In The Shining, a father, a mother, and a son spend the winter as caretakers of a remote, isolated hotel, only to find themselves lost in a nightmare of psychic horror. Stanley Kubrick’s film makes the most of the atmosphere; the fictional Overlook Hotel makes as Read More …
Voyeurism lies at the heart of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, a taut horror thriller about a disturbed young cameraman who murders women and films them as they die. Powell brings a craftsman’s eye to the film, which he sets in mostly tight, claustrophobic spaces. Terrifying, thought-provoking, Read More …
A masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of time, Frankenstein was described by author Mary Shelley as “a moral lesson of the punishment that befell a mortal man who dared to emulate God.” The horror of a scientist’s creation, or rather re-creation, raises all sorts of ethical questions Read More …
David Cronenberg’s remake is a terrifying tragedy in the best possible way. A young, brilliant scientist makes a life-altering miscalculation and is unable to undo the damage. As his body deteriorates, he considers increasingly horrifying choices in attempts to save himself. Despite the repulsive transformation, his Read More …
Seven people board themselves up in a deserted farmhouse, and struggle as much with each other as they do with the horde of deceased that have risen and begun feeding on the flesh of the living. George A. Romero’s chilling film broke new ground in Read More …
Near the opening of Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Marion Crane steals money from her employer and goes on the run. At a small motel off the beaten path, her guilt catches up with her, as does something considerably more threatening. Psycho deals with histories of wrongdoing and failure to Read More …
It didn’t take long for Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s film Let the Right One In to earn a reputation as one of the greatest vampire movies ever crafted. Matt Reeves remade it almost immediately as Let Me In, which recreates the look and feel of the original, includes Read More …
G.K. Chesterton wrote that Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of Jekyll and Hyde was for us “a gargoyle of the greatest spiritual edification.” An exploration of a man using science to control his own fallen nature by giving it a conscience-free outlet, this film also illustrates Read More …
An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, F.W. Murnau’s Expressionist masterpiece imbues the figure of the vampire with dread and fascination, transcending nearly all later interpretations. Largely avoiding Christian iconography, Nosferatu contributed the deadly power of sunlight to vampire lore. Thanks in part to Max Schrek’s unclassifiable performance, Nosferatu’s Read More …
After more than 40 years, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist retains a visceral power its numerous successors and imitators have not sustained. Its reputation as one of the scariest movies ever made can perhaps overshadow its qualities as an examination of the mystery of faith. At Read More …