4 Black and White Horror Films to Watch This Season

Horror has been a fan-favorite genre since the days of black-and-white films. These classic horror movies bring something fresh to an audience that desires to be afraid; monsters, vampires, wolves, ghosts, and other creatures have long haunted our dreams. This Halloween, consider revisiting them.

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite black-and-white horror films.

PSYCHO (1960)

The first film is the legendary masterpiece Psycho (1996) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Anthony Perkins plays Norman Bates and Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane in the iconic film. Psycho is considered one of the best black-and-white films because of the lead actor Anthony Perkins and the suspense he brings to the movie.

The music in this film makes up most of the movie and plays a huge role in the film's mood. With that said, the famous scene where Hollywood star Janet Leigh is slashed to death in the shower has become a pop culture phenomenon. Even though she is the main character, Leigh is left with many untold mysteries throughout the movie. Hitchcock used suspense and elements of thriller which led to the genre of slasher movies. This movie is available to watch on the Peacock platform.

The Invisible Man (1933)

James Whale delivers again! When a science experiment goes wrong with Jack Griffin (Claude Rains). He turns into an invisible monster, terrifying people all over his town with the new powers discovers. Director James Whale created something that has since been re-made for decades. The film involves comedy and horrific content rather than other films that are more classic in the sense that they stick to one genre. The Invisible Man (1933) is available on Peacock platforms, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu (1922) is arguably one of the scariest black-and-white horror/fantasy films. The silent German film by Bram Stoker has been frightening audiences for as long as a century. Max Schreck as Count Orlok was so convincing that people believed he was a real-life vampire.

The cinematography was able to capture the value of each shot, considering Nosferatu is a silent horror film. This movie is also notorious being that it was the first horror film to show a vampire dying in daylight. It is available now on Tubi, Apple TV, and YouTube.

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

The classic film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) is about scientists that take an adventure into the Amazon, only to come across a swampy scary monster protecting his homeland. With the creature being played by both Ben Chapman and Ricou Browing, this was one of the first duo roles in Hollywood that took place on land and water.

The cinematography played a huge role in the success of this film. The film director, Jack Arnold, provided his audience with astonishing underwater shots that are still famous to this day. In another scene, the monster is seen swimming with a female scientist which led the audience to believe that it is a love story between a monster and a human, making the film a possible horror/romance. Creature from the Black Lagoon is available on Tubi, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

There is nothing that screams Halloween quite like re-watching some classic horror films. We hope that these suggestions inspire you to dive into the world of black-and-white movies. Happy Haunt-O-Ween everyone!

Which black-and-white horror film is your favorite? Leave a comment below.