Top 15 Horror Films of the 1960's 15.
CARNIVAL
OF SOULS(1962) D-Herk Harvey ST-Candice
Hilligoss. A bit slow but very errie.
Concerns a woman who seemingly dies in a car
accident but next finds herself moving into a
small town as the outsider. This one really
gets to you.The whole feel of the movie will
linger with you for days. The location shots
in the abandoned amusement park are
wonderfully disturbing. 
14.SUCCUBUS aka NECRONOMICON(1967)
D-Jesus
Franco ST-Janine Reynard.I had to include at
least one Jesus Franco in this list. This is
his best.It's sexy and beautifully
directed.And it's even got a good Jazz
soundtrack.The story revolves around a
nightclub performer who is actually the
creation of her lovers erotic mind. The story
is difficult to follow, more like a weird
dream.Surrealistic. 13.FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN(1966) D-Terrance Fisher ST-Peter Cushing,Susan Denberg. Incredible horror by the masters at Hammer.Frankenstein experiments with soul capturing/transplanting. Denberg plays his creation.One of the first English horror films to feature nudity.DOCTOR WHO fans will appreciate the banter between Frankenstein and his assistant as well as certain scientific angles.Susan Denberg died soon after this, a victim of fame and drug abuse. 12.THE WHIP AND THE BODY(1963) D-Mario Bava ST-Christopher Lee. Strange film.Lots of s and m. Lee is excellent as Kurt,perverted brother-in-law of Nevenka,the central character,who takes his pleasure in the whipping of this poor lady.Many psychology classes have taught this film.Very deep.Great stuff! Very erotically directed by one of the greats of the genre. 11.LE VIOL DU VAMPIRE(1967) D-Jean Rollin ST-Bernard Letrou.An early feature by my second favorite horror director. This film set the pattern for his later work. Surrealistic, violent,erotic and beautifully photographed.It's difficult to find but worth the effort. 10.REPULSION(1965)
D-Roman
Polanski ST-Catherine Deneuve. This movie
will get to you. Start watching and you can't
take your eyes off it.The viewer is put in
the eyes of Catherine who sinks quickly into
madness.You end up feeling sorry for her as
she murders for reasons justfiable in her own
madness.Great ending too. 9.LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIA
aka BLACK SUNDAY(1960) D-Mario Bava
ST-Barbara Steele. Barbara Steele's
breakthrough in Italian horror. And Mario
Bava's first big film.This is an absolute
masterpiece. You can take a still from any
part of this movie and hang it on your
wall.Glorious black and white
photography.Very frightening film about a
witch burned at the stake, returning to take
revenge. Lot's of
witchcraft,torture,graveyards and so on.Get
this out every Halloween. 8.PLAGUE OF THE
ZOMBIES(1966) D-John Gilling ST-Andre
Morrell.Hammer does the living dead.
Effective Hammer with great sets,good
characters and shocking special effects. The
makeup artists did a tremendous job, the
zombies are really scary. Highly
recommended.Available in letterbox
VHS. 7. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT aka THE DEVIL'S BRIDE(1967) D-Terence Fisher ST-Christopher Lee. The great Terence on top of his game.Excellent color sets decorate this horror=adventure yarn about the good magick vs the satanists. Chris Lee makes a excellent good guy! Grreat allegory for good vs evil. a must see! 6.THE HAUNTED PALACE(1963) D-Roger Corman ST-Vincent Price. Great Corman/Price film about the revenge of a warlock who was burned at the stake, based on H.P.Lovecrafts"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".The castle where the story takes place is beautifully recreated,cobwebs,paintings,vast corridors all done in glorious color schemes.Vincent Price is great as always. 5.SEI DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO aka BLOOD AND BLACK LACE(1964) D-Mario Bava. Serial killer stalks sexy models in lace. What could be better? Very disturbing film. Brilliantly directed by Bava.The violence expressed towards woman so realistically displayed was quite a shock at the time. 4.L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR.
HICHCOCK(1962) D-Ricardo Freda ST=Barbara
Steele.Great film about
necrophillia.Dr.Hichcock injects his wife
with serom to knock her out so he can fulfill
his necro fantasies. She ends up buried alive
and comes back to take revenge.Steele is
excellent. This is a perverse film. But
wonderfully directed. 3.DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS(1965) D-Terence Fisher ST-Judith O'Day. The greatest of all Hammer Dracula's. A Masterpiece. Tons of plot, characters, gore and great visuals.If you ever run a horror role playing game, steal this plot. Dracula preys on unsuspecting Transylvania tourists.A must own! Very creepy shots of Dracula's castle. 2.NIGHT OF THE LIVING
DEAD(1968)
D-George Romero ST-Judith O'Dea. This is
George Romero's masterpiece of the macabra.
Filmed in Pittsburgh with a cast of locals,
this film has become legend.It holds its
fright level even today because of the stark
matter of fact way the zombie invasion is
handled.Everything is handled so
realistically,graphically. Excellent black
and white photography. 1.PSYCHO(1960) D-Alfred Hitchcock ST-Anthony Perkins. We all know what this film is about and why it is on top of this list.Think about it while you are alone in the house, getting ready to take your evening shower. |
