I have two favorite horror films, both from the 1960s, made in the United Kingdom, and both with Christopher Lee portraying a prominent character.
The first movie, from 1960, is called "The City of the Dead". The music in the opening and closing credits is fantastic!
In the United States, it was released as "Horror Hotel" and that's what I knew it as when I watched it on TV growing-up. However, there is an important difference: In the beginning of the film, it is 03 MAR 1692 in (the fictional town of) Whitewood, Massachusetts. (Think of it like Salem MA during the era of the witch trails.) Elizabeth Selwyn is an accused witch about to be burned at the stake. After that scene the end of which it implies that Satan saves her and her associate Jethro Keane, the movie jumps to 1960 in a liberal arts college where professor Alan Driscoll (played by Christopher Lee) is teaching a history class on witchcraft. We see he is discussing the death of Selwyn and one young beautiful blond student, Nan Barlow, is very interested. She tells Driscoll that she wants to do her term paper on witchcraft, so Driscoll suggests visiting Whitewood, the town he grew-up in.
Anyway, the key differences between the US and UK versions are some segments of dialog in the 1692 scene which are in the original but cut from the US version because distributors felt these would be upsetting to religious American viewers. Unfortunately, that dialog is critical to understanding the basic premise of the film so American viewers might have been slightly confused like I was.
Fortunately, in the US, this movie has no copyright, so it is free to watch. It was then, in my 50s, that I discovered the differences between the two versions and finally understood why Whitewood was a town that Satan "has made his own".
So, I advocate seeing the original UK version because of the extra revelatory dialog.
Here it is for you to enjoy. It's a short, fast-paced movie, so have fun!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/7BChuMtWjYYThe second movie is "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors". This movie is an anthology of 5 stories, but the framing story is 5 men in a train carriage. The train is an express from London to the fictional town of Bradley. A 6th man enters, an elderly man named Dr. Schreck ("schreck" is German for "terror"). Dr. Schreck introduces his pack of Tarot cards which he calls his "house of horrors". Ultimately, he gets the men, one by one, to engage in having his future told by Shreck's Tarot cards. What we then see is a 15-minute story of the man's fate. I'll leave it at that.
However, the doctor says, there is an alternative future revealed in the next card. So, after each man's story, he then reveals the alternate future card. Each man gets the same card and it's not a good card to get.
After all the men's futures are told, they demand Schreck does his future as well. He reveals the same alternate card.
The men are very upset. Finally, Christopher Lee's character, uptight art critic Franklyn Marsh, gets terse and very demanding with the doctor:
"Why have you done this?
What do you want?
WHO ARE YOU?"The doctor, played by Peter Cushing (aka Grand Moff Tarkin in "Star Wars"), slowly turns his head to face Marsh and quietly says:
"Have you not guessed?"The train then apparently enters a tunnel so there is a momentary blackout. When lights come back on, Dr. Shreck is gone as the train comes to a stop. The men get off and we all learn the horrifying truth.
Fortunately, this movie is available for free on YouTube as well.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/jqG8hUzvsUsBoth movies are rather short, so you can watch them both in a single evening.
A more modern horror movie that, I must admit, I really enjoyed was "The Others" with Nicole Kidman.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9Hoj951nSANow, if you want to see a FUN horror movie, watch "Creepshow" which is an anthology movie.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/owdnnaNs2RI
The segment "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is a lot of fun because it STARS...
>>>> Stephen King!
Yes, that Stephen King. He plays Jordy Verrill and just hearing him say "Meteor shit!" is worth the price of admission. (He also wrote the movie with George A. Romero of "Night of the Living Dead" fame.)
Also, the phrases "I want my cake!" and, finally, "I got my cake." will take on a new meaning...
Most Helpful Opinions
High Tension. First 95% of the movie is one of the best slashers I've ever seen. Loved the gnarly murders and how suspenseful some parts were. It was the first real horror movie I watched so it's special and I'll forgive the last 5% of the movie.
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“Halloween” (1978)
Mostly because it started it all. I own every “Halloween” movie, including the Rob Zombie remakes. Luv ‘em all!Still The Exorcist. The way cinema is going I doubt it will ever be bettered.
The Black Phone.
Favorite horror movie is an oxymoron. I tolerate horror movies.
Halloween.. first one (1978)
Halloween, The Thing and Alien.
Evil dead, the conjuring, insidious
alien film series
Don't care for Horror. I like SciFi though.
My parents wedding video <<>>
Excorcist
Goood nice
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