Halloween is almost here, and excitement is building for trick-or-treaters and party goers. But you’d rather have a stress-free night at home. Why not make it a movie night, with classic horror films from the thirties?
The Dictionary of Film Studies defines horror as a depiction of dark and disturbing subject matter. Horror films seek to elicit fear, terror, disgust, shock, or suspense from viewers. So they are just ticket for Halloween movie night.
Of course, horror films – like Halloween itself – is tricky for Christians. You’ll find some possible solutions here, but they might not work for all Christians. If you’re wondering whether to watch a film or not, follow the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
This post is a follow-up to my classic monster movies post from earlier this week. Today, we will look at 13 classic horror films of the 1930s. Frightful tales of murder and mayhem that will chill your spine and whiten your knuckles.
Sound good? Let’s dive in.
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The Golden Decade of Horror
Film historians regard the thirties as “the golden decade of horror.” The 1930s saw a constant flow of horror films. Few of them are scary to modern viewers. But there’s an underlying sense of dread that can make them uncomfortable to watch.
Karina Wilson is a writer working in film development. The horror films of the thirties were like exotic fairy tales, she said. Set in faraway lands, with characters in period clothing, speaking in strange accents. The filmmakers looked backward, drawing on classic literature for inspiration.
Escapism is the main reason classic horror films of the thirties were so popular. Fantastical and supernatural elements gave viewers an escape from Great Depression realities.
13 Classic Horror Films of the Thirties
If you’re looking for some escapism this Halloween, 🎃 watch one of these horror films. The “Parent Guide” links can help you make a better decision about letting your kids watch with you. Enjoy the show!
📖 READ – Silver Screen Scares: 13 Classic Monster Movies of the 1930s
1. Freaks (1932)
Description: “A beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of a group of circus side-show performers. But his deformed friends discover she only wants to marry him for his inheritance.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Tod Browning
Writers: Willis Goldbeck, Leon Gordon / Based on a short story by Clarence Aaron “Tod” Robbins
Stars: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Not Rated | Parents Guide
2. The Old Dark House (1932)
Description: “Seeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: James Whale
Writers: Benn W. Levy, R.C. Sherriff / Based on a book by J.B. Priestly
Stars: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
3. The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933)
Description: “When a famous doctor kills his adulterous wife, he is defended by his best friend, an attorney who suspects that his own wife is having an affair.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: James Whale
Writers: William Anthony McGuire, Emil Forst (translator) / Based on a play by Ladislas Fodor
Stars: Nancy Carroll, Frank Morgan, Paul Lukas
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
4. The Black Cat (1934)
Description: “American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a devil-worshipping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Writers: Peter Ruric, Edgar G. Ulmer / Based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe
Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Not Rated | Parents Guide
5. The Black Room (1935)
Description: “Ignoring an ancient prophecy, evil brother Gregor seeks to maintain his feudal power on his Tyrolean estate by murdering and impersonating his benevolent younger twin.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Roy William Neill
Writers: Arthur Strawn, Henry Myers
Stars: Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Robert Allen
🎞️ Rating: Passed | Parents Guide
6. Condemned to Live (1935)
Description: “After a series of unsolved murders, a man finds out that his mother was bitten by a vampire bat during her pregnancy, and he believes that he may be the vampire committing the murders.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Frank R. Strayer
Writers: Karen DeWolf
Stars: Ralph Morgan, Pedro de Cordoba, Maxine Doyle
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
7. Mad Love (1935)
Description: “In Paris, a demented surgeon’s obsession with a British actress leads him to secretly replace her concert pianist husband’s mangled hands with those of a guillotined murderer with a gift for knife-throwing.” Source: IMDb)
Director: Tod Browning
Writers: Guy Endore, Florence Crew-Jones (translator) / Based on a book by Maurice Renard
Stars: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive
🎞️ Rating: Not Rated | Parents Guide
8. Mark of the Vampire (1935)
Description: “When a nobleman is murdered, a professor of the occult blames vampires, but not all is what it seems.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Tod Browning
Writers: Guy Endore, Bernard Schubert, John L. Balderston (contributor)
Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allen, Bela Lugosi
🎞️ Rating: Passed | Parents Guide
9. Revolt of the Zombies (1936)
Description: “An international expedition is sent into Cambodia to destroy an ancient formula that turns men into zombies.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Victor Halperin
Writers: Victor Halperin, Howard Higgin, Rollo Lloyd
Stars: Dorothy Stone, Dean Jagger, Roy D’Arcy
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
10. The Devil Doll (1936)
Description: “An escaped convict uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those who framed him.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Tod Browning
Writers: Garrett Fort, Guy Endore, Erich von Stroheim
Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O’Sullivan, Frank Lawton
🎞️ Rating: Passed | Parents Guide
11. The Invisible Ray (1936)
Description: “A scientist becomes murderous after discovering, and being exposed to the radiation of, a powerful new element called Radium X.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Writers: John Colton, Howard Higgin, Douglas Hodges
Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Frances Drake
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
12. The Cat and the Canary (1939)
Director: Elliott Nugent
Description: “When an eccentric family meets in their uncle’s remote, decaying mansion on the tenth anniversary of his death for the reading of his will, murder and madness follow.” Source: IMDb)
Writers: Walter DeLeon, Lynn Starling / Based on a play by John Willard
Stars: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, John Beal
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
13. The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
Description: “When Dr. Savaard’s experiment in cryonics is interrupted by the short-sighted authorities, his volunteer dies, and he is condemned to death. He vows vengeance if he can survive his own hanging.” Source: IMDb)
Director: Nick Grinde
Writers: Karl Brown, Leslie T. White, George Wallace Sayre
Stars: Boris Karloff, Lorna Gray, Robert Wilcox
🎞️ Rating: Not Rated | Parents Guide
Wrapping It Up
There you have it: 13 classic horror films of the thirties. Check out these monster movies, too. The horror films of the 1930s laid the foundation for the movies we enjoy today.
So grab the popcorn, your spouse (or kids), and a cozy blanket – and prepare for some thrills and chills. And if you’re reading this in October, 🎃 Happy Halloween! ◻️
Related Posts
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- Silver Screen Scares: 13 Classic Monster Movies of the 1930s
Now It’s Your Turn
Thank you for reading my post. Now it’s YOUR turn to chime in. How do you feel about classic horror films of the thirties? Will you and your family watch one for Halloween? Which one?
Let’s fill the comments with friendly conversation. Scroll down to leave a reply, ask a question, or say just hello. And if you liked this post, please give it a share.
Blessings, Annette
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Photo Sources
- Vladans / Getty Images | Canva | License
- Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain
