5 Horror Classics I Love That You Can Watch For Free
Over on the Internet Archive, you can find a nice slew of horror classics that are actually quite awesome. Some are officially deemed ‘classic’ while others are underrated or overlooked classics. I list these in no particular order…
1. House On Haunted Hill (1959)
Whether you agree or not that William Castle was an integral figure to horror films is irrelevant. House On Haunted Hill, although not very frightening, is nevertheless a fun and spooky ‘old dark house’ film. Keep in mind though, the hill in aforementioned title is actually not haunted at all. Can a hill even be haunted?
2. At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul (1964)
Mexico had Abel Salazar and Brazil had José Mojica Marins and his self-made “Coffin Joe Trilogy”. If you are unfamiliar with Coffin Joe, he was the ‘psychotic mortician’ alter of Marins whose main objective was to continue his legacy by finding the perfect bride. We all know no such things exist, right? He doesn’t. In fact, Coffin Joe doesn’t believe in much of anything else except his complete disdain and cruelty for others…which ultimately makes him susceptible for a supernatural end. At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul is considered to be Brazil’s first horror film and it’s quite the debut.
3. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
I shouldn’t even have to sell this one to you. George Romero’s ground breaking debut not only launched his career (which is still going strong today thanks to the zombie resurgence) but invented the ideology that we now identify the zombie genre with. He is, in fact, the father of the zombie picture. Watching this is like watching a zombie baby Jesus be born.
Reaching beyond the actual images, this vampire classic invokes an actual ‘viewing experience’ that feels part surrealistic and part cinematic dream. The film’s nuance can really be described as ‘ghost-like’ because, for 73 minutes, you feel neither like a viewer nor a participator but some state in between. Originally considered to be Carl Theodor Dreyer’s low point of filmmaking, Vampyr has gone on to become a critic favorite and film analysts dream. I also think, that if you smoke some weed during the movie, you may just disappear into a mind-boggling altered state. Can we say something for everyone?
5. Horror Hotel aka City Of The Dead (1960)
I’m a big fan of the classic gothic ideals of cauldron-stirring witches and devil worshiping. I’m also a big fan of evil cults and Christopher Lee (in no particular order). If those all appeal to you then this is your movie. I rarely hear anyone else talk about this film and it’s such a shame because it has some great imagery and original feeling to it. Horror Hotel is often compared to Psycho (which came out the same year). Honestly, what more convincing could you need?
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In conclusion, these are all nice slices of Horror History that I’m certain you classic genre fans will enjoy. Some of these have never had another film like them since and others are quite innovative for their time. Let me know what you think and If you like, reblog and teach others your wise ways ;)
