Contemporary horror movies that harken back to the 30s & 40s?

July 10, 2020 10:24 PM

What are some horror movies made after c. 1980 that have the same feel and atmosphere as the classic Universal Monsters films or Val Lewton's movies?

I realize this is highly subjective (and maybe lazy, from a film history standpoint), but I'm looking for horror - especially movies made in the last 20-30 years - that relies heavily on atmosphere, suggestion, and practical special effects, and not on explicit body horror or graphic violence. Movies that have the same sensibility and effect as "The Mummy", "Cat People", or "Island of Lost Souls". I'm particularly interested in non-US movies, and in those that are conscious homages to that era of film making.

What's out there for me to discover, MeFi?

posted by ryanshepard to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

The Lighthouse might be up your alley.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 10:33 PM on July 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

You might enjoy The Others.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:15 PM on July 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

(subjective suggestions, maybe not exactly pure horror but maybe adjacent-ish...)

'Tales from Gimli Hospital' (1988) by Guy Maddin is an interesting arty re-creation of 1920's cinema stylings (murky camera, hissy soundtrack) about a grim (and funny) love triangle with some horrific moments. Slow pacing at the start, picks up towards the end. (Recommended, but with a caveat for brief scenes of period-accurate but squirmy blackface.)

'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' (2004) by Kerry Conran is very much in the rousing spirit & art-direction of the 1940's Sci-Fi action/adventure genre, as executed with some early 2000's-style CGI. An under-rated work of genius.
posted by ovvl at 4:12 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Horror stories, thrillers, etc.
Ghost Story (1981), Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Alice Krige.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins.
The Haunting (1999), Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne.
The Others (2001), Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston.
The Village (2004), Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver.
An American Haunting (2006), Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood.

The Illusionist (2006), Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti.
The Prestige (2006), Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine.

Let the Right One In (2008 - Sweden), Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar.
Let Me In (2010 - UK, US), Kody Smit-McPhee, Sasha Barrese, Chloë Grace Moretz.

Red Lights (2012), Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, Robert De Niro.
posted by TrishaU at 8:04 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Shadow of the Vampire (2000): The cast and crew of a 1920's Nosferatu-style production find the perfect actor for the role. Nic Cage directs Willem Defoe and John Malkovich!

Great atmosphere:
The Devil's Backbone
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Orphanage
The Awakening
The Ring (American remake)
Wicker Man (Remake) [Not considered a very good film, but the atmosphere is great]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:51 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding Let The Right One In for atmosphere. (The Swedish one, which was so good I never saw the point of watching the US/UK remake "Let Me In", which for all I know is a fine film.)

Seconding The Autopsy of Jane Doe as worth trying, although it might be a bit more graphic in parts than you're looking for.

This type of horror film isn't really my thing, so I don't have many specific suggestions, but I think 21st century Japanese & Korean horror films have mined this territory fairly often - lots of slow build up of dread with spooky atmosphere rather than lots of jump scares and strong regular violence. Many of these films have become series and also had US remakes; titles to look for would be Ring, Ju-On (The Grudge), The Eye, Dark Water.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:43 PM on July 12, 2020

All long shots that lean more toward fantasy than horror, but:
Lady in White
The Company of Wolves
Lair of the White Worm
posted by Bron at 5:04 PM on July 12, 2020

My perennial favorite for eerie horror is The Mothman Prophecies (2002). After the death of his wife, a DC journalist (Richard Gere) finds himself investigating a small West Virginia town that's being stalked by a mysterious being locals call the Mothman. Not a ghost or an alien or an angel, but something else -- a terrifying, incomprehensible, godlike presence that warns of imminent disasters with cryptic messages and warps time, space, and reality to creepy effect. You never actually see it directly, and there's no gore and few jump scares, but it drips with an atmosphere so intensely spooky that it worms its way into your brain. Great, minimalist score and sound design, autumnal cinematography, and plenty of subtle spookiness. Also based on a true story for added creep factor.

Another good one: the Canadian cult horror film Pontypool (2008), discussed previously. The whole thing is set up like a TV bottle episode (or a radio drama), with a small cast of characters locked inside their church basement broadcasting booth as they grapple with news of a strange disease sweeping their rural town. There's some mild gore, but the majority of it is carried by dialogue and on-air reports.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:22 AM on July 13, 2020

Response by poster: Some interesting suggestions here - please keep them coming! The Mothman Prophecies is underrated, and a good example of the kind of thing I'm looking for.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:04 AM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

It may be somewhat closer to thriller than true horror, but Kontroll feels similar to me, despite not explicitly trying to recreate that era and being somewhat fast paced.

Little Otik might be worth a look. (There's some of what might be called body horror, but it's rather abstract.)
posted by eotvos at 1:01 PM on July 13, 2020

Maybe It Follows, which is much more atmospheric and understated than the preview suggests.
posted by dizziest at 2:08 PM on July 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure these are quite right, but both Head Count (2018) and Resolution (2012) rely more on atmosphere and mood than on direct horror, as do It Follows (2014), The Witch (2015), and Hole in the Ground (2019). I'd put these all in a vaguely psychological subgenre, though, which isn't precisely what you were asking for. (I'd include Kontroll on that list too, it's a favorite.) For actual monster movies I find it more difficult to think of recent examples that don't rely on some level of gore, jump scares, and explosions.

I found these both a little limp, personally, but It Comes at Night (2017) and The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) are more about suggestion and mood than outright scares.

In terms of conscious homages to the era, The Whisperer in Darkness (2012) is actually a pretty good adaptation of the Lovecraft short story, done in a 1930's style.

Also these are a both a little earlier than what you've specified, but on the chance you haven't seen them: The Haunting (1963, not the remake) is pretty much a master-class in this kind of moody, atmospheric horror which has rarely been rivaled in my opinion, and Carnival of Souls (1962, public domain) is an outstandingly creepy little movie made on almost no budget.

I sort of hesitate to include this one because I'm not sure it's quite what you're looking for, and I'm not completely sure it belongs in the horror genre at all, but the 2015 Polish film Demon is probably the most genuinely moving horror film I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them.
posted by whir at 2:22 PM on July 14, 2020