I am a horror fan. Always have been. Always will be. I grew up on a steady diet of late night horror films in the bygone era of Friday and Saturday night horror hosts. I wanted to write a blog about my Top 10 Horror Films, but I had far too many favorites to choose from. Therefore, I am writing a series of blogs dealing with specific decades. Now we're looking into the post-war terrors of the 1950s.
This is an odd decade for horror. There is little traditional supernatural horror on this list. No doubt as a result of nuclear fears, audience taste switched to monsters of scientific or alien origins. To me, the most interesting thing about these films are the credits of the directors and writers. Unlike their peers in the years to come, most of these filmmakers have a wide variety of credits in various genres. That's one of the benefits of working within the old studio system.
Once again, according to the ground rules I laid down in my first list, I do not include crime films about torture or murder, such as Psycho or Silence of the Lambs, that do not feature a supernatural aspect. Nor do I include films about animal attacks like Jaws, unless said animal is gigantic as a result of nuclear radiation.
Here's the list:
An amorphous alien creature grows larger and more deadly with each victim. Thank goodness, humanity has a young Steve McQueen on its side.
Always loved this film, although it is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. There's something a little more terrifying about an implacable, unthinking monster than someone (or something) you can reason with. It also has the whole misunderstood teens versus the judgmental establishment theme. But, most importantly, it has the great Steve McQueen in one of his earliest feature leading roles. Too bad Director Yeaworth couldn't cast him in one of his films for Billy Graham.
Following the success of their Frankenstein film, Britain's Hammer Studio continued to walk down Universal's memory lane with this lively version of Dracula.
Hammer definitely breathed new life into these classic horror tales with their new bloody and buxom versions. As I compile these lists, I am actually surprised how few Hammer films have made my Top 10s. I like the films, but they never seemed to hold the same weight as the competition. I do like this one. I loved Bela Lugosi's Dracula. He was a strange, otherworldly gentlemen. Christopher Lee plays the character with a feral, animalistic hunger. I like it. Christopher Lee, however, hated the role more and more each time he played it. Too bad. Good work by director Fisher and screenwriter Sangster. They were the A-Team of the Hammer Horror Factory.
H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi novel about a Martian invasion of Earth is brought to the screen in high style.
This vivid technicolor production, by George Pal, benefited from a higher budget than most of the similarly-themed films of the period -- this is no Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (though that one had Ray Harryhausen on their team!) Paramount was not known as a horror or sci-fi studio, but when they made a film like this (usually under the auspices of George Pal), they usually went large. The special effects were state of the art at the time, and the story moves quickly. I actually prefer the simple economy of the storytelling in this version to the Spielberg remake, which, technically-speaking, is better in every category. All of the character arcs, subplots and backstory seemed so unnecessary. Isn't an alien invasion of the Earth enough to keep an audience interested?
A demented artist, Vincent Price, who was deformed in the fire that destroyed his first wax museum, needs to kill people to use as the basis of his new creations.
Okay, okay, technically, according to the ground rules I laid down, this is not a horror film. It is a crime film dressed up with deformities and torture. I know. I confess. But it's fun and I had to include a few titles on this list that weren't just atomic monster movies. Plus, I needed a Vincent Price film. He was the king of the 1950s horror. It was either this or The Fly, and I liked this one better. Plus, the 3D was pretty cool. Definitely watch it that way if you get the chance. Preferably in a theater.
Two things about the folks behind the camera. Director Andre De Toth wore an eye patch. He wouldn't necessarily be my choice to shoot one of the first 3D features. Fortunately, he had some experienced help. Screenwriter Crane Wilbur had been writing movies since 1917. Glad to see he made the transition to talkies. That must have been difficult.
Some strange disappearances in the desert lead a scientist to discover a nest of giant mutant ants. The military wipes it out, but not before some of the queens have escaped.
This film has always been my favorite American giant mutant monster movie, and, believe me, there have been tons of them. It's tense, fast-moving and reasonably high-budget. It took itself, and it's audience very seriously. It's hard to believe the director cut his teeth on Little Rascal shorts and Laurel & Hardy. The screenwriter later went to work on the television shows Hazel, Family Affair and The Flying Nun. That shows some range!
An American spaceship returning from Venus crashes off the coast of Italy. Some fisherman recover a specimen of a Venusian life form which grows to dangerous proportions.
I always liked this film. It features one of Ray Harryhausen's coolest stop motion monsters. The creature is the star of the film and the main reason to watch. He's certainly more animated than his human co-stars. However, the film also benefits from the Italian setting. You even get to hear a little of the Italian language. That was not common for American movies at the time!
Explorers find a prehistoric gill man living in a remote area of Amazon that takes a distinct liking to their female companion.
The Creature was the last member of the official Universe monster canon to arrive on the big screen, following Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman and the Mummy. The plot is a tinier and more aquatic take on King Kong, although, unlike the Big Guy, the Creature doesn't make it back to civilization until the sequels. It is ably-directed by Jack Arnold, who helmed some very good sci-fi films in the 1950s like It Came From Outer Space, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man. However, I wouldn't expect a serious critical reevaluation of him any time soon since he later became the resident auteur on shows like Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. Screenwriter Harry Essex also had an interesting career writing noir films before he took this dive into the Amazon.
If you get the chance, definitely check it out in 3D. (I still have my Super 8mm 3D print.)
Personnel at an arctic base find a spaceship under the ice. The ship is destroyed during recovery, but they find one of its inhabitants....
Although it is no where near as gaudy as its magnificent sequel directed by John Carpenter, this film still stands the test of time. It is a taut, intelligent sci-fi thriller. Christian Nyby, an experienced film editor, is listed as director. However, fairly or unfairly, producer Howard Hawks is frequently given unofficial credit for the direction. (Hawks' name is certainly more prominent on the poster!) Screenwriter Charles Lederer had a long and varied career, working on a ton of classic movies with marque directors like Hawks, Lewis Milestone, Billy Wilder and Orson Welles. This film is his only sci-fi or horror credit, and he rose to the occasion.
A skeptical scientist is cursed by a occultist and becomes a believer quick enough!
This is film is one of my favorite demonic horror films. It has an intelligent script depicting the battle between science and superstition, written by a guy who produced the Joe Palooka films for the poverty row Monogram studio. (I don't know if he would be my first choice for a project like this, but he was excellent.) The cast is great with Dana Andrews and Niall MacGinnis locking horns. The big name behind the camera is Jacques Tourneur, who directed the Val Lewton classics Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie and The Leopard Man. Jacques was a fan of understated horror. He did NOT want to show the demon, but the studio added it anyway.
A country doctor returns home from a medical conference to find his office filled with people who think their loved ones are no longer their loved ones. He soon begins to fear that people are being duplicated by an alien force.
This is the first of four screen adaptations of the story by Jack Finney. Three of the versions are excellent, and they made my lists in their respective decades. The fourth one sucked. This version is perhaps the best because it was the most universal. One of the most brilliant things about the film is that it spoke equally to completely contradictory audiences. People on the right side of the political spectrum viewed the alien takeover in the context of the Red Menace. People on the left side of the political spectrum viewed the film as an anti-McCarthyism statement. It offered something for everyone. However, regardless of your political viewpoint, this remains a brilliant, suspenseful film -- even with the toned-down, more hopeful ending tacked on at the last minute.
Honorable Mention:
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, 1956. How could I not include a film with a man in a monster suit crushing a model city? Call it number eleven on the list. THE DEADLY MANTIS, 1957. Always one of my favorite giant insect movies. THE BAD SEED, 1956. Doesn't quite fit my established definition of horror. (Then again, neither does House of Wax.) THE FLY, 1958. A rare film where I liked the remake better. Sorry Vincent. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, 1957. This Jack Arnold film, with a script by the legendary Richard Matheson from his own book, is fabulous, but falls more directly in the sci-fi genre. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1957. Sorry. I just never liked the Hammer Frankenstein films as much as their Dracula ones. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, 1959. Ed Wood's magnus opus is fun, but camp doesn't cut it on this list. See the film Ed Wood instead. THIS ISLAND EARTH, 1955. Too sci-fi. I BURY THE LIVING, 1958. Pretty good but utterly cops out at the end. WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, 1958. Bert I Gordon loves 'em large. A guilty pleasure, at least when I was a kid.
Other Lists:
This is an odd decade for horror. There is little traditional supernatural horror on this list. No doubt as a result of nuclear fears, audience taste switched to monsters of scientific or alien origins. To me, the most interesting thing about these films are the credits of the directors and writers. Unlike their peers in the years to come, most of these filmmakers have a wide variety of credits in various genres. That's one of the benefits of working within the old studio system.
Once again, according to the ground rules I laid down in my first list, I do not include crime films about torture or murder, such as Psycho or Silence of the Lambs, that do not feature a supernatural aspect. Nor do I include films about animal attacks like Jaws, unless said animal is gigantic as a result of nuclear radiation.
Here's the list:
10. THE BLOB, 1958
Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.
Screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Kay Linaker
Original idea by Irvine H. Millgate
An amorphous alien creature grows larger and more deadly with each victim. Thank goodness, humanity has a young Steve McQueen on its side.
Always loved this film, although it is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. There's something a little more terrifying about an implacable, unthinking monster than someone (or something) you can reason with. It also has the whole misunderstood teens versus the judgmental establishment theme. But, most importantly, it has the great Steve McQueen in one of his earliest feature leading roles. Too bad Director Yeaworth couldn't cast him in one of his films for Billy Graham.
9. HORROR OF DRACULA, 1958
"DRACULA"
Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker
Following the success of their Frankenstein film, Britain's Hammer Studio continued to walk down Universal's memory lane with this lively version of Dracula.
Hammer definitely breathed new life into these classic horror tales with their new bloody and buxom versions. As I compile these lists, I am actually surprised how few Hammer films have made my Top 10s. I like the films, but they never seemed to hold the same weight as the competition. I do like this one. I loved Bela Lugosi's Dracula. He was a strange, otherworldly gentlemen. Christopher Lee plays the character with a feral, animalistic hunger. I like it. Christopher Lee, however, hated the role more and more each time he played it. Too bad. Good work by director Fisher and screenwriter Sangster. They were the A-Team of the Hammer Horror Factory.
8. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, 1953
Directed by Byron Haskin
Screenplay by Barre Lyndon
Based on the novel by H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi novel about a Martian invasion of Earth is brought to the screen in high style.
This vivid technicolor production, by George Pal, benefited from a higher budget than most of the similarly-themed films of the period -- this is no Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (though that one had Ray Harryhausen on their team!) Paramount was not known as a horror or sci-fi studio, but when they made a film like this (usually under the auspices of George Pal), they usually went large. The special effects were state of the art at the time, and the story moves quickly. I actually prefer the simple economy of the storytelling in this version to the Spielberg remake, which, technically-speaking, is better in every category. All of the character arcs, subplots and backstory seemed so unnecessary. Isn't an alien invasion of the Earth enough to keep an audience interested?
7. HOUSE OF WAX, 1953
Directed by Andre De Toth
Screenplay by Crane Wilbur
Story by Charles Belden
A demented artist, Vincent Price, who was deformed in the fire that destroyed his first wax museum, needs to kill people to use as the basis of his new creations.
Okay, okay, technically, according to the ground rules I laid down, this is not a horror film. It is a crime film dressed up with deformities and torture. I know. I confess. But it's fun and I had to include a few titles on this list that weren't just atomic monster movies. Plus, I needed a Vincent Price film. He was the king of the 1950s horror. It was either this or The Fly, and I liked this one better. Plus, the 3D was pretty cool. Definitely watch it that way if you get the chance. Preferably in a theater.
Two things about the folks behind the camera. Director Andre De Toth wore an eye patch. He wouldn't necessarily be my choice to shoot one of the first 3D features. Fortunately, he had some experienced help. Screenwriter Crane Wilbur had been writing movies since 1917. Glad to see he made the transition to talkies. That must have been difficult.
6. THEM! 1954
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Screenplay by Ted Sherdeman
Adaptation by Russell S. Hughes
Story by George Worthing Yates
Some strange disappearances in the desert lead a scientist to discover a nest of giant mutant ants. The military wipes it out, but not before some of the queens have escaped.
This film has always been my favorite American giant mutant monster movie, and, believe me, there have been tons of them. It's tense, fast-moving and reasonably high-budget. It took itself, and it's audience very seriously. It's hard to believe the director cut his teeth on Little Rascal shorts and Laurel & Hardy. The screenwriter later went to work on the television shows Hazel, Family Affair and The Flying Nun. That shows some range!
5. 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, 1957
Directed by Nathan Juran
Screenplay by Robert Creighton Williams & Christopher Knopf
Story by Charlotte Knight
An American spaceship returning from Venus crashes off the coast of Italy. Some fisherman recover a specimen of a Venusian life form which grows to dangerous proportions.
I always liked this film. It features one of Ray Harryhausen's coolest stop motion monsters. The creature is the star of the film and the main reason to watch. He's certainly more animated than his human co-stars. However, the film also benefits from the Italian setting. You even get to hear a little of the Italian language. That was not common for American movies at the time!
4. THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, 1954
Directed by Jack Arnold
Screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross
Story by Maurice Zimm
Explorers find a prehistoric gill man living in a remote area of Amazon that takes a distinct liking to their female companion.
The Creature was the last member of the official Universe monster canon to arrive on the big screen, following Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman and the Mummy. The plot is a tinier and more aquatic take on King Kong, although, unlike the Big Guy, the Creature doesn't make it back to civilization until the sequels. It is ably-directed by Jack Arnold, who helmed some very good sci-fi films in the 1950s like It Came From Outer Space, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man. However, I wouldn't expect a serious critical reevaluation of him any time soon since he later became the resident auteur on shows like Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. Screenwriter Harry Essex also had an interesting career writing noir films before he took this dive into the Amazon.
If you get the chance, definitely check it out in 3D. (I still have my Super 8mm 3D print.)
3. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, 1951
Directed by Christian Nyby
Screenplay by Charles Lederer
Based on the story by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Personnel at an arctic base find a spaceship under the ice. The ship is destroyed during recovery, but they find one of its inhabitants....
Although it is no where near as gaudy as its magnificent sequel directed by John Carpenter, this film still stands the test of time. It is a taut, intelligent sci-fi thriller. Christian Nyby, an experienced film editor, is listed as director. However, fairly or unfairly, producer Howard Hawks is frequently given unofficial credit for the direction. (Hawks' name is certainly more prominent on the poster!) Screenwriter Charles Lederer had a long and varied career, working on a ton of classic movies with marque directors like Hawks, Lewis Milestone, Billy Wilder and Orson Welles. This film is his only sci-fi or horror credit, and he rose to the occasion.
2. CURSE OF THE DEMON, 1957
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Screenplay by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester
Based on the story by M.R. James
A skeptical scientist is cursed by a occultist and becomes a believer quick enough!
This is film is one of my favorite demonic horror films. It has an intelligent script depicting the battle between science and superstition, written by a guy who produced the Joe Palooka films for the poverty row Monogram studio. (I don't know if he would be my first choice for a project like this, but he was excellent.) The cast is great with Dana Andrews and Niall MacGinnis locking horns. The big name behind the camera is Jacques Tourneur, who directed the Val Lewton classics Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie and The Leopard Man. Jacques was a fan of understated horror. He did NOT want to show the demon, but the studio added it anyway.
1. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, 1956
Directed by Don Siegel
Screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring
Based on the story by Jack Finney
This is the first of four screen adaptations of the story by Jack Finney. Three of the versions are excellent, and they made my lists in their respective decades. The fourth one sucked. This version is perhaps the best because it was the most universal. One of the most brilliant things about the film is that it spoke equally to completely contradictory audiences. People on the right side of the political spectrum viewed the alien takeover in the context of the Red Menace. People on the left side of the political spectrum viewed the film as an anti-McCarthyism statement. It offered something for everyone. However, regardless of your political viewpoint, this remains a brilliant, suspenseful film -- even with the toned-down, more hopeful ending tacked on at the last minute.
Honorable Mention:
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, 1956. How could I not include a film with a man in a monster suit crushing a model city? Call it number eleven on the list. THE DEADLY MANTIS, 1957. Always one of my favorite giant insect movies. THE BAD SEED, 1956. Doesn't quite fit my established definition of horror. (Then again, neither does House of Wax.) THE FLY, 1958. A rare film where I liked the remake better. Sorry Vincent. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, 1957. This Jack Arnold film, with a script by the legendary Richard Matheson from his own book, is fabulous, but falls more directly in the sci-fi genre. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1957. Sorry. I just never liked the Hammer Frankenstein films as much as their Dracula ones. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, 1959. Ed Wood's magnus opus is fun, but camp doesn't cut it on this list. See the film Ed Wood instead. THIS ISLAND EARTH, 1955. Too sci-fi. I BURY THE LIVING, 1958. Pretty good but utterly cops out at the end. WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, 1958. Bert I Gordon loves 'em large. A guilty pleasure, at least when I was a kid.
Other Lists:
Top 10 Comedies of the 2000s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
The 10 Worst Films I Paid To See!
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
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