The 1960s – The Splattering Sixties
This is Wikipedia’s first time to divide the years into separate pages when listing horror films per decade. Compared to the other decades, the 60s had so many horror films! Not so for other genres. The difference is attributed to the loosening of MMPA (Motion Picture Association, what the second M means I couldn’t tell ya!) rules that prohibited certain content; content which violated the Hayes Code. With more relaxed standards came more films with sexually explicit content and more gore. Thus, some say the 60’s birthed the first “splatter” film. The film that some claim started it all is on this list. I’ll identify it as such. (No, it’s not Psycho. But that movie is on this list)
Moving on, (where, Italy? Correct. Huh?) the 1960’s saw the birth and rise of certain movements in Italian horror cinema. Beginning at the end of the 50’s but continuing strong in the 60s, “Italian gothic horror” is, well, let’s let Gary Johnson tell us about it. From in his article The Golden Age of Italian Horror
Secluded castles with musty hallways, rolling fog, tree branches that reach like hands, stranded travelers, duplicitous lovers who conspire to murder, secret passageways that descend to deteriorating crypts–this is the stuff of Italian gothic horror, one of the most exciting and atmospheric sub-genres of film
Then there is “Giallo horror”, which, according to Wikipedia:
contains slasher, thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements.
From the same article, Giallo horror is also referred to as “Spaghetti Slashers”, much like the Italian produced Westerns known as “Spaghetti Westerns.” Giallo horror began in the 1960s. There will be examples of films from both categories on this list.
Let’s leap to a new subject. Proceeding sentence, second word, minus the “L”. (what the Hell?) I said “minus” “L”, that’s what. That leaves EAP, or Edgar Allen Poe
The “Poe-Corman” cycle began in the 60s. Filmmaker Roger Corman, teaming up with the one and only Vincent Price as a lead actor, produced several films for American International Pictures based on Poe’s works. Some of these will be on the list.
I would be remiss if I failed to observe how the cultural shift of the 1960s influenced its horror movies. As young kids were abandoning established institutional values of conformity for those of experimentation and self-expression, films were also expanding into new horizons. Horror films that included social commentary and psychological anguish were the style. Again, I list some of these films.
The results of all this? A “splattering” of styles and influences. So hard to categorize, Therefore, enough boxing these films into groupings. Let’s open Pandora’s box and let some of them out!
13 Ghosts – 1960
Before we get into all those stuffies I crammed into the opening sections, let’s revisit our good friend William Castle. He made several movies in the 60s, but we’ll be satisfied if we look at just one more. As the title suggests, there are thirteen ghosts in this story. However, the film begins with twelve and continues with twelve, until…
At one point in the film, there may be an inclusion of one more ghost. Does this mean someone is destined to die? If so, who will it be?
The ghosts are a bit on the cartoonish side. The overall tone of the movie is odd. I quote myself from a review I wrote of this film, “imagine if Rod Serling became the writer for Leave it to Beaver.” Some will dismiss it as corny. I say it’s good old fashioned fun.
Here’s Castle’s gimmick (Remember, I said William Castle had gimmicks for his theater audiences). Special glasses, similar to the ones worn for 3D movies, were handed out at the theater. The only way the ghosts on the screen could be seen (hey, that rhymed!) is through the lens.
Free with ads on YouTube
Psycho – 1960
Known for the shocking scene of a woman stabbed to death in the shower, and yet this isn’t the film I was referring to when I said the 60’s produced the first splatter film. The murder itself isn’t shown but audiences know what is happening by the actions of the silhouette (the stabbing motion), the scream on actress Janet Leigh’s face, and the blood funneling down the drain. This montage was frightening enough to convince viewers a grizzly murder was happening right before their eyes.
This is Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece of suspense. I don’t know if there is anything else to say about it that tops or even adds to the thousands of reviews, analyses and comments throughout the years. So I will shut up now.
House of Usher – 1960
Whew! Three films in and we’re still in the first year of the decade. Told ya there were many films to cover. This is the first of what’s known as the Poe-Corman cycle. Vincent Price stars as Roderick Usher, on the verge of a nervous-breakdown, suffering from noise sensitivity, among other things. He lives in a big ol’ spooky house with his narcoleptic sister. A male caller wants to marry this sister, Roderick forbids. For brother and sister are doomed in ways that are too complicated to explain.
Based on Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, this story has been translated to film numerous times. I’ve only seen a few, but so far this is my favorite. Definitely worth a viewing.
Free with ads on Youtube
Black Sunday – 1960
This is the first film of the 1960s cycle of Italian Gothic cinema. It is also the first film by the great Italian director Mario Bava. The setting, the scenery; these are the things that make this film stand out. If you like coffins and castles, long hallways and gloomy shadows, witches and beings who rise from the dead, this is your film.
It’s the story of a witch condemned to die. Before being placed in “Satan’s Mask” (a torture device that is metallic mask with several spikes, which are pierced into the victim’s face). She vows revenge. Centuries later, she rises from the dead and resurrects a male witch as well.
There is creepy footage of a cemetery and realistic props to capture viewers into this time and setting.
This is a very creepy film.
Free on YouTube with ads
The Innocents – 1961
Woo hoo, we finally made it to 1961. Happy New Year!
Based on Henry James’s Turn of the Screw, this film is all about atmosphere. A very chilling atmosphere, mind you, of a possibly haunted manor and its surrounding landscape. A governess is convinced her two charges are being haunted, if not possessed, but the spirits of two former and deceased staff members involved in a scandalous love affair. The butler and the maid were said to be doing the wiggity-jiggity in rooms adjacent to the poor, “innocent”, children.
This is a psychologically unsettling film. Are these manifestations real or is it all in the governess’s head?
Full movie on YouTube – until it’s gone.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? – 1962
She turned into a freak, that’s what happened. A spiteful, petty, psychotic freak. Bette Davis gives a both chilling and hilarious performance of a former child star turned nobody. Tasked with caring for her crippled sister (enter the talented Joan Crawford! Yay! Clap clap clap clap!), she treats her as her prisoner, because in her twisted way, Bette Davis’ character believes she is the prisoner. In truth, she is jealous because her sister’s own movie career overshadowed her success.
The performances are what make this movie. After my initial viewing I thought this was a drama. An emotional drama perhaps? Okay, an emotionally disturbed drama. When I mentioned to my friend that I was surprised when I saw it listed as a horror film, his response was, “Well, it certainly is disturbing.” It is disturbing. Besides all the wicked things Jane does, her appearance itself is quite frightful, with her pasty white face, excessive blush, and braided hair made up to look like a doll come to life. The person in the makeup is aged horribly, but the doll persona lives on. Okay, I’m convinced, this is horror.
Let it be known that Crawford and Davis were bitter rivals in real life. Their feud caused much tension on the movie set.
See this link for more of that story.
Black Sabbath – 1963
“Generals gathered in their massesssssssssssss!”
“Just like witches at black massesssssssssssss!”
Yup-a-roonies, this film shares the same name as one of the world’s greatest metal bans. (hint: Ozzy sang the above lyrics). Let it be known, not only did this film come before the formation of the band, but the band took their name from this movie. How about that?
Mario Bava is back with all his style in this Italian Gothic film. He gives us three separate stories to enjoy. The order varies between the American and Italian releases. I saw both, the most recent being the American, so I’ll follow that. First there’s “The Drop of Water.” Never steal a ring from a dead witch/fortune teller. Especially one with such a petrifying appearance; long stingy, gray hair, bulging eyes (that won’t stay closed), pasty skin and an evil grimace. But the nurse steals and the retribution is quite horrifying.
Funny, because there’s a fortune teller lady in my neighborhood that I’m told looks exactly like this corpse. Should I visit her one day? Only ten dollars a reading.
Second is The Telephone. A supposed dead man stalks a woman via the telephone. Meh. Next!
Finally , The Wurdalak. It stars Borris Karloff as the patriarch of a family living in the desolate woods. He becomes a Wurdalak (which is similar to a vampire) and he insists that his adult children and little grandson join him in the club of the undead.
Borris Karloff introduces each story much in the same way as Alfred Hitchcock did on his TV series.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (or “The Evil Eye”) -1963
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (or The Evil Eye) -1963
The item up for discussion at this moment is – another Mario Bava film. However, The Girl Who Knew Too Much does not belong in the Italian Gothic camp. It is Italian. But its subgenre is giallo. In fact, it is said to be the very first giallo film.
Let’s refresh on what Wikipedia says about Giallo – “contains slasher, thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements.”
For this particular film, there isn’t much sexploitation, and “slashy,” gore is either absent or kept minimal. There are hints at the supernatural, but in the film this is disproven for something more frightening – cold, hard reality.
There is definitely a synthesis of thriller and horror with cerebral scares.
A woman is being stalked by an alphabet killer, who has killed women with names beginning with A, B, and C. Our heroine’s name begins with D.
There are scary and stylized scenes of large Italian piazzas, inside and out. A mysterious voice summons the heroine down long hallways. There are plenty of twists, and even some odd humor at surprising yet welcomed times.
Full Movie on YouTube – at least at the time of posting
Blood Feast – 1963
While gore is “absent or kept minimal” in Girl Who Knew Too Much, it makes quite the splattering in this film. In fact, Blood Feast is arguably the first splatter film.
A man obsessed with recreating the sacrificial rites of the Egyptian goddess Istar’s “Blood Feast”, stalks and kills women. The feast calls for the consumption of select parts of female anatomy. During the killings, he removes certain body parts. Sometimes it’s a tongue, other times a liver. And with just one puncture and a deep inward reach, he somehow successfully removes the part he’s looking for. We know this because the camera zooms in on the organ.
The blood resembles some kind of cherry gelatin. The organs all look gooey, but obviously fake.
This is not a good movie by any criteria. The effects are bad, the spirit of the film is nasty, the writing sucks more than a supersonic Hoover vacuum clearer. Quick research of my own shows Ishtar was not worshiped by Egyptians but by Mesopotamians and no description of a blood feast as portrayed by this film exists. The acting is atrocious. When women aren’t being splattered to death, two male detectives in suits are reciting stale dialogue. It was like the filmmaker was trying to make a Dragnet horror movie.
Wait! I found something “good” about it. It was profitable. It cost less than 25 thousand to make but yielded over 4 million. Investors I’m sure were happy.
I include it on the list as an example of a “splatter” film. Mission accomplished, now we can move on
Look, it’s free on YouTube. It’s as if they’re giving it away (until they take it back)
The Haunting – 1963
Boom. Boom! BOOM! (What go boom?) Sorry, getting carried away here. After seeing this film, that sound passes from ear to brain where it lasts for the duration of a lifetime. Maybe beyond. For it comes from beyond. Beyond what? If I could answer that, I would receive the “Boo-Bel” Prize in Parapsychology
Eleanor Vance hears the booming as she tries fruitlessly to sleep in Hill House. Hill House has a notorious reputation for psychic activity and Dr Montegue wants to study it. He hires a team to live in the house and witness any such phenomenon first hand. Did you have to drag poor ol’ Eleanor in this? Though she herself is gifted with extra-sensory perception, she is not exactly stable, just as Hill House itself is a bit unbalanced. Such a pairing might be disastrous. Much of the film is dedicated to examining Eleanor’s psyche and her relationship with another woman, another house guest. There are subtle hints that this other woman is a lesbian.
This is arguably the best haunted house film ever. Like in most cases, it’s what the film doesn’t show that heightens its scare factor. Brilliantly shot, great set designs. This is based off of Shirley Jackson’s acclaimed novel The Haunting of Hill House. There was a remake in 1999, but that film is poopie cakes. Michael Flannagan’s multiepisode series, however, is a great reimagining. But remember, the original film is the best.
The Birds – 1963
“Why do birds suddenly appear? Every time you are near?”
“Because the want to peck your eyes out,” said the Carpenters hired to construct sets for this film
Ha ha, I laugh at my own jokes. (For those who don’t know, The Carpenters were a band who sang a song “Close to You” which had those birdie lyrics”)
This is the second and last film on this list by Alfred Hitchcock. He made great movies, but his were more of the suspenseful thriller type rather than horror.
For me, The Birds was an okay movie. I saw it for the first time a little over a year ago. It met my expectations. What did I expect? I expected birds to attack people. What did I receive? I received a film about birds attacking people. Nevertheless, this is an iconic film, probably for some state-of-the-art effects.
The Masque of the Red Death – 1964
The second and last Roger Corman/Vincent Price/Edgar Allen Poe film on this list. There are several more, but come on! I know some of you want to live forever in the 60s to tune in, turn on and drop out, but sorry, life moves on.
Except for victims of the Red Death. That plague is running rampant and Prince Prospero has quarantined thousands of his people in the palace to attend a masqued ball. They are celebrating while people outside are dying.
Vincent Price as Prince Prospero is a real son of a bitch in this film. He plays a villain to sneer at, to hate. Oh but he will get his comeuppance. What will he do when Red Death personified shows up to his party?
This film is based on Poe’s story by the same name. It’s a good movie.
Full Movie – for now
Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte – 1964
Due to the success of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, they decided to follow it up with a similar movie. (Q: Who’s they? A: Them – Ahh, now it makes sense). This would be Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte Same director (Robert Aldrich), same screen writer (Lukas Heller) , both films based on written works by Charles Farrell Meyers. Best of all, Bette Davis plays the lead in both pictures.
Who they didn’t have was Joan Crawford. She was sought after to play opposite Davis, but due to complications, they cast Olivia De Havilland. The ongoing feud between the two actresses might have had something to with this.
I think I like this film better than What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? ( I just saw this a few weeks ago in preparation for this list) Both feature Davis as a character whose sanity is in question. This time, Bette Davis as Charlotte is thought to have murdered her lover when he dissed her. There wasn’t evidence to charge her. This was back when she was a teen. Late in her middle age, she is still the suspect. She lives on her Daddy’s manor. Daddy has long since passed away and the state has authority to demolish the property. Charlotte won’t let them.
There is so much intriguing psychological horror in this film. Like Carrie, it’s one of those scare/sad films. A new emotion is created combining these two traits; an emotion yet to be defined but very real.
Rosemary’s Baby – 1968
Based on Ira Levin’s novel, this is one of those films that begs the question, “Which is better, the book or the movie?” Having absorbed the story on both mediums, I honestly can’t tell you. Both are great. The fact that one has to struggle with this question is a testament to how good the film is. Usually the book is better. Not always. Never always.
Young Rosemary is pregnant, and everyone close to her, her neighbors, her doctor, even her husband, are behaving strangely. They all have advice on how she is to deal with her pregnancy, but something about the advice is off. It’s as if she has suddenly wandered into a cult. They don’t want her seeking help outside their circle.
Or is this just a case of manic pregnancy; is Rosemary just paranoid?
While this film is great on all levels, actress Ruth Gordon brings a special touch to this film. Her performance is outstanding. So is the rest of the cast.
This is one of three films of Roman Polanski that have been retroactively labelled “The Apartment Trilogy”. The films are unrelated, but they stage the horror in the backdrop of apartment complexes.
Free on YouTube with ads
Night of the Living Dead – 1968
The first zombie film as we know them. Oh sure, older films featured zombies. But not en masse like this. George Romero sets the tone for the modern day zombie apocalypse trope with Night of the Living Dead. I don’t even think they are called zombies in the movie. They are the dead that, for reasons unknown, decided to climb out of their graces and start walking the earth, killing anybody that crosses their path.
Romero’s casting of a black man as the movie’s hero was unheard of in these times. What happens to him at the end of the film can be seen as a statement; when all is going to hell in a hand basket, racism is still strong. And that’s another statement the movie alludes to – the breakdown of society caused by mass consumption of the brain dead.
This movie is a trailblazer with memorable characters and dialogue. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?
Free on YouTube. I think this has been a public domain film for some time.
Carnival of Souls – 1962
This is one of those films that is difficult to explain. To explain is to reveal, to reveal is to spoil. I don’t want to do that.
Filmed as if in a dream sequence, a young woman is experiencing the unreal. Nothing seems to make sense. White, ghoulish-faced people haunt her. She has eerie experiences playing a church pipe organ in a cathedral.
This is one of those films appreciated long after its inception.
Full movie below.
Repulsion – 1965
The first film of Roman Polanski’s “The Apartment Trilogy”, even though he himself didn’t know he was making such a thing. It has nothing to do with Rosemary’s Baby.
This is another movie that is difficult to describe and the best way to see what it’s about is to see the film. It’s another film with sequences of dream-like states.
Maybe it’s better to have someone else explain it. According to Criterion, “Repulsion is a surreal, mind-bending odyssey into personal horror, and it remains one of cinema’s most shocking psychological thrillers.”
The main character, Carol Ledoux, suffers mental breakdowns. Her hallucinations are the horror of this film. Some say Carol fears the mystery of sexuality. From the Huffington Post:
“Carol is the personification of sexual mystery – she is what lurks beneath the orgasms of pleasure and pain.”
So, like, what do these quotes from various internet pages mean? I dunno, man. See the film.
The Books of Daniel 