1960s in Horror

The further back in time I consider horror movies, it is both harder and easier. Harder because I have seen fewer films or had less opportunity to see them, but easier because only the noteworthy have tended to survive. The 60s was a pretty good horror decade:

10. Night of the Living Dead (1968) Directed by George Romero
Not really a favorite, but hugely influential. The zombie as metaphore and social commentary vehicle is almost unparalleled.

9. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) Directed by Freddie Francis
Hammer Horror started to decline a bit in the 60s, but still offered a lot to chew on.

8. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) Directed by Jun Fukuda
This entry in the Godzilla franchise was better than most of the rest of the decade.

7. La Maschera del Demonio (1960) Directed by Mario Bava
Mario Bava’s brand of gothic horror would influence much of the genre.

6. Peeping Tom (1960) Directed by Michael Powell
This seems to be where we began to see the whole “murder from the murderer’s perspective” movie. Good thing of not, it has changed the way we approach the morality tale.

5. Der Hexer (1964) and Neues vom Hexer (1965) Directed by Alfred Vohrer
The Edgar Wallace films in Germany are another big influence on horror, along with Bava and Italian Giallo.

4. Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) Directed by Roman Polanski
3. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski used these two movies along with others like, Repulsion (1965), to make a name for himself. His life then became a morality play and a horror film.

2. The Birds (1963) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
1. Psycho (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The 60’s were not really the peak of Hitchcock, but they were the peak of Hitchcock horror.