While modern horror still has its appeal, there’s just something so mesmerizing about classic horror films. Maybe it’s the daring nature to go scarier and bloodier, or perhaps it’s that grainy texture of shooting on film. There’s no one explanation for why it’s so fun to delve into horror movie history.
AlthoughShudderboasts many new and original films, the streaming service hasn’t forgotten the past. It hasn’t forgotten about the horror fans who recall the days of plucking a VHS tape off the shelf or catching a wild midnight screening. So here are some horror classics on Shudder to dig from their 20th-century graves to discover that these old films are still alive.
1982
Runtime
1 hour 25 minutes
Even when director Lucio Fulci brought the Italian giallo genre to New York City, he didn’t tone down the sex and violence forThe New York Ripper. A serial killer is on the loose in New York, and the only lingering evidence is the killer’s voice, impersonating Donald Duck. While his voice might sound silly, the killer’s methods of brutal murder are no laughing matter, showcasing some of the most gruesome kills with a knife.
Merging the surreal elements of giallo with the grittiness of New York crime thrillers,The New York Ripperis unflinching in its depiction of dark temptations. In addition to scenes of intense torture, there’s also a psychosexual angle in how characters will become obsessed with finding the following way to be pleased, venturing into the shadows. The investigation is also gripping, with a cat-and-mouse dynamic that goes hard for a serial killer story.
1981
1 hour 21 minutes
Galaxy of Terrorplays like a B-movie take onAlienthat leans harder into the sexual and the gory. It’s the familiar story of a starship crew sent to investigate a strange alien presence on an eerie planet. Murder follows, but the tortures they endure are so frightening they’d be begging for face-huggers and aliens bursting out of their chests.
As a Roger Corman (Silence of the Lambs) production,Galaxy of Terrorgoes the extra mile to become a weird and raunchy sci-fi horror. The various kills range from giant maggots to sliced-off arms to bodies tightened so hard the eyeballs explode. But perhaps the best reason to watch is for the surprisingly notable cast with a blade-wielding Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects) and a gun-toting Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street).
1985
1 hour 40 minutes
George A. Romero’sDay of the Deadexplores the zombie apocalypse for its claustrophobia. With the undead roaming the Earth, surviving humans have retreated underground to live and study the zombies trying to eat them. But a society like this can only last so long when despotism and authoritarianism take hold, caving in to the walls of perceived safety.
While there are plenty of interesting aspects to explore inDay of the Dead, the best reason to watch is for Joe Pilato’s over-the-top performance as the aggressive jerk Captain Rhodes. He steals the show and is gifted with the greatest death-by-zombie moment in any of Romero’sDeadmovies. There’s terror, disgust, and humor in the scene where his guts are torn out as his last words are “Choke on them!”
1979
1 hour 31 minutes
Zombiehas a history of weird titles. It was previously known asZombie 2, branded as a sequel to the Italian dub of George Romero’sDawn of the Dead. Despite the confusion, this Italian horror has its unique angle of an island setting. Director Lucio Fulci stages an extra-bloody and super-gory zombie adventure with characters getting attacked in the most jaw-dropping of effects and sequences.
Although shot on a limited budget, some scenes still make the mind boggle at how they were accomplished. I still can’t help but stare in terrified wonder at the underwater sequence involving a decaying zombie and a shark. This low-budget bloodfest of a zombie film from 1979 still holds up as a must-watch Italian horror essential.
1984
1 hour 22 minutes
If superheroes are more of your thing,The Toxic Avengeris the campy horror hero you need. Set in an exaggerated city of cruelty and violence, the unlucky Melvin goes from being a scrawny victim to the all-powerful mutant Toxic Avenger. With his droopy eye and trusty mop, he wages an over-the-top, violent war on criminals and conspirators, all in the name of justice, most brutal.
There was a bold nature to how production company Troma Entertainment took a chance at makingThe Toxic Avengernot only another exaggerated dose of 1980s horror, but an absurd superhero tale as well. It merges classic comic book origin stories with the rule-breaking violence of the era into the most satisfying of bombastic B-movies, where no child or animal is safe from ridiculous chaos. It was the foundation of how Troma flourished, with the Toxic Avenger being prolific enough to warrant a remake coming to theaters this year.
1999
1 hour 55 minutes
Auditionis one of the most disturbing films by director Takashi Miike, and that’s saying something for a director known for his irreverence. The widower Shigeharu is looking for a new wife and decides to hold a fake media audition to find the right woman. But Shigeharu is a misogynist who doesn’t count on his dream girl Asami to be his worst nightmare.
Even for as many horror films as I’ve seen, there are still moments inAuditionthat make me squirm. The slow build to Asami’s torture of Shigeharu is already creepy, but her even slower dissection of his body. There’s a reason why this film was initially released in an edited version, and you’ll know why if you’re able to stomach the gory details of this rather poignant horror on the nature of gender and dominance.
1 hour 20 minutes
Vampire Hunter Dis one of the more unique vampire films and an early marvel of Japanese animation dabbling in horror. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the drifting vampire hunter known as D comes to the aid of Doris Lang, daughter of a werewolf hunter. When Doris is targeted by the vampire Count Magnus Lee, D fights back with all his powers, including his talking hand.
Vampire Hunter Doffers a little of everything, mixing aspects of sci-fi, horror, and Westerns. The violence is extra juicy, with exploding heads and severed limbs, and D encounters all sorts of strange monsters in his crusade against evil. It’s also a gorgeous film to watch, featuring some remarkably detailed animation from 1980s Japan, making it a highlight of anime’s growing appeal in America.I also wrote about other retro anime from the same era.
2 hours 4 minutes
If your taste in horror is more psychological than slasher, you need to see the unforgettablePossession. Directed by Andrzej Żuławski, the film follows the decaying relationship of the spy Mark (Sam Neill) and his dissatisfied wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani). As Mark struggles to accept a divorce, his investigation leads him to discover that Anna was hiding more than just a romantic affair, but a vicious creature taking hold of her psyche.
With psychosexual terror and doppelgänger danger,Possessionis disturbingly intoxicating with its moody atmosphere and claustrophobic camera. It embraces the madness that comes with how identity and agency can get lost in relationships, digging deep into the psyche’s most dangerous corners. Although boasting astounding performances by Neill and Adjani (maybe the best of their careers), this horror film is not as widely known but has easily become one of my favorite cult classics of the genre.
The horror genre has always had plenty to offer, where you need only probe around the past to find the many flavors of the medium. Masked killers, vicious aliens, and demonic spirits are capable of so much more than stomach-turning violence. If you’re looking to get schooled in classic horror between the acclaim of Universal monsters and disgust of the Saw movies, I highly recommend these Shudder titles that have something for every horror lover.
shudder
Shudder is a horror streaming service that offers plenty of new titles in the genre, but also plenty of horror classics from the 20th century.
