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Some Classic Era Horror Movies That Deserve Classic Respect

After reading NightShape's excellent write-up (CLICK HERE) titled, 'New Era Horror Movies That Deserve Clasc Respect', I decided to write my own riff on this idea. What about the forgotten clascs that have slipped between the cracks?

Everybody knows about 'Night of the Living Dead', 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Halloween', etc. However, there are some clasc horror movies that even the most devoted genre fans forget to mention when talking about the clascs. Listed below are five titles that have flown under the radar for way too long.'The Body Snatcher' (1945)

- When people think of legendary producer Val Lewton's body of work, the same movies invariably get mentioned: 'Cat People', 'I Walked With A Zombie', 'The Curse of the Cat People', 'Bedlam', etc. However, this Val Lewton/Robert Wise collaboration rarely gets any acknowledgment. 'The Body Snatcher' stars Boris Karloff in a despicable role as a grave robber who provides recently deceased bodies for a well-meaning doctor to experiment on. Once the cemeteries become too heavily guarded, Karloff has to resort to alternative measures in order to acquire bodies to sell to the doctor, aptly played by Henry Daniell. Once the doctor catches wind of what Karloff is doing, it is too late. Karloff threatens to blackmail the doctor if he reports him to the police, leaving the doctor stuck in an intriguing moral dilemma. Karloff's amazing performance in addition to Lewton's usual flare for atmosphere makes 'The Body Snatcher' essential viewing for any horror fan.

'The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh' (1970) - Sergio Martino's name often falls behind the likes of Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and even Lucio Fulci when discusng the greatest directors of the giallo sub-genre despite the fact that Martino's resume more than speaks for itself. Martino's greatest accomplishment was also his first. 'The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh' was the first giallo movie to combine violence and sex, pre-dating any Argento giallo. Filled with red herrings, bloody set-pieces, apt direction, and beautiful scenery, 'The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh' is one of the greatest giallo offerings ever made.

'Deranged' (1974) - Overshadowed by 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974) which came out the same year, 'Deranged' is a more accurate portrayal of serial killer Ed Gein. Starring Roberts Blossom (better known as the old man from 'Home Alone') as Ezra Cobb, 'Deranged' tells the tale of a man who begins robbing graves and murdering people once his overprotective mother dies. Blossom's great performance elicits a range of emotions from the viewer - anger, disgust, and even pity. An overlooked gem in the serial killer sub-genre. 'Deranged' is also Tom Savini's first on-screen makeup credit.

'Martin' (1977) - George A. Romero's foray into the vampire sub-genre has not achieved the praise that it so richly deserves. 'Martin' is not a traditional vampire movie featuring voluptuous brides or even a vampire that bites the necks of his victims. Martin gets his blood source through different measures which leads people to question whether or not he is actually a vampire, despite his claims. The movie lets the viewers come to their own concluons, so do yourself a favor and check it out so you can decide whether or not Martin is a vampire. One thing that is not up for debate is the fact that 'Martin' is one of the best vampire films ever made.

'Maniac' (1980) - William Lustig's seedy, grimy slasher flick tells the story of a mama's boy (Joe Spinell) who goes around killing women because of the abuse that he received from his mother when he was younger. Showstopping set-pieces (a shotgun blast to the head that you won't soon forget), an accurate portrayal of the sleazy underbelly of New York, and Spinell's stunningly deranged performance make 'Maniac' one of the best serial killer flicks of all time. Just make sure you take a shower afterwards. I guarantee you'll feel dirty after watching it.

Dude. your list is spot on perfect.

Thank you for the kudos!

I've never seen any of these movies (ashamed of myself) and now thanks to your follow up, I'm going to check these all out!!

I agree that there are many old school films that deserve respect. MARTIN is a Romero film that is shamefully overlooked! i love it! I do have to say though however, that MANIAC is a heavily respected film. Might not be popular amongst more trendy fans but I think that it definitely has a great reputation of being a great and highly influential film.

DERANGED is a little more obscure but also has a ton of love out there for its morbid glory.

Dude. your list is spot on perfect.

Thanks for the kind words, Maynard. I really appreciate it. Nice to know we have the same taste in horror movies.

Thank you for the kudos!

I've never seen any of these movies (ashamed of myself) and now thanks to your follow up, I'm going to check these all out!!

No problem. All of the movies listed are definitely worth checking out. I look forward to hearing what you think about them. Enjoy!

I agree that there are many old school films that deserve respect. MARTIN is a Romero film that is shamefully overlooked! i love it! I do have to say though however, that MANIAC is a heavily respected film. Might not be popular amongst more trendy fans but I think that it definitely has a great reputation of being a great and highly influential film.

DERANGED is a little more obscure but also has a ton of love out there for its morbid glory.

I agree that 'Maniac' is probably the most mainstream film on there. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of detractors who dismiss it as a thoughtless excuse for a gore movie so I wanted to make sure it made my list.

'Deranged' does get a lot of love from the people that have seen it. You're right about that. The only problem is that so few people have actually seen it which is why although it might not be underrated in terms of people's appreciation for it, it is underrated in terms of the lack of fans that the movie has. Hopefully this helps boost that number a bit

I agree that there are many old school films that deserve respect. MARTIN is a Romero film that is shamefully overlooked! i love it! I do have to say though however, that MANIAC is a heavily respected film. Might not be popular amongst more trendy fans but I think that it definitely has a great reputation of being a great and highly influential film.

DERANGED is a little more obscure but also has a ton of love out there for its morbid glory.

I agree that 'Maniac' is probably the most mainstream film on there. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of detractors who dismiss it as a thoughtless excuse for a gore movie so I wanted to make sure it made my list.

'Deranged' does get a lot of love from the people that have seen it. You're right about that. The only problem is that so few people have actually seen it which is why although it might not be underrated in terms of people's appreciation for it, it is underrated in terms of the lack of fans that the movie has. Hopefully this helps boost that number a bitI hear you bro. I never understood how some of the younger horror fans never bothered to go back and check out the more underground clascs......like the films you mentioned, along with gems like "I DRINK YOUR BLOOD", "THREE ON A MEATHOOK", "DONT ANSWER THE PHONE", etc. These were the pillars of true horror and gore spirit, and they had the blood but also ck and interesting story lines.

I agree that there are many old school films that deserve respect. MARTIN is a Romero film that is shamefully overlooked! i love it! I do have to say though however, that MANIAC is a heavily respected film. Might not be popular amongst more trendy fans but I think that it definitely has a great reputation of being a great and highly influential film.

DERANGED is a little more obscure but also has a ton of love out there for its morbid glory.

I agree that 'Maniac' is probably the most mainstream film on there. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of detractors who dismiss it as a thoughtless excuse for a gore movie so I wanted to make sure it made my list.

'Deranged' does get a lot of love from the people that have seen it. You're right about that. The only problem is that so few people have actually seen it which is why although it might not be underrated in terms of people's appreciation for it, it is underrated in terms of the lack of fans that the movie has. Hopefully this helps boost that number a bitI hear you bro. I never understood how some of the younger horror fans never bothered to go back and check out the more underground clascs......like the films you mentioned, along with gems like "I DRINK YOUR BLOOD", "THREE ON A MEATHOOK", "DONT ANSWER THE PHONE", etc. These were the pillars of true horror and gore spirit, and they had the blood but also ck and interesting story lines.

Exactly. People blame the decline of horror on the fact that everything nowadays is too gory or "horror porn" (I hate that term) but that's not the reason at all. It's the fact that they lack that true ckness, the interesting story lines, and the sympathetic characters that the clascs so often embraced. It's a shame that so few horror films are able to accomplish what so many horror films did 30+ years ago.

Maniac is my favorite on the list.

Maniac is my favorite on the list. I love 'Maniac' as well. One of the best slashers ever made. I wish that the planned sequel had come to fruition but unfortunately Joe Spinell passed away before they could get it off the ground.