Today’s horror scene that I love comes from the classic 1945 film, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
In this scene, Gray (Hurd Hatfield) finally strikes back at the picture that, for decades, has been hiding all of his sins. You can read my full review of The Picture of Dorian Gray by clicking here!
Today’s horror scene that I love comes to us from the 1942 psychological thriller, Cat People!
In this noirish scene, Alice (Jane Randolph) goes for a swim, just to find herself suspecting that she may not be alone.
Be sure to check out my reviews of the original Cat People, the sequel, and the remake by clicking on the links in this sentence!
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from the 1939 film, The Walking Dead.
In this film, Boris Karloff plays a pianist who, after being framed for a murder he didn’t commit, is executed and then brought back to life by a scientist played by Edmund Gwenn. The re-animated Karloff sets out for revenge.
In this scene, Karloff plays the piano while some of the men who framed him sit out in the audience. Just check out the power of that Karloff glare!
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein!
In this scene, directed by James Whale, the Monster (Boris Karloff) meets his first friend, a blind hermit played by O.P. Heggie. It’s a scene that features Karloff at his best and it’s still touching, even if it is kind of hard to watch it without thinking about Peter Boyle accidentally burning down Gene Hackman’s shack in Young Frankenstein.
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from the 1931 Universal classic, Frankenstein!
Though it’s been parodied to death and often used out of context (for example, a few years ago, it was used in a freaking car commercial), the “It’s Alive!” scene from Frankenstein is still a classic piece of horror history. Colin Clive is often unfairly criticized for going overboard in this scene but let’s be honest here: if you ever reanimated a corpse, you’d probably get pretty damn excited about it.
(After watching the scene, be sure to check out my review of this classic film by clicking here!)
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera.
In this famous scene, which was directed by Rupert Julian, Mary Philbin unmasks the Phantom (played, of course, by Lon Chaney). Both of their reactions are justifiably famous.
I have read that Philbin was apparently not told what Chaney would look like when she removed the mask, which contributed to her state of shock. I don’t know if that’s true but I hope it is. It’s certainly a good story.
Was this horror cinema’s first “jump scare?”
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from the absolutely terrifying 1922 silent film, Nosferatu.
Directed by F. W. Murnau and featuring Max Schreck as Count Orlock, Nosferatu is often cited as being the first vampire film. That’s actually not true. There were apparently film adaptations of Dracula that were produced years before Murnau gave the world his “unauthorized” adaptation.
However, I do think it can be argued that Nosferatu is the most influential vampire film ever made. Every vampire movie released over the past 95 years has been a direct descendant of Nosferatu and it remains a truly nightmarish work of horror art. One need only compare it to Universal’s first Dracula film to see how well Nosferatu has aged.
Enjoy this terrifying scene!
Today’s horror scene that I love is, much like The Haunted Castle and The Monster, less a scene and more an entire movie.
In 1910, Thomas Edison produced what is thought to be the first ever film version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! Clocking in at 12 minutes and 41 seconds, this film was directed by J. Searle Dawley and stars Charles Ogle as the monster.
Admittedly, the surviving prints of this 107 year-old movie are not in the greatest condition. But I still think it’s effectively surreal and, in its way, quite creepy. While it always takes a while for modern audiences to get used to the more theatrical acting styles of the silent films, Charles Ogle still makes for a very memorable monster. I especially enjoy the tinted scenes where the monster comes to life. In the video below, it start around the 2:18 mark and it’s truly a scene that I love!
Enjoy this piece of film history!
Much like yesterday’s horror scene that I love, today’s scene is not so much a scene as it’s an entire movie!
The Monster is 2-minute silent film from 1903. Directed by the pioneering French filmmaker, Georges Méliès, The Monster tells the story of an Egyptian prince who brings the dead body of his wife to a sorcerer who apparently likes to hang out in front of The Sphinx. The sorcerer attempts to bring her back to life and, as so often happens in any film directed by Georges Méliès, things don’t quite go as planned.
In my opinion, this is one of the most charming of Georges Méliès’s surviving films. From the simple but crudely effective camera trickery to the nicely surreal Sphinx in the background, The Monster is a chaotic delight.
Technically, today’s scene that I love isn’t so much a scene as it’s an entire movie!
Below, you’ll find The Haunted Castle, a 3-minute silent from the great French director, Georges Méliès. This film was made in 1896 and is considered, along with The Execution of Mary Stuart, to be one of the very first horror films!
Needless to say, The Haunted Castle is going to look primitive to modern eyes but so what? There’s a lot of charm to be found in these three minutes. Imagine seeing this in 1896, at a time before everyone was knowledgeable (and a bit cynical) about special effects and film trickery.
After you watch this piece of film history, please be sure to watch Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Just be prepared to cry.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 