Every fanatical film buff, insufferable cinephile, and hopped-up horror head has a list of movies that they consider required viewing. It’s like, “Who are you to tell me what to watch? You’re not my dad!”
No, but I am a teacher, which gives me the right to push such ridiculous lists on my students … technically. Look, maybe you’re horror-curious, or you want to understand what all this monster madness is about, or maybe you just want to find out where all this scary stuff started.
Well, here, in this document, on this site, on this page, specifically, I am going to tell you about ten classic monster movies that you should watch this Halloween and why.
(1920) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
No conversation on horror could ever be had without recognizing the feature film that started it all. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspires us to this day, and the style of this picture can be seen in the work of directors like Tim Burton and films like Beetlejuice. This film is part of the German Expressionist movement. The sets and scenery are made to be warped, unreal, and disconcerting, and the somnambulist is one of the great original monsters in cinema. This silent picture set the standard for horror going forward.
(1925) The Phantom of the Opera
Made by Universal Studios, this truly should be considered one of the Universal Classic Monster Movies. This film is Lon Chaney’s acting masterpiece. Chaney, known as the man of a thousand faces for his famous makeup work, becomes the Phantom. The scope and scale of the production is unparalleled, and the film includes unforgettable moments such as the mysterious lantern man at the beginning of the picture, the Masquerade Ball (The Red Death), the Journey to the Subterranean Lair, and The Unmasking, one of the most iconic moments in cinema. This movie is my personal favorite silent picture.
(1931) Dracula / Frankenstein
In 1927, with The Jazz Singer, audiences were introduced to talkies (movies with sound). And it was at this moment that Universal Studios struck hard and powerfully with their release of Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931. These two movies still define these monsters in the zeitgeist. Bela Lugosi is Dracula, and I don’t think there will ever be his equal in that role. And Boris Karloff made Frankenstein’s Creature his own, bringing a humanity and depth to that character that not even Shelley herself could have imagined. If you want to talk about American horror, you must begin with these two unforgettably important films, and do not forget that these films created the very first cinematic universe.
(1933) The Invisible Man
My personal favorite of the Universal Classic Monster movies is The Invisible Man. This film is hilarious, psychotic, and terrifying from moment to moment. Claude Rains plays the original charming sociopath, and the viewer has no idea what he will do next. I, personally, believe that Rains’s character in this film and his iconic laugh went on to inspire the creation of DC’s Joker character in 1940. Plus, in an era without computers, green screens or any of the filming capacities we take for granted today, this movie created amazing special effects that many viewers will struggle to understand this question: How did they do that? The Invisible Man changed the game, and it is definitely a must-watch.
(1941) The Wolf Man
Unlike Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man did not have existing literary material to adapt, so this story was an invention of Universal Studios. And not only did they create the story, but they created everything we imagine about the werewolf. Every change-into-a-creature story owes its birth to The Wolf Man. It stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular canine creature, and he brings such an innocence to his role that audiences feel great empathy and care for a murderous monster.
(1942) Cat People
Cat People is a supernatural horror film from RKO Studios, directed by the great and powerful Val Lewton. Cat People stars the mysterious, beautiful, and creepy Simone Simon, and it features what some consider the very first jump scare in cinema. It was originally called the Lewton Bus. Another element of horror that Cat People added to our common understanding is the tactic of not showing the monster. This movie is genuinely frightening in moments, especially for a film from 1942. It’s creepy, haunting, exciting, and full of fantastic supernatural lore.
(1951) The Thing from Another World
Just four years removed from the famous Roswell flying saucer incident, Howard Hawks and his Winchester Pictures Corporation created this iconic adaptation of John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella, Who Goes There? This picture came out just a few months before The Day the Earth Stood Still, and it is considered the very first alien invasion film. From this picture we were introduced to the concept of horror-sci-fi, of frightening aliens, of horrors from other worlds. Without this picture, we don’t have Alien, Predator, and so many unforgettable horror stories.
(1954) Gojira
Gojira is perhaps the bravest and most important monster movie of all time. America occupied the islands of Japan until 1952, and during that time, all speech was controlled. This means that the film Gojira, a thematic response to America’s nuclear policy, had to go into production not long after the American occupation ended. The film is rife with symbols. For example, Godzilla’s skin is meant to replicate keloid scars, the disturbing scars left on the survivors of the nuclear attack. His head, when viewed straight on, is meant to resemble a mushroom cloud. His attacks are slow and unstoppable. Director Ishiro Honda was a pacifist and he showed the true terror and civilian destruction that accompanies unchecked nuclear ambition.
(1954) Them!
Them! from 1954 isn’t exactly a must-watch, but it is the perfect 1950s atomic monster movie. I dodged this film for years because it seems so campy and silly, but I was wrong. This is a strong picture, with terrifying sound design, creatures, and a tight plot. If you want to understand science fiction monster cinema from the 1950s, you have to give Them! a watch. It’s a blast and one of the ultimate popcorn-eaters.
(1962) Carnival of Souls / (1964) The Last Man on Earth
Often, when we think of zombies, we think of George A. Romero’s 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead. But really, he was inspired by two films that came before him. Carnival of Souls was made in 1962, and it’s a sort of adaptation of Abrose Bierce’s story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” This picture helped to create the inescapable monster, the slow-style zombie chase, the frightening inability to ever get away. The Last Man on Earth from 1964 is the first adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel, I Am Legend. This film features vampire zombies, but they function as the zombies we have to know and love, and it stars the creepiest and most charming man in Hollywood history: Vincent Price.
So, there you have it film friends. Don’t know what to watch come Halloween? Watch where it all came from and open your mind to a whole new world of classic horror!
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