Classic Horror on Netflix Instant
1. Nosferatu
Why it’s perfect for Halloween viewing:
Nosferatu made its bones back in 1922 as the first full-length vampire film to hit theaters. All of the effects that you’ll see in this film are not only done in-camera, but the majority of them were engineered to be done on stage. This means that when you see the shadow of Count Orlok’s hand clasp over a character’s neck, it’s something that was actually done in the studio.
Fun Fact: Nosferatu was originally an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, but when the studio couldn’t obtain the rights to the novel, they changed the title and renamed their title character Count Orlok.
2. The House on Haunted Hill
Why it’s perfect for Halloween viewing:
You’ve heard the story before. A group of people are on a bet from an eccentric millionaire to spend one night in a haunted house. Whoever completes the night will be the winner of $10,000. Few haunted house movies actually include a motivation to keep people inside the house, so this is an early haunted house movie that actually decided to do it right.
Fun Fact: In some screenings of the film, a rubber skeleton was swung from the rafters of the theater during the climax to scare audiences into thinking that the skeletons from the film had gotten through the screen. It worked.
3. The Mummy
Why it’s perfect for Halloween viewing:
Inspired by the historic opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1922, Universal’s Carl Laemmle Jr. decided that he would create an original Egyptian horror story based on the curse that the tomb supposedly held. Since it was modeled after other icons of horror that Universal had produced at the time (namely Frankenstein and Dracula), it found its roots as a monster movie and forever threw The Mummy into the the book of traditional Halloween monsters.
Fun Fact: The Mummy has spawned 16 different incarnations over the years including Brendan Frasier’s The Mummy in 1999, Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy in 1955, and all of those god awful Scorpion King movies.
4. The Phantom of the Opera
Why it’s perfect for Halloween viewing:
No, not the musical (although as of the writing of this article, a live recording of the musical is available on Netflix Instant!), but the original silent film based on the same book that the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical found its roots in. It departs from the traditional monster movie in a number of ways, mainly through the title character’s motivation: to make Christine, his secret love, the star of the Paris opera house.
Fun Fact: Lon Chaney, the actor who portrays the Phantom in the film, applied his own makeup. The studio kept his “Phantom face” hidden from the public so that they would have to buy a ticket in order to catch a glimpse of what was underneath the mask, making it one of the first viral marketing campaigns in the history of film.
5. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Why it’s perfect for Halloween viewing:
Anyone who has taken a critical studies of film course has probably seen this film. It stands as one of the biggest influences in the horror genre, particularly in its use of shadows, staging, and ethereal music. It’s another German expressionist film, which means that there’s plenty of strange things going on in Dr. Caligari to catch your attention.
Fun Fact: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari features what very well might be the very first twist ending in a feature length motion picture. We don’t want to spoil the end for you, but this whole film comes off as Tim Burton’s wet dream so we’ll leave you with that.
A very Hypable Halloween
We have gone a little Halloween crazy, but can you blame us? If you need a brilliant last minute idea for your pumpkin, check out the submissions to our Fandom Pumpkin Carving Contest. You can also submit photos of your (and your pet’s) Halloween costume for a new Hypable contest.
Find further reason for the season with our Halloween-inspired revisit of Sleepy Hollow and then cool down with John Gallagher, Jr.’s list of favorite scary films, as luckily for us, The Newsroom star has been tweeting a terrifying film recommendation every day in October.
Finally, if you’re still trying to plan a last minute Halloween bash, we have some important tips to help make it as successful as possible.
What scary movies will you be watching on Netflix Instant? Happy Halloween everyone!
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