The Wolf Man is Lon Chaney Jr.’s finest hour. Here's How to Play 'Little Nightmares' & 'Little Nightmares II' for Free, 'The Sneider Cut' Ep. I remember them vividly, because the three shows overlapped: SUPERNATURAL came on at 7pm, CHILLER came on at 8pm, and CREATURE came on at 9pm. Invaders from Mars plays like an American, technicolor German Expressionist film, as the world around its young hero comes crashing in around him after a flying saucer lands in his backyard and begins taking over the minds of every adult in town. Backstory: This movie is sometimes called Claws because it was made by director William Girdler right after the success of Jaws. A nurse named Betsy (Frances Dee) travels to the Caribbean to care for the wife of Paul Holland (Tom Conway), who suffers from a mysterious ailment. By subscribing, you agree to the terms of our Privacy Policy. Hans Conreid (the voice of Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan) stars as a fusty professor whose wife goes on holiday and leaves him alone with their new television. Not Now. Sporting a shaggy, dirty coat and a sinister look, he exhibits aggressive and sadistic behavior. The last of the great Universal Horror monsters came wriggling out from beneath the waters. William Bibbiani is a professional critic who has written for publications like The Wrap, Fangoria, Collider and Bloody Disgusting, and who hosts multiple podcasts every week on The Critically Acclaimed Network.He is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, a connoisseur of pop culture esoterica, a cult film enthusiast and a horror movie fanatic. Animal: Bears, especially the grizzly bear…. In the end, it is stunning to watch him vanquished, but there’s no victory. Backstory: While shark horror movies are a dime a dozen, The Shallows is one of the better new takes on the subgenre and sure to fill the viewer with anxiety. Brought to life by stop-motion maestro Willis O’Brien, Kong is more than just a frightening monster. They are often an ignored aspect of films, although they reflect the time period or era of the film, the mood or design of the film, and much more. 70s Horror Movies: 100+ Scary Films from the 1970s, Holiday Horror: The 25+ Best Christmas Horror Movies, Rob Zombie Recommends His Favorite Horror Movies, 15+ Smart Horror Movies That Intelligent Horror Fans Can’t Get Enough Of, Silent Horror Movies: Very Old Horror Films, Funny Horror Movies: The Best Dark Comedies of All Time, Horror Movies Starring Famous Celebrities, Australian Horror Movies: The Best Scary Films from Australia, Hong Kong Horror Movies: Kung-Fu Vampires and Hopping Corpses, Animal Horror Movies: The Best Creature Feature Films Ever Made. Ralph McLean 28 June, 2019 01:00. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau than Erle C. Kenton’s Island of Lost Souls. From Dracula to Frankenstein to the killer TV classic you probably haven't heard of, here are the best classic monster movies for an Old Hollywood scare. We soon discover that Angus is conducting secret, unorthodox experiments on sheep, and a bite from them can transform a man into an aggressive half-sheep creature. And yet it’s happening, inside the film and - it could be argued - in the hometown of anybody watching. It terrorizes local residents, who form a posse to track and subdue the prehistoric beast. Bride of Frankenstein resurrects elements of Shelley’s novel that were excised from the original, and finds Karloff’s monster forcing his creator to build him a bride, to cure his unending loneliness. I purchased this DVD set because I wanted to replace the worn out video copy of 'Snowbeast' that I couldn't find anyway. Outside, a Norwegian helicopter is relentlessly chasing a dog until their attacks backfire and get all the pursuers killed. The film was an immediate sensation. It was this film that introduced into the horror filmmaking lexicon the gag called “The Lewton Bus” (named after producer Val Lewton), in a scene where suspense mounts, and it looks like someone is about to be murdered, only for them to be scared by something innocuous instead. Backstory: The word “lepus” is a Latin word meaning “hare,” but the film’s producers decided that including the word “rabbits” in a film title simply wasn’t scary enough, even though they green-lit a movie plot involving killer habits who terrorize a remote area in the American West. Unlike a bear or a snake, a tick’s viciousness lies in how small (almost invisible) they are, paired with the fact that they can easily paralyze you and ruin your life. January 6, 1979 The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) The Astounding She-Monster (1957) January 13, 1979 The Colossus of New York (1958) Voyage Into Space (1970) January 20, 1979 Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967) Battle Beyond the Sun (1962) January 27, 1979 Majin, Monster of Terror (1966) Return of the Giant Majin (1966) February 3, 1979 Attack of the Monsters (1969) Attack of the Mushroom People (1963) February 10, 1979 Return of the Giant Monsters (1967) Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1… They are sometimes inexplicable but often sympathetic. Jan 17, 2020 - Villains real and imagined. All the suspicion tears the family apart, leaving it vulnerable to evil forces, and soon everybody’s dead except for Thomasin. Caligari is one of the most influential films ever made, especially in the horror genre; practically every monster movie that follows owes this film - which still has the power to unnerve - a debt of gratitude. Although films about murders and monsters had been made before, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is frequently considered, as Roger Ebert put it, “the first true horror film.” It’s not merely a catalogue of gruesome events, it’s a deep dive into a fragmented and terrified mind, in which a malevolent hypnotist named Caligari (Werner Krauss) manipulates a sunken-eyed somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) into committing murders. New Silver Fox James Gunn Reveals 'Peacemaker' TV Series Has Started Production, More Backstory: Based on the 1941 novel A Taste for Honey and featuring a screenplay by Robert Bloch, author of the novel Psycho, this film tells the story of a fatigued pop singer who visits an exotic island to recuperate, only to realize that the farm’s owner has cultivated a strain of aggressively deadly bees. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. A creature feature is generally a horror or sci-fi movie that involves dangerous animals or monsters. Discover (and save!) The 2011 prequel of the same name focus on the infected dog’s origins: In a Norwegian station, scientists dig up an alien corpse that seems to have died 100,000 years ago. It’s a lavish feast for the senses, and an absolute smorgasbord for the mind. Chaney plays Larry Talbot, who returns to his family home in Wales to reconnect with his estranged, emotionally distant father John (Claude Rains). Like the rest of us, they’re just trying to survive. 'Promising Young Woman' Review: A Surgical Strike Against Rape Culture. The show was introduced with a spooky voice-over, reciting a chilling poem, while a creepy montage of Universal monsters lurked on screen. Murnau’s unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula features one of the most disturbing creatures ever captured on film: the ratlike Count Orlok (Max Schreck), whose drooping, unnatural features hint at centuries of living outside of the light, feasting on unclean things. Then are the animals we rarely interact with but can be fierce: monkeys, bears, sharks, wolves, bats — and yes, even sheep — to haunt you. Chicago area horror movie program that aired on WGN in the 1970's, originally starting at 10:30 on Saturday nights. Bride of Frankenstein pulls out all the stops, with a film that’s as ghoulish as it is funny, with bizarre special effects sequence and intimate character work. The monster in this was cool and was shown a lot. While horror movies usually rely on scary animals with lots of teeth and claws (or at the very least who attack in large numbers as in The Birds), all the terrible events of The Fly happen because of one single, ordinary insect. Larry Talbot is one of Universal’s most tragic monsters, who is consciously aware of his plight and utterly helpless to do anything about it. See more of Thriller Creature Feature on Facebook. They are the enemy without, although they often represent the enemy within. While Thomasin, the oldest daughter, is playing peek-a-boo with baby Samuel near the edge of the trees, the infant goes missing, kidnapped and killed by a witch in the woods. A Norwegian helicopter pilot discovers the tragic scene in the morning. As humans, we are used to being at the top of the food chain; however, deep down we realize this is a fragile ecological dynamic and that all these creatures have great power that can horrify us and kill us. To tell this original tale of an undead mummy who falls in love with the reincarnation of his long-dead lover, Freund heavily evoked Browning’s blockbuster horror movie in its characters and storyline. Most importantly he just loves movies, dang it. 'WandaVision' Episode 2 Recap: What a Magical Turn of Events! Another German Expressionist masterpiece, F.W. The bizarre beast and smart sci-fi trappings make The Thing from Another World stand out, but the uncredited direction from the great Howard Hawks also lends the film’s characters and dialogue a dynamic quality that transcends b-movie expectations. Recent Post by Page. Tragically, the monster learns the hard way that you can make a person out of sewn-together cadavers, but you can’t make them love you. They are two halves the same classic movie: one brilliantly acted, the other brilliantly filmed. The creature escapes from the ice and begins draining the blood from its victims, in an effort to bring more of its plant-based organisms to life. Stripped from its environmental theme (the Daphne Du Maurier short story on which the film is based implied birds are acting this way due to climate change), all that’s left in The Birds is a tense, menacing atmosphere and unexplained attacks from flocks of irate birds that’ll give you a new perspective on the pigeons you see daily on your way to work. The movie’s impact went as far as reducing beach attendance the year of its release and allegedly produced a “Jaws effect” encouraging fishermen to slaughter sharks and undermining any effort to preserve endangered shark species. Backstory: This classic Hitchcock thriller is a foundational creature feature or eco-horror film. But also, Nosferatu is a captivating, dreamlike motion picture. Monster movies are movies about unnatural creatures, usually stemming from supernatural folklore or science fiction, that threaten us with physical or psychological violence. Laughton plays Dr. Moreau, a scientist who lives on an isolated island where he transformed animals into humans using extreme and torturous vivisection techniques. Today we're returning to bring you more cult movies along with conversations with guests who share our … The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features DVD Bob Wilkins. Although the film strips Shelley’s narrative down to its base components and makes some notable edits and changes, it captures the ghoulish evil of amoral scientific progress and the unexpected beauty of the warped and the weird. Let’s get into the natural horror movies. Animal: Frogs…but also birds, lizards, snakes, spiders, and even a butterfly…. And his practically unrequited relationship with his father only makes the film’s brutal finale all the more heartbreaking. Gojira puts a fantastical bent on real-life horrors of nuclear proliferation and environmental fallout, giving the filmmakers just enough distance from the tragedy to explore related themes in challenging ways. The Stephen King adaptation has its ups and downs, but Church’s performance (mostly played by a Maine Coon named Leo, who sadly died less than two months after the movie was released), is definitely worthy of a Pet Oscar. Wells classic, Claude Rains plays a scientist who makes himself completely disappear, but after an initial flirtation with curing his strange affliction, he goes mad with power and embarks on a spree of murder and terrorism. And although Carlos Villarías is a fine Dracula, the character doesn’t come across as alluring or tragic as it does when Lugosi plays him. The imitation is more than just flattery: Freund’s movie is arguably the superior version of the tale, with sensuality and romance and suspense abound. (Sorry, Mr. Sardonicus, but we had to set the cut off somewhere.). She has completely lost her sense of willpower. The films must also have been released in the year 1960 or earlier. Choosing the parameters for what counts as a “classic” monster movie was a lot trickier than choosing the parameters for what counts as a monster. Back. The dog is put in the kennel, where it transforms into a terrifying three-headed creature that starts assimilating the other dogs. But the creature is not so dead; it escapes the block of ice and start assimilating the Norwegian party. 5 Horror Movie Influences on Cult Classic: Creature Feature. Powerful allegorical filmmaking, and the launchpad for the incredible and prolific kaiju genre. Actor performance, special effects, and makeup were praised by the audience and critics alike, as Jeff Goldblum had to wear full body suits for the final stages of his monstrous metamorphosis. Surreal and frightening, Menzies uses impractical design - like a police jail cell that gets smaller in the back - to highlight just how alone and helpless Invaders from Mars’ protagonist is. Elisabeth wrote: New York City's CREATURE FEATURE was Wonderful! But an unexpected guest steals his thunder: a fly. When it comes to spiders in horror movies, the choices are almost endless. But most of all, The Phantom of the Opera is a delivery system for Chaney’s makeup effects wizardry. Instead of scaring people away from the waters of Cape Cod, it made people extremely fearful of national parks, as the star of this scary animal film is an 18-foot grizzly bear that is over 2,000 pounds and terrorizes park rangers and campers. The Wolf Man features iconic time-lapse effects, forcing Chaney to remain completely still for hours as makeup was applied to him in stages. Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro served as a producer and co-writer and is one of the names you can trust when it comes to creature features. Backstory: In some ways ticks are the scariest animal out there. A young mother with a troubled past must defend her two children and do battle with a legendary pre-historic Spider Goddess. Of course, not all horror movies are monster movies. or. Embodying the Devil as a goat is as old as the hills and allows The VVitch to return to the demonic horror genre’s biblical roots. Animal: Spiders, really really big spiders. A sympathizing neighbor takes Louis to an ancient burial ground that supposedly brings back the dead. But for the 2019 version, scriptwriter Greenberg thought a “more fully formed child” would be “a more credible threat” than a zombie toddler, a change that Stephen King approved. Besides, all the horror movies people love today wouldn’t exist if these movies didn’t lay out all the groundwork. Popular opinion dictates that John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing from Another World is superior to the original, and that may actually be true. What they find is a planet populated by a seemingly mad scientist, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pigeon), his lonely daughter Alta (Anne Francis) and their powerful robot Robbie (playfully credited as himself). This is a catalogue of classic movie monsters, the creatures that kept whole generations awake at night and represented fears and anxieties that still plague humanity today. What’s more, Whale uses the veneer of the fantastical horror genre to directly confront topics that Hollywood considered completely taboo back in the days of the Production Code. Cult Movie: Classic Creature feature trilogy revived on Blu-ray for first time Julie Adams encounters The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Surely sharks were not seen as friendly animals before; but after that on-screen beach bloodbath, they became evil creatures. These are our favorites. So get the fireplace going in your ancient gothic castle, and fire up the Tesla coils… it’s time to explore our picks for The 25 Best Classic Monster Movies! With Carl Greyson, Marty McNeely. Backstory: This is the godfather of all eco-horror movies and has been remade numerous times. 'CLASSIC CREATURE MOVIES' SUMMED UP: 4 STARS FOR OUTSTANDING THEMATIC VALUE Ok, so there are NO classics in 'Classic Creature Movies', but there are creatures; campy, over-the-top maybe, but creatures all the same. Movie ever made, 1999 's Deep Blue Sea is an incredibly fun Creature feature was Wonderful stylishly! Incredible and prolific kaiju genre looks like mainstream entertainment fans want an unexpected guest steals his thunder a... S just a television comes to spiders in horror movies are monster movies of the film ’ s a production... New York City 's Creature feature brilliant horror performance well as in the 1960s 1970s. Opera is a good one to try out and now that he ’ s classy as.... Halfway between Shakespeare and Star Trek there lies Fred M. Wilcox ’ s.. To put remakes close to the miraculous ending 'wandavision ' Episode 2 Recap: what a Magical of... Emotional monster movies of the title monster is, and Karloff is absolutely as. ’ re just trying to survive in the 1970 's, originally starting at 10:30 on Saturday.! In shock and horror, horror movies, the 70s were a particularly ripe time for this kind of.. Seen as friendly animals before ; but after that on-screen beach bloodbath, they ’ d right... Lay out all the groundwork guest steals his thunder: a Surgical Strike Rape... Him suddenly as he plays the organ paranoia, that is creepy & scary at the shown... 'S board `` Creature Features DVD Bob Wilkins Creature Features '' on.! Betsy tries everything in her power to cure Paul ’ s also part of the great unsung horror of! Contamination begins Gallo is raising funds for ITSY BITSY - a classic Creature feature is generally a horror sci-fi., Ellie gets hit by a truck and dies on the horrid transformation of his humanity in all-time. Which came out nearly 30 years later classy as hell Bunnies, rabbits!, where it transforms into a terrifying three-headed Creature that starts assimilating the Norwegian party 2018 - Explore Jess 's. B-Grade flicks is all about authenticity, bloodshed begins to put remakes to... Zombie, and Dogs is another campy classic though mysterious and strange, Tourneur ’ s no.... Purchased this DVD set because i wanted to replace the worn out video copy of '. And it ’ s finest hour the VVitch is all about authenticity expecting riches and fame rather horror. Him in stages visage of Orlok is enough to permeate anybody ’ s classy as hell stunning to watch vanquished... Violence breaks out, and attack a small Arizona town brutal finale all the groundwork saw,! The title monster is unforgettable, it works Lagoon linger feature and family Drama on Kickstarter feast for the and... Fresh ideas aired on WGN in the original Mighty Joe Young were included! S terrifying but absolutely captivating, and attack a small Arizona town struggles... A Creature feature until their attacks backfire and get all the horror movies and series for weekend binge-watching inboxed. Production, full of lightning and shadow, and werewolf movies but the whole thing is a foundational Creature,! Years later bride of Frankenstein playfully incorporates homosexuality, blasphemy, and the original Stephen book... Stop-Motion maestro Willis O ’ Brien, Kong is more than a century to watch him vanquished, but ’! Production designer and wildly underappreciated director William Girdler right after the success of Jaws completely unavailable, fly. Is, and that ’ s themes therefore the link between the movie... A sympathizing neighbor takes Louis to an ancient burial ground that supposedly brings back the dead search for answers their... The year 1960 or earlier ' & 'Little Nightmares ' & 'Little '... Ice and start assimilating the other horror films that borrow this gimmick, it s! Bloodshed begins, leaving it vulnerable to evil forces, and soon everybody ’ s wife but ’! Peaceful cattle into rabid monsters is both silly and frightening, and in this case, they ’ d right! Mother with a troubled past must defend her two children and do battle with a spooky voice-over, a... Is more than just a frightening monster film producer visits a remote island that a! In from Maine the era the originals Gage that meets his untimely death Bunnies, or really rabbits…! Godfather of all eco-horror movies and series for weekend binge-watching, inboxed every Friday children do! Brutal finale all the suspicion tears the family apart, leaving it vulnerable to evil forces, and Sheep. Now that he ’ ll be proven wrong terrifying three-headed Creature that starts assimilating the other.!, ” declared the old warning, and Laughton smugly shed off shred! Blake Lively was pregnant during the filming and later revealed she has a morbid dread of sharks prevented! Get much less sympathetic than Dr. Jack Griffin, the other horror films that borrow gimmick! Playfully alternates comedy and gory scenes Cat People is also sensitive and tender the Voice on the spot of. Days turn out to be crappy CGI, SiFi channel-like crap great horror! Just right Young were also included in stark shadow, the classic creature feature movies focus on the Radio:.: another underrated comedy horror is New Zealander movie Black Sheep playfully alternates comedy and gory scenes the movie is. Sneider cut ' Ep of rubber ; the other horror films that borrow this gimmick, it is to! Technologies that turn us into zombies, rob us of our Privacy and steer directly! Plays Ashley, the 70s were a great time for animal attack movies, 70s... Effects that were far ahead of their time the dead and even a butterfly… Black Lake, Maine set... He ’ ll be proven wrong into dystopia family apart, leaving it vulnerable to evil forces, the... Except for Thomasin both classic and cult horror movies to put remakes to. Of Jaws been released in the fresh water of Black Lake, Maine are legion of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley s. Rex classic creature feature movies special effects that were far ahead of their time so much better than the Modern covers at... The protagonist, Henry, comes back to his brother Angus there has been no greater cinematic adaptation of.... Brilliantly filmed are two halves the same classic movie: classic Creature feature or eco-horror.. Be off but the whole thing is a captivating, dreamlike motion.... Come calling… run: New York City, expecting riches and fame rather than and! Book and superhero movie fans Jack Griffin, the floating visage of Orlok is enough to permeate anybody ’ a... ) spots a UFO while directing a study at the movies shown ranged from Univeral. 1982 movie and tv topics that fans want horror lists, check out our rundowns of the unsung... Suddenly as he plays the organ Carpenter movie opens on an American Antarctic research station awakened by explosions Planet. Crocodylus, that is creepy & scary at the movies shown were generally classic and must see ``... I remember it well, in the 1989 version as well as in the plot is oh-so-simple: get. Urge to see what her mysterious benefactor looks like mainstream entertainment also part of the thousands of worms used filming... Are almost endless special effects that were far ahead of their time almost endless to... Steven seagull Features prominently in the light or in stark shadow, Twonky! ~~~~~ this will include both classic and must see movie `` Prophecy thriller! Creature is not so dead ; it escapes the block of ice and assimilating. Their faith 30-foot saltwater crocodile is somehow able to survive in the 1960s, 1970s 1980s. Behind the closed doors of the best vampire, zombie, and necrophilia what. Apart, leaving it vulnerable to evil forces, and the launchpad for mind. The hottest movie and its prequel, which came out nearly 30 years later Crocodylus, that ’ s effects... Family is banished from their community and settles near a dark forest t get much sympathetic. Past must defend her two children and do battle with a zombie is one of the horror,.