Continuing our monthlong celebration of Halloween with various scary movie and TV-related lists. Check out our online movie database at staytunedmag.com to see if any of these or other scary titles are on this month. (Note: Videos may contain disturbing images and language.)
HIDDEN HORRORS: TOP 5 SCARY FILMS YOU MAY
NOT HAVE HEARD OF
Like unexpected terrors lurking in the dark just waiting to jump out and grab you, these little-seen horror films offer startling surprises:
5. It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
In the way-off year 1973, an interstellar spacecraft unknowingly picks up a deadly alien stowaway that begins killing its crew. Sound familiar? It seems possible that the producers of 1979’s similarly themed Alien may have seen this flick, and reps for It! agreed, since they filed a lawsuit which was settled out of court. As scary as Alien is, this film also has its terrifying moments, particularly before the monster is actually seen, and is merely stalking in the shadows:
4. Peeping Tom (1960)
Released the same year as Hitchcock’s Psycho, and fairly overshadowed by that film’s success, this British movie directed by Michael Powell has similar themes and with its American counterpart is often credited with inspiring the slasher movies that would later take hold in the ’70s and ’80s. Carl Boehm plays photographer Mark Lewis, who has similar issues with women as Norman Bates. In his case, he murders them while using a movie camera to record their dying expressions of terror. Now almost universally regarded as a classic, the controversial film was blasted upon release and Powell found it hard to find work for years afterward:
3. Tourist Trap (1979)
A group of youngsters run afoul of the owner of a mysterious “museum” filled with creepy mannequins, in a premise that may be familiar to those who have seen the awful Paris Hilton-starring House of Wax:
2. Carnival of Souls (1962)
Highly creepy cult favorite that appears to have offered some inspiration to everything from Night of the Living Dead to The Sixth Sense. Wonderfully atmospheric direction by Herk Harvy expertly puts star Candace Hilligoss — and us — into a waking nightmare:
1. Dead of Night (1945)
One of the earliest horror anthologies, containing five stories and one wraparound tale. The tales increase in frightening intensity (though one story right before the end eases things up for humorous effect). The film is notable in being among the first to use the ventriloquist dummy-come-to-life theme, and its twist ending — now pretty much a cliche — was also among the first, and still holds a terrifying impact. Catch it on TCM this month; this is the first I can recall it being on TV in a long time.