LogFAQs > #978598361

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Dracula (1931)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Exorcist (1973)

I chose films that best exemplify the 4 biggest schools of horror still in employ today - psychological, monster, zombie, & supernatural.

Are there horror movies before Dr. Caligari? Yes of course, but none as fully formed as this German Expressionist masterpiece. It absolutely laid the groundwork for all horror to come, especially in psychological horror. Its visually striking and distorted set designs emphasized atmosphere and the mental state of the characters, while its narrative framing device and twist ending both continue to be a mainstay in the genre today. It established that characters such as Cesare or the titular Dr. Caligari can become popular icons despite the horror they perpetrate. It established both horror and film in general as accessible art that typically pushed social commentary to the forefront and held up a mirror to the audience, making us active participants in the horror. It proved that films that don't have to be limited to one country only and can have massive worldwide appeal. There's really so much more I can get into but those cover the most important points I think.

If Dr. Caligari proved horror movies as art, Dracula proved just as well horror can be franchisable. Though I chose this as the pioneering example of a "monster movie", defining the vampire film in particular, its true legacy resides in Dracula's role in establishing the loosely connected Universal Monsters Universe. Bela Lugosi's Dracula was an instant icon and they became synonymous with each other. Bolstered by this performance, Dracula established horror as commercial, encouraging audiences to seek out the next installment or even adjacent-horror films just starring Lugosi. Dracula is why I feel comfortable leaving off something like Halloween - because it's the same thing, just with a different presentation.

It feels like NotLD needs no introduction or explanation. That's how huge and influential this film is. I actually think it's the most secure lock on the whole mountain. Zombie media has changed very little this release. Its pointed social commentary is legendary, especially the casting of African-American actor Duane Jones in the lead role. In addition, it's low-budget, indie style coupled with shocking violence for the time laid the groundwork for the type of filmmaking that has almost become synonymous with modern day horror.

And at last, we come to The Exorcist, the "scariest film ever made". Its intense and visceral portrayal of demonic possession and exorcism coupled with a deep exploration for religion set a new standard for horror; again, much like NotLD, how many films do you know that are just basically loose remakes of The Exorcist? It's the first horror movie to be given a best picture nod, an extreme rarity in the horror genre. It's a technical marvel and proved horror films could delve into taboo topics and find a place in the mainstream. Except for The Blair Witch Project, I believe the horror genre has not experienced a significant defining turning point like this since.