Nobody puts baillee in the corner

This has been the absolute hardest prompt for me because I was not only tasked with narrowing down my list of favorite black and white horror flicks, but I could only choose one to focus on today. I finally landed on The Brain That Wouldn’t Die for today (you’ll learn why shortly), and fortunately for everyone reading this, I managed to dwindle my listicle down to my six of my favorite black and white horror movies of all time (believe me, there are a lot more), so color me impressed with myself. 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)– I had to watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as a wee baby college junior for my favorite film class, and I fell in love with it (and not just in a “I have to be quirky because I go to a liberal arts school” way). It’s easy to see how it influenced the horror genre, especially the trope of the twist ending, so eat your heart out, Shyamalan. The way the film is able to create such a horrific masterpiece without spoken dialogue amazes me. 

Nosferatu (1922)– Speaking of silent films, Nosferatu is another absolute favorite of mine. The entire vampire film genre owes its essence to Max Schreck’s Count Dracula because he set the precedent for bringing Bram Stoker’s character to life, erm, afterlife. No plot is lost due to the lack of dialogue but quite the opposite; Nosferatu uses the lack of sound to hone in on the spooky shadows and silent scares. The music only adds to the atmosphere set by the lighting. Simply put, this movie doesn’t suck. 

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)– I love how absolutely ridiculous this movie is, and the fact it’s still my most watched episode of MST3K pushed it to the finish line. There’s weird, sultry jazz for no reason. You can see zippers and ties on the monster’s costume. Oh yeah, and the entire movie is about a doctor keeping his fiancé’s head in a casserole pan while he stalks supermodels to decapitate so that his fiancé can be more than a just talking head in a casserole dish. Corn syrup flies, telepathy is abundant, and heads are cackling. It’s a quintessential beer and pizza movie, and you don’t need a strong head on your shoulders to figure it out. 

A Bucket of Blood (1959)– If you know anything about black and white horror, you should have known that Roger Corman would pop up on this list eventually. Like I’ve said a million times, it took forever to narrow this list down, so I decided to go with the Corman I’ve rewatched the most recently, A Bucket of Blood. I love A Bucket of Blood because it pokes fun at the ideas of what makes great art and also popularity. The ending is bleak, but Corman’s point is still poignant nonetheless. Sometimes, the blood, sweat, and tears given to your art are quite literal. 

House on Haunted Hill (1959)- This film was one I knew I wanted in here, no matter what. It’s not only one of my favorite black and white horror movies of all time but one of my favorite movies period. It has a double twist, ghosts, a giant vat of acid, and most importantly, Vincent Price. Multiple characters break the fourth wall. The effects are honestly so impressive for what they had to work with. I can’t gush about this movie enough. If you haven’t already seen it, beware; you might fall in love with it as much as I have. 

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)– This one shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, seeing as how I have a tattoo depicting the Bride of Frankenstein. The Monster is my favorite Universal Monster (with Wolfman and Creature from the Black Lagoon following closely behind) because he’s such a complex creation. Fundamentally, he’s good, but he’s been thrust into an environment that has demonized him, so it’s a constant internal battle. I chose Bride of Frankenstein because it attempts to humanize him more, and, well, she’s an absolute icon. Believe me when I say you’ll want to put down your torches and pitchforks for this one.