loses some of its bight with
multiple twists at the end, it still works as an engaging psychological
thriller, and is well worth checking out.
#9 Carnival
of Lost Souls (1962)
When a young lady emerges from a horrible car-crash
into a lake, she comes back not feeling quiet right … and not alone either. Mysterious
phantasms and other ghoulish figures seem to follow her everywhere, and what’s
more, she believes she’s being called to a creepy abandoned carnival. Where I’d
describe most horror movies as either scary or haunting … the best word for “Carnival
of Lost Souls” is hypnotic. There isn’t much talking or even action, but
there’s this captivating, eerie atmosphere, brought on by all the mysterious oddities,
and gothic organ music. It’s the kind of movie you need to be in the right
mind-set for, and for me … it delivers a chilling experience that’s hard to
shake off.
#8 The
Birds (1963)
It may seem like a silly, B-Movie concept on the surface …
but this is Hitchcock, and he specializes in quality … thus, his direction,
build-up, Oscar-Winning effects, and execution, make this one-note premise one
of the greatest of 60’s horror cinema.
#7 The City
of the Dead (1960)
Back in my ignorant, younger movie viewing years, I
was under the impression that I’d never be visually impressed by an old black
and white movie … let alone be scared by one. Well, I’ve thankfully had my share of B&W movies that gave me goosebumps, and one that I’ve always remembered for its bone chilling atmosphere and foreboding imagery is 1960’s “City of the Dead”.
#6 The
Innocents (1961)
Based on the Henry James Story “The Turn of the Screw”,
this spooky tale revolves around a woman who takes on the role of caretaker for
two orphaned children, in their seclusive Victorian home. With their uncle refusing to give them any attention, she takes it upon herself to be their figurative mother. Things are peaceful at first, but over time, the children begin to act suspiciously, and she begins seeing mysterious people lurking about the grounds.
Soon, she fears something malevolent may be influencing the
kids … or maybe she’s going insane … who really knows in a set-up like this.
Like the best psychological thrillers, “The Innocents” doesn’t provide
any clear answers … and makes for an effectively creepy experience, in which
the terror sneaks-up on you. Deborah Kerr delivers a shattering performance in
the lead role, and her child co-stars walk a fine line between being adorable,
yet imposing and mysterious. Jack Clayton’s direction is also brilliant, and
really elevates what was already a thrilling source material. If you like
Gothic homes, creepy kids, stormy weather, mysterious phantasms, and
atmospheric dread, then “The Innocents” delivers … although the ending
may leave you feeling split.
#5 Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Here it is, the horror movie legend that started it all, and put zombies in our main stream pop-culture.
This is the film that set all the classic staples of the genera, depicting ravenous gore, along with political undercurrents, and it set the rules for how zombies should be portrayed on film. Don’t let the films Black and White, low-budget look throw you off, because after all these years, this film still remains one of the most disturbing of the genera. Personally, I think this film features the absolute scariest zombie scene of all time, in which a little zombie girl picks up a sharp object … and stabs the crap out of her own mother. On that note, this is a rare zombie movie that features the dead using old human instincts, like using bricks and other objects as weapons. With its disturbing visuals, horrific sound design, and shocking ending … this is the definitive zombie classic, and the one the genera owes everything too.
#4 Dracula
has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Christopher Lee makes it on my list once
again, but this time in his signature role as Count Dracula.
Through the late 50’s,
60’s and 70’s, Christopher Lee stared in a number of Dracula pictures, and personally,
this 1968 sequel is my favorite by far. “Dracula has Risen from the Grave”
is the third entry in Hammers Dracula franchise, and while it’s not as classy
as the first film, I honestly find it to be far superior. The plot for this
sequel revolves around an atheist who needs to rescue his love from the
clutches of Dracula, but sense he doesn’t believe in God, holly objects have no
effect on the fiend, and a stake through the heart can’t kill him either. Thus,
in order to defeat the evil of Dracula, he must go on a spiritual quest to find
his faith in order to concur his demons, both figuratively and literally.
Christopher Lee once again shines as Dracula, and delivers some of his most
cryptic lines. However, the real strength of this film comes from our lead hero,
and an underlining theme of faith concurring evil.
#3 Village
of the Damned (1960)
Set in a small village in Britten, all the residents
in the area mysteriously fall asleep one day, and when they awaken, they
discover all the women who are capable of barring children are suddenly
pregnant.
More alarming mysteries take shape after the delivery process, as all
the kids grow rapidly, all barring similar features, and all born with a
mysterious power to read minds. This marked one of the last Sci-Fi
hold-overs from the 50’s, but with the same eerie dread that would characterize
the 60’s, and performances that were above B-Movie films of the time. The
premise is simple, yet effectively conveyed, as well as tightly presented in a
77-minuet run-time. It’s one of those films that hooks you in with lots of mystery,
is boasted with atmospheric dread, and features some of the decade’s most
frightening iconography. The shot of the children’s glowing eyes framed through
rubble gives me chills all over. In the end, “Village of the Damned” is
a worthy classic of the decade that deserves to be placed among the greats, and
is the … ah-hem … “Poster Child”, for scary children in cinema.
#2 The
Haunting (1963)
Practically the poster child for all haunted house films
to aspire from, “The Haunting” is a special achievement that was ahead
of its time, and is thankfully undated. The film revolves around a 90-year-old
mansion, which has been the base point for several mysterious deaths. A doctor begins the theorize in the possibility of a real haunted house, and thus a team is dispatched to try and verify his claims.
At face value, this film may seem
like your typical, run of the mile horror flick set in a haunted house, but the
film truly lives up to its title in the darkest and best possible way. While
this movie hits many of the same beats as my previously mentioned movie “The
Innocents”, that film still had a lean towered malevolent spirts acting
from beyond the grave. This film by contrast is even more elusive with its
haunts, as it never features any ghosts, or supernatural oddities, and is even more
of a study in the psychology of the main characters. Are the haunts real, or is
the main heroine just losing her mind? Aside from being an intriguing study of
a descension into madness, the film is just dripping with Gothic atmosphere,
and manages to convey layers of terror without really showing anything on
screen. It’s unique, daring and above all, it’s a haunted venture worth
experiencing around the Halloween season.
Before I
reveal my #1 favorite Horror movie of the 60’s, here are some quick honorable
mentions of mine …
What Ever
Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Repulsion (1965)
House of
Usher (1960)
Rosemary's
Baby (1968)
Peeping
Tom (1960)
#1 Psycho
(1960)
We all know the story … a woman runs away with a bag full of stolen
money, makes a pit stop at the Bates Motel, and one shower scene later … horror
history is made. While I’ve never made it a tradition to re-watch “Psycho”
around the Halloween season with all my other favorite scary films, it’s still
unmistakably one of the all-time greats that the horror genera has to offer,
and it’s absolutely getting the top spot on my list.
It’s solidly constructed,
there’s crafty camera angles, a memorable score, untouchable scenes, and at the
center of it all is one of cinema’s defining villains ... an unstable killer
with some serious mommy issues. After Universals classic monsters in the vein
of “Dracula”, “Frankenstein” and “The Wolfman” left the
cinema’s, the horror genera was frequently looked down on as exploitive
drive-in fodder, and was given little respect. “Psycho” was the mile
stone that changed the game, and highlighted just how influential and dignified
the genera could be when in capable hands. On a side note, this was one of my
earliest horror movie experiences that got me interested in exploring further
films of the genera. It further proves that after all these years, “Psycho”
is undated, and can still leave an impact on modern viewers. It’s immortal for
its contribution to the horror genre, and is personally my favorite Horror
movie of the 1960’s.
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and treat yourself to one good scare this October.
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