Horror as a genre is perhaps most dependent on its time period. What is scary is defined very differently by each generation. Because horror cinema adds different standards of special effects or masters the craft of jumpscares, some movies can look funny rather than scary to modern audiences.
Still, 1960s horror classics have a special place in modern cinema. The 1960s in the US were a time of uncertainty, paranoia and rapid change, which were naturally reflected on the big screen. These films were psychological and stylish and served as an important source of inspiration for modern films, such as Shutter Island, We need to talk about Kevinand love witchwhich is a tribute to the horror of the 60s in general.
While it often seemed that international horror from the UK, Italy and Japan dominated the genre, there are still many American horror masterpieces from this decade — Edgar Allan Poe’s adaptations with Vincent Price, the low-budget masterpiece Carnival of Soulsthe colorful unforgettable Queen of Bloodand the completely deranged spider baby all come to mind. Nevertheless, we’ve narrowed down this list of the most prominent American horror films of the ’60s to the essential films that defined the decade, country, and genre.
5 What ever happened to Baby Jane?
Align with all about Eva and Sunset Boulevard, What ever happened to Baby Jane is one of the biggest films to criticize the Hollywood film industry, exposing its ugly underbelly: how it eats people up and spits them into oblivion when it’s done with them.
In this psychological thriller, horror is intertwined with drama, fighting for genre supremacy just as the protagonists fight each other. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were horror first-timers, but the film received critical acclaim, not only for directing, but for their breathtaking acting, as well as the overall style and original Hollywood backstage aesthetic, which capture the bleak depth of the film. reflected human madness.
Baby Jane has become a cult LGBTQ+ classic—thanks in particular to Charles Pierce, whose standard impersonation was Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson. This legacy was also honored in Rupaul’s Drag Race in a iconic sketch in All Stars Season 2. After all, both horror and drag depend on performing in a heightened reality.
4 The birds
Any list of the best American horror movies would be incomplete without Alfred Hitchcock, the maestro of the menace. Hitchcock managed to lure and surprise his audience by exploring and exploiting the fears and concerns of the population like few other directors. It is a common notion that The birds Surface veiled metaphor for the Cold War and in particular for the US state and the unrest during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With that context, The birds is fairly considered one of the scariest movies about animals. But what exactly makes it? The birds so sad?
First, this film is unique because of its use of sound – or lack thereof. The birds does not have a full soundtrack. Another trick is not the murder scenes themselves, but the ominous shots of the numerous flocks of birds. Hundreds of birds in one shot create a distinct sense of panic. And finally, there is the lack of justification. The film ends, but viewers have no idea why the birds started attacking people and for what purpose. This mystery makes people think about the meaning of the film, come up with different theories and try to decipher what really went on in the mind of the great Hitchcock. Horror is more unnerving if not fully explained.
3 psychosis
psychosis was the result of Hitchcock’s desire to do something experimental, different, unexpected and absolutely challenging. The finished product became one of the most important horror films of all time, unlike any of his previous films. The era of old Hollywood burst and erupted in 1960, with Alfred Hitchcock, always the critic and perfectionist, at the forefront of it. To be psychosis is one of the most innovative films in the history of cinema and has influenced countless future filmmakers.
This psychological horror is a true feast for movie buffs: the story is tense and unpredictable; the mise-en-scenes are staged with jeweler’s precision; actors gave the performances of their lives, fooling viewers, making the audience believe and sympathize with them; the cinematographer, chosen after working alone on TV shows, was nominated for an Oscar for his stylish black-and-white cinematography; and of course, last but not least is Bernard Herrmann’s nervous, imaginative score. Try to get those screeching violins out of your head.
2 rosemary baby
Roman Polanski is a terrible person. rosemary babyisn’t just about him though, and it’s still a wonderful film that deserves praise. Called Jordan Peele rosemary baby one of his favorite movies and a great source of inspiration for him Out. Vulture explored how this film’s influence seems inescapable, and rightly so: every movie about motherhood, let alone horror movies about motherhood, is faced with the question of whether rosemary baby hadn’t already said the same, and better.
Combining Hollywood narrative cinema and European experimental thinking, this film plunges the viewer into the perilous waters of human nature and distorted reality. Domesticity and pregnancy alternate with rape, murder and Satanism, masterfully increasing the sense of paranoia. Despite their eccentricity and caricatural talkativeness, sweet Roman and Minnie turn out to be diabolical villains. It’s both Rosemary and the viewer who feel cornered, gaslighted, and unable to trust anyone from neighbors and doctors to the closest loved ones.
1 Night of the Living Dead
George Romero laid the foundation for the popularization and active use of the appearance of zombies in movies. Night of the Living Dead, undoubtedly revolutionized the horror film genre and paved the way for movie zombies to grow a cult of their own. From the term “living dead” to forging a canonical image of a zombie as a slow, unintelligent creature who craves flesh and can only die from a blow to the head, Romero’s vision has influenced countless movies and television shows. Filmed on a laughably meager budget, it became (by accident or design) a true movie legend.
Thus, it was not Romero’s intention to make one of the first horror films directed by a black man. However, with Duane L. Jones as the lead, the whole thing changed drastically. Jones, concerned about his character’s aggressiveness, actively developed the script, refusing certain lines and even personally rewrote them. Combined with the then-recent assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the ending transformed this film from a B-movie into a social tragedy and a biting satire.
Since its inception, the zombie genre has remained a little black dress of cinematic social commentary, such as The conversation nicely described. True to its nature, one of the pioneers of the genre, Night of the Living Dead is one of the best examples of all when it comes to social commentary in horror movies.