Best Old Horror, Supernatural, & Thrillers (1910s-1960s)
by TeamRocket_Jessie | created - 8 months ago | updated - 6 days ago | PublicNote: When I say a movie is the first (the first vampire movie, the first werewolf movie, etc.) I mean the oldest surviving full-length movie (at least 1 hr. long).
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Dante's Inferno (1911)
71 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Loosely adapted from Dante's Divine Comedy and inspired by the illustrations of Gustav Doré the original silent film has been restored and has a new score by Tangerine Dream.
Directors: Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe de Liguoro | Stars: Salvatore Papa, Arturo Pirovano, Giuseppe de Liguoro, Pier Delle Vigne
Votes: 3,456
This is an adaption of Inferno by Dante Alighieri.
It's also the second full-length movie in history! (The third if you count lost films. * )
* The first two were the lost film Les Misérables (1909) and the still-existing film Life of Moses (1909). Life of Moses isn't commercially available, but The Library of Congress does have the movie. The Inferno (1911), on the other hand, is easy to find online and on DVD.
This movie is ok. It has all the horrific imagery from Inferno, to satisfy your horror movie needs. However, it doesn't talk about the actual point of the story, which is that Dante is becoming a better person so that he can go to Heaven someday and be with Beatrice. The only mention of this in the movie is that one intertitle says, "He sees the summit of a mountain lighted up by the sun. This is the hill of salvation which he endeavors to ascend." He reaches the summit of the mountain at the end of the movie.
Warning:
Brown face - A white guy plays The Prophet Muhammad.
Studio: indie movie
2. Old Scrooge (1913)
40 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy
Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, who tries to help him change his selfish ways and redeem his soul by showing ... See full summary »
Director: Leedham Bantock | Stars: Seymour Hicks, William Lugg, Leedham Bantock, J.C. Buckstone
Votes: 168
This is the best silent adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The ghost haunting parts are short, but the important parts before and after Scrooge meets the ghosts are there. So it focuses on the heart of the story.
Studio: indie movie
3. The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' (1914)
Not Rated | 78 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Prevented from dating his sweetheart by his uncle, a young man turns his thoughts to murder.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Henry B. Walthall, Spottiswoode Aitken, Blanche Sweet, George Siegmann
Votes: 1,428
This is ok. If you want something spooky playing in the background, this will suffice.
On one hand, it's 20 minutes longer than it should be. Every scene is way too long and repetitive. It tries to be a thriller (before thrillers were invented), but it's only slightly suspenseful. You mostly just want it to hurry up and move on to the next scene.
On the other hand, it's a pretty interesting and pretty strange movie. Guilt drives The Nephew (he isn't named) insane and we see his hallucinations. Henry Brazeale Walthall is really what makes this movie. He plays The Nephew as equal parts normal, creepy, and funny. He keeps you engaged throughout the movie and you root for him.
Warning:
Negative stereotypes - The Italians servants are depicted very negatively. They're sloppily dressed (ex. didn't shave), they day drink, and one of them blackmails The Nephew.
Studio: indie movie
4. Les vampires (1915)
Not Rated | 421 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An intrepid reporter and his loyal friend battle a bizarre secret society of criminals known as The Vampires.
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: Musidora, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque, Jean Aymé
Votes: 5,433
This is just ok. It's not quite a thriller but it laid the groundwork for thrillers. It's not suspenseful but it is violent. Musidora's wild, unhinged performance as a gangster single-handedly carries the miniseries.
Studio: indie movie
5. A Fool There Was (1915)
Not Rated | 67 min | Drama
A married diplomat falls hopelessly under the spell of a predatory woman.
Director: Frank Powell | Stars: Theda Bara, Edward José, Mabel Frenyear, May Allison
Votes: 1,041
This is the first vampire movie. The Vampire is a psychic vampire, rather than a blood-drinking vampire.
The movie is rather depressing. But it's also kind of fun, because of Theda Bara's wild, unhinged performance as The Vampire.
Studio: indie movie
6. Queen of Spades (1916)
63 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
While hosting a game of cards one night, Narumov tells his friends a story about his grandmother, a Countess. As a young woman, she had once incurred an enormous gambling debt, which she ... See full summary »
Director: Yakov Protazanov | Stars: Tamara Duvan, Ivan Mozzhukhin, Vera Orlova, Nikolai Panov
Votes: 848
An adaption of the short story The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin.
This is ok. The ending is good. Not much happens before that, though. The acting is good and the sets and costumes are good, so I do still enjoy it when nothing's really going on. If you want something spooky playing in the background, this will suffice.
Studio: indie movie
7. The Eyes of the Mummy (1918)
Approved | 63 min | Drama, Horror
A girl is kidnapped and held captive in an ancient Egyptian temple. She is rescued and flees to England, but soon finds that her mysterious captor is still haunting her.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke, Emil Jannings, Max Laurence
Votes: 735
This is the first mummy movie.
The movie is ok. The main problem is that it doesn't bother to explain the strange supernatural stuff. But I'll explain it for you so you can just enjoy the movie.
I interpreted it as Ma and Radu are corporeal ghosts. The tomb is said to be haunted and it seems that they are the part of the soul that remains when a person dies (ancient Egyptians called it the ba). There is a painting of Ma that cannot be destroyed because it would kill her as well. The painting of Ma is not unlike paintings of people in ancient Egyptian tombs. To deface those was to destroy the soul (the ka). The movie is weird because the humans think that Ma and Radu are alive. But they're not. The only lifelike thing about them is they can be physically touched and can leave the tomb. But that makes sense because the ba can consume food (in some fashion, perhaps by eating it or perhaps by consuming the energy from it) and can roam the world.
Warning:
Brown face - Two of the four main characters are white people playing Middle Easterners.
Studio: indie movie
8. Die Teufelskirche (1919)
47 min | Horror
The Devil takes a trip disguised as a tinker. He meets Frau Ane, farmer Asmus' wife, who yearns to have a baby but in vain. So the devil takes advantage of Frau Ane's motherly inner desire by making a deal with her.
Director: Hans Mierendorff | Stars: Hans Mierendorff, Otto Werther, Agnes Straub, Paul Rehkopf
Votes: 66
This movie is ok. It's a fun time.
The movie opens with intertitles explaining some backstory. This is because the beginning of the movie no longer exists. The opening intertitles say that the three nearby villages agreed that the new church should be built equidistant from each town. That location is within Asmus and Ane's farm, but Asmus refuses to give up his land. Then the movie starts and Ane makes a Faustian bargain with Satan.
This is actually not a spoiler - it was all a dream. For once, that isn't an annoying ending, because they tell you that it's a dream at the beginning of the movie.
This movie is kind of cheesy, kind of boring, a bit dark, and kind of fun.
What it has going for it is the unusual amount of sensuality for an old movie. It's basically flapper porn. Ane is a wild and unhinged woman (in the dream) who shows a lot of cleavage and has sex with Satan in the woods. We also see female demons frolicking in the woods, showing tasteful nudity. The whole movie, I felt like the message was, "Don't do witchcraft... [wink] "
Studio: indie movie
9. Eerie Tales (1919)
112 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A demon, a reaper, and the ghost of a prostitute read gothic short stories and act them out.
Director: Richard Oswald | Stars: Anita Berber, Conrad Veidt, Reinhold Schünzel, Hugo Döblin
Votes: 660
Studio: indie movie
10. The Doll (1919)
Not Rated | 66 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Forced into marriage by his uncle, a man decides to fool him by marrying a life-like mechanical doll instead.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Ossi Oswalda, Hermann Thimig, Victor Janson, Max Kronert
Votes: 2,363
This is a fantasy movie and a VERY dark comedy. It's also nightmare fuel because the leading lady pretends to be a sex robot and the creepy way she looks/acts is the stuff of horror movies. It is a weirdly funny movie though.
Warning: Jokes about suicide
Studio: indie movie
11. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920)
TV-PG | 54 min | Drama, Romance
Racists learn that the land a negro owns lies over a vast oil field, and threaten his life when he refuses to sell.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Iris Hall, Walker Thompson, Lawrence Chenault, Mattie Wilkes
Votes: 572
This is a movie about a white-passing Black man and a white-passing Black woman who pretend to be only white and thus think they can't legally be together. It's a really important topic and more people should watch this movie.
I assume the reason that this has a low rating is because the footage of the climax (the KKK going after the Black characters) no longer exists. But that's kind of a plus because we don't need to see the traumatizing violence against Black people onscreen.
Studio: indie movie
12. The Golem (1920)
Unrated | 91 min | Fantasy, Horror
In 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates the Golem - a giant creature made of clay. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.
Directors: Paul Wegener, Carl Boese | Stars: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Ernst Deutsch, Lyda Salmonova
Votes: 8,543
This is the first movie about someone creating a monster.
This movie is absolute nightmare fuel. Movies had just been invented, so imagine this being the first movie that you ever saw. You'd never want to see another movie again!
Studio: indie movie
13. Genuine: The Tragedy of a Vampire (1920)
88 min | Horror
Genuine is an ancient and cruel divinity, who seduces men and induce them to kill as a proof of love.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Fern Andra, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Ernst Gronau, Harald Paulsen
Votes: 1,130
An early vampire movie. Genuine is a psychic vampire, rather than a blood-drinking vampire. Fern Andra's wild, unhinged performance as Genuine single-handedly carries the movie.
Studio: indie movie
14. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (I) (1920)
Unrated | 69 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.
Director: John S. Robertson | Stars: John Barrymore, Martha Mansfield, Brandon Hurst, Charles Lane
Votes: 6,047
An adaption of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
This is a classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
This is the first mad scientist movie.
The first evil possession movie.
The first body horror movie.
While the pacing is slow and the characters aren't developed (they're just kind of The Wife, The Research Partner, The Friend), this is a solid monster movie.
Studio: Paramount
15. The Scarecrow (1920)
Not Rated | 19 min | Comedy, Short, Family
Two inventive farmhands compete for the hand of the same girl.
Directors: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, Luke the Dog, Joe Keaton
Votes: 4,745
The Farmhand pretends to be a scarecrow to hide from the guys who are chasing him. A good short to watch during autumn.
Studio: Metro Pictures
16. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover
Votes: 70,077
This is the first evil hypnotist movie.
Studio: indie movie
17. The Conquering Power (1921)
TV-G | 89 min | Drama, Romance
After losing his father, a playboy moves in with his miserly uncle, who seeks to cheat him out of his inheritance.
Director: Rex Ingram | Stars: Alice Terry, Rudolph Valentino, Eric Mayne, Ralph Lewis
Votes: 539
This is ok. If you want something spooky playing in the background, this will suffice.
It's a romance movie that has a creepy scene during the climax. Overall, the movie is kind of cheesy, kind of boring, and kind of spooky.
Studio: Metro Pictures
18. The Wildcat (1921)
Not Rated | 79 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A charismatic lieutenant newly assigned to a remote fort is captured by a group of mountain bandits, thus setting in motion a madcap farce that is Lubitsch at his most unrestrained.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Pola Negri, Victor Janson, Paul Heidemann, Wilhelm Diegelmann
Votes: 1,314
This romance movie takes place in a kooky fantasy world. Pola Negri's wild, unhinged performance single-handedly carries the movie.
Studio: indie movie
19. Destiny (1921)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Bernhard Goetzke, Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Hans Sternberg
Votes: 6,694 | Gross: $0.01M
Warning:
Brown face & yellow face
Studio: indie movie
20. Danse macabre (1922)
8 min | Short, Horror, Music
In Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre visual symphony, the desperate young lovers, Youth and Love try to evade Death's cold grip, as the terrible Black Plague devastates Spain.
Director: Dudley Murphy | Stars: Adolph Bolm, Ruth Page, Olin Howland
Votes: 287
When silent movies first started adding sound, they started with just a little bit of sound, like sound effects.
This film short is a music video synchronized to the song Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Warning:
Brown face - White actors play Hispanic characters.
Studio: indie movie
21. The Man from Beyond (1922)
Not Rated | 74 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man who has been frozen in the Arctic ice for 100 years returns to civilization to find his lost love.
Director: Burton L. King | Stars: Harry Houdini, Arthur Maude, Albert Tavernier, Erwin Connelly
Votes: 334
A man is destined to save the reincarnation of his true love from ruination.
The movie is just ok but the central theme of love conquering death is a powerful one. Also, Harry Houdini does the cool escaping from a straightjacket trick.
Studio: indie movie
22. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,475
This is the first 'people get invited to a mansion but it's a trap' movie. I guess you'd call that a murder house movie?
Nosferatu is similar to Dracula but there's some big differences because Nosferatu is set in medieval times (instead of the Victorian era) and the lore is different.
Studio: indie movie
23. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I) (1923)
Passed | 133 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
In 15th-century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with a gypsy dancer.
Director: Wallace Worsley | Stars: Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Kate Lester
Votes: 6,103 | Gross: $2.22M
An adaption of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo.
This is a classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
It's faithful to the novel, but it's a really depressing novel. Not exactly a fun movie to watch. The best adaption is The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) because it's funny, and the themes in the novel are too dark to digest without a lot of humor.
Warning:
Brown face - White actors play 'gypsies' from France. The movie plays into Romani stereotypes.
Studio: Universal
24. Warning Shadows (1923)
Unrated | 90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A wealthy man invites the local wealthy bachelors over for a puppet show about men who covet another man's wife. The puppeteer is actually a witch and gives the men nightmares about what could happen if they date the lady of the house.
Director: Arthur Robison | Stars: Fritz Kortner, Ruth Weyher, Gustav von Wangenheim, Eugen Rex
Votes: 1,126
An early 'people invited to a murder house' movie.
Studio: indie movie
25. Dante's Inferno (1924)
Passed | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
The tactics of a vicious slumlord and greedy businessman finally drive a distraught man to commit suicide. The businessman is tried for murder, executed, and afterward swiftly taken by ... See full summary »
Director: Henry Otto | Stars: Lawson Butt, Howard Gaye, Ralph Lewis, Pauline Starke
Votes: 203 | Gross: $0.26M
This is just ok. If you want something spooky playing in the background, this will suffice.
A demon shows a ruthless landlord what Hell is like, so that he can change his cruel ways before it's too late.
Not much happens in the scenes in Hell and we can't chew the scenery because the print quality is low. The most interesting thing about the movie is that it's full of beautiful quotes from the novel Inferno by Dante. Overall, the movie is kind of cheesy, kind of boring, and kind of spooky.
Warning:
Blackface - The butler is played by a white man in Blackface. He only has like two lines, but we can tell that he speaks in a stereotypically uneducated way and that he's a liar.
Studio: indie movie
26. Waxworks (1924)
Not Rated | 107 min | Fantasy, Horror
A wax museum hires a writer to give the sculptures stories. The writer imagines himself and the museum owner's daughter in the stories.
Directors: Leo Birinsky, Paul Leni | Stars: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, William Dieterle
Votes: 2,311
This is the first 'murders in a wax museum' movie, sort of. It's only happening in the guy's imagination.
Warning:
Brown face - Brown face in the Middle Eastern story.
Studio: indie movie
27. The Hands of Orlac (1924)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A world-famous pianist loses both hands in an accident. When new hands are grafted on, he doesn't know they once belonged to a murderer.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Strassny, Paul Askonas
Votes: 3,385
This is the first mad doctor movie, and an early body horror movie.
Studio: indie movie
28. He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
95 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A bitter clown endeavors to rescue the young woman he loves from the lecherous count who once betrayed him.
Director: Victor Sjöström | Stars: Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert, Ruth King
Votes: 4,295 | Gross: $0.19M
An adaption of He Who Gets Slapped by Leonid Andreyev.
A thriller at a creepy carnvial.
Studio: MGM
29. Wolfblood (1925)
Passed | 68 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
After wolf blood transfusion, man thinks he's becoming a wolf.
Directors: George Chesebro, Bruce Mitchell | Stars: George Chesebro, Roy Watson, Milburn Morante, Frank Clark
Votes: 360
This is the first werewolf movie. Whatever you're imagining when I say that is completely wrong. This bizarre movie is a romantic drama/Western and it finds the romance between a rich woman and a poor man to be much more interesting than werewolves. Go figure.
That's not unrelated, however. Once he becomes a werewolf, that's two strikes against him in the eyes of 'proper' society. The horror in this movie is knowing that you're being seen as less than human.
Studio: indie movie
30. Maciste in Hell (1925)
95 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
The devil takes Maciste down to hell in an attempt to corrupt and ruin his morality.
Director: Guido Brignone | Stars: Bartolomeo Pagano, Umberto Guarracino, Mario Saio, Franz Sala
Votes: 627
Most of the movie takes place in Pluto (the Roman underworld), where our hero has been dragged. All kinds of crazy things happen in Pluto, and the special effects are very unique.
Studio: indie movie.
31. The Mystic (1925)
74 min | Drama
An American criminal imports a gang of Hungarian gypsies to gain control over a fortune. The victim, Doris Merrick, is persuaded by fake medium Zara to hand over her jewels to Nash.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Aileen Pringle, Conway Tearle, Mitchell Lewis, Robert Ober
Votes: 381
This is the first evil fake medium movie.
Warning:
Brown face - White actors play "gypsies" from Hungary. The movie plays into the evil Romani stereotype.
Studio: MGM
32. The Unholy Three (1925)
Passed | 86 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A sideshow ventriloquist, a midget, and a strongman form a conspiracy known as "The Unholy Three" and commit a series of robberies.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Lon Chaney, Mae Busch, Matt Moore, Victor McLaglen
Votes: 2,213 | Gross: $0.70M
Studio: MGM
33. The Monster (1925)
Passed | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A meek clerk who doubles as an amateur detective investigates some very strange goings-on at a remote mental sanitarium.
Director: Roland West | Stars: Lon Chaney, Gertrude Olmstead, Hallam Cooley, Johnny Arthur
Votes: 1,365
This is the first inmates-running-the-asylum movie.
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn Pictures
34. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Passed | 93 min | Horror
A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.
Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle, Edward Sedgwick | Stars: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe
Votes: 20,113 | Gross: $3.75M
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
This is an adaption of Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
Studio: Universal
35. The Magician (I) (1926)
Passed | 83 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A magician/alchemist, seeking to create life, finds that he needs the "blood of a virgin" to continue his experiments. He sends out his dwarf assistant to pick out the right girl.
Director: Rex Ingram | Stars: Alice Terry, Paul Wegener, Firmin Gémier, Iván Petrovich
Votes: 865
An early mad scientist movie. A witch/mad scientist performs a ritual that requires blood sacrifice.
Nothing stands out about this movie. The main problem is that the villain is neither sexy nor creepy. He's played by Paul Wegener, who was a very bland and wooden actor. But if you're looking for a mad scientist movie, this is up your alley.
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn Pictures
36. When Hell Freezes Over (1926)
9 min | Animation, Comedy, Short
The Devil takes Mutt and Jeff to an icy Hell where they try to get the fires going again.
Directors: Charles R. Bowers, Bud Fisher
Votes: 40
Studio: Fisher Film Corporation
37. The Bat (1926)
86 min | Mystery, Thriller
A masked criminal who dresses like a giant bat terrorizes the guests at an old house rented by a mystery writer.
Director: Roland West | Stars: George Beranger, Charles Herzinger, Emily Fitzroy, Louise Fazenda
Votes: 885
An early killer-in-the-house movie. Nothing really stands out about it, but it's enjoyable. It's really old so that in and of itself makes it interesting. If you're looking for a movie with a creepy mansion that has lots of secret passageways, then this is up your alley.
Hilariously, the butler's name is Billy, but he's a Japanese guy (played by Sojin Kamiyama) who speaks in broken English (so, not a Japanese-American). They could've had him speak fluent English, could've given him any Asian name, could've made up some racist Asian-sounding name, could've named him after some type of Chinese food, or used his real-life name, but they bafflingly went with Billy. Too funny.
Studio: United Artists
38. Flesh and the Devil (1926)
Passed | 112 min | Drama
Childhood friends are torn apart when one of them marries the woman the other fiercely loves.
Director: Clarence Brown | Stars: John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson, Barbara Kent
Votes: 4,633 | Gross: $1.61M
This Pre-Code romantic drama is about two bisexual men who are in love with the same woman. The atmosphere of it is deliciously gothic.
Studio: MGM
39. The Student of Prague (1926)
110 min | Drama, Horror
For Balduin, going out to beer parties with his fellow students and fighting out disputes at the tip of the sword have lost their charms. He wants to find love; but how would he, a ... See full summary »
Director: Henrik Galeen | Stars: Conrad Veidt, Elizza La Porta, Fritz Alberti, Ágnes Eszterházy
Votes: 768
Studio: indie movie
40. Faust (1926)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn, Frida Richard
Votes: 16,628
This is incredibly depressing, but it's really well-done. A mixed-bag.
Studio: indie movie
41. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,587 | Gross: $1.24M
An early sci-fi movie. I'm not really a sci-fi person, so this isn't my cup of tea. But it's an interesting-looking world, at least.
Studio: indie movie
42. The Unknown (1927)
Unrated | 68 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
A criminal on the run hides in a circus and seeks to possess the daughter of the ringmaster at any cost.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, Nick De Ruiz
Votes: 9,162 | Gross: $0.41M
Warning:
Brown face - White actors play "gypsies" from Spain. They wear stereotypical Romani clothing and live in caravans. It plays into the fiery 'Latin Lover' stereotype and the evil Romani stereotype.
Studio: MGM
43. The Cat and the Canary (1927)
Passed | 108 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
Director: Paul Leni | Stars: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall
Votes: 3,367 | Gross: $0.33M
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
This is an early killer-in-the-house movie. It's also a romantic comedy.
Studio: Universal
44. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: June Tripp, Ivor Novello, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney
Votes: 13,394
Studio: indie movie
45. Prelude (1927)
7 min | Short, Horror
A man listening to Rachmoninoff's 'Prelude' dreams he is the victim of premature burial.
Director: Castleton Knight | Star: Castleton Knight
Votes: 103
This film short is a music video synchronized to the song Prelude in C Sharp Minor (Op. 3, No. 2) by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Studio: indie movie
46. The Telltale Heart (1928)
24 min | Short, Drama, Horror
An expressionistic film based on Poe's story, about a murderer and his mental breakdown.
Directors: Charles Klein, Leon Shamroy | Stars: Otto Matieson, William Herford, Hans Fuerberg, Charles Darvas
Votes: 369
An adaption of the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.
This short is just ok. It has some intertitles that quote the story and you see the murderer have a nervous breakdown in front of the police. It's rather long for what it is, which is basically a silent monologue. The art style (the set, the intertitle font, the special effects, the heavy makeup) are Expressionist style though, so it's at least cool to look at.
Studio: indie movie
47. Sweeney Todd (1928)
73 min | Crime, Drama
A man dreams he is the 'demon barber' who cuts sailors' throats for jewels and uses the corpses for pies.
Director: Walter West | Stars: Moore Marriott, Iris Darbyshire, Judd Green, Charles Ashton
Votes: 79
An adaption of The String of Pearls by Thomas Peckett Prest & James Malcolm Rymer.
Studio: indie movie
48. Woos Whoopee (1928)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Felix the Cat stays out late celebrating New Year's Eve and gets extremely drunk.
Director: Otto Messmer
Votes: 248
While this is a New Year's short, Felix the Cat hallucinates all sorts of creepy things.
Studio: Sullivan Cartoons
49. Habeas Corpus (1928)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Comedy
Loony scientist (Carle) hires Laurel and Hardy to raid the cemetery to keep him supplied with dead bodies for his experiments.
Directors: James Parrott, Leo McCarey | Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Richard Carle, Charley Rogers
Votes: 902
Studio: MGM
50. A Daughter of Destiny (1928)
108 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A scientist with an interest in genetics impregnates a sex worker with the seed of a hanged murderer. The sex worker gives birth to a child who has no concept of love, whom the scientist adopts.
Director: Henrik Galeen | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Paul Wegener, Iván Petrovich, Wolfgang Zilzer
Votes: 430
As far as I know, this is the oldest 'monster created in a lab' movie. (Unless you count Jekyll and Hyde, but I don't because Hyde is part of Dr. Jekyll's soul.)
A witch/mad scientist turns a mandrake root into a living person.
Warning: Contains r*** via artificial insemination.
Studio: indie movie
51. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
Director: Paul Leni | Stars: Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Julius Molnar, Olga Baclanova
Votes: 8,077
This is a classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
This horror movie is mostly a romantic drama but it has some scary/disturbing parts.
Gwyplaine "The Laughing Man" was famously the inspiration for The Joker from the Batman comics.
Warning:
Brown face - White actors play "gypsies" (from Italy?). The movie plays into the evil Romani stereotype.
Studio: Universal
52. Pandora's Box (1929)
Not Rated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Carl Goetz
Votes: 11,860 | Gross: $0.01M
This thriller is more depressing than I care for, but it has really interesting symbolism. It's definitely a very powerful movie.
It's also the first movie with a bisexual woman. (Bisexual male subtext appears in Flesh and the Devil [1926] and Wings [1927].)
Studio: indie movie
53. The Karnival Kid (1929)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey, a hot dog vendor, meets and quickly falls for Minnie the "Shimmy Dancer". He serenades her by performing the song "Sweet Adeline", much to the dismay of Kat Nipp, who is trying to sleep.
Directors: Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks | Stars: Count Cutelli, Walt Disney, Carl W. Stalling
Votes: 951
A fun short if you're going for a carnival theme.
Studio: Disney
54. The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
Passed | 72 min | Drama, Mystery
Although his murdered friend was by all accounts a scoundrel a true "bounder" Edward Wales is determined to trap his killer by staging a seance using a famous medium. Many of the 13 seance ... See full summary »
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams, Margaret Wycherly, Helene Millard
Votes: 730
A group of people have a séance at a mansion and it turns out that the medium is a charlatan and that someone is killing off the people in the group one by one.
It's mostly people sitting around and talking, but Bela Lugosi gives a really captivating performance.
Studio: MGM
55. Hell's Bells (1929)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The demons of hell play music for Satan, whose delight turns to wrath when an insubordinate refuses to become food for Cerberus.
Director: Ub Iwerks | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 849
Studio: Disney
56. The Haunted House (1929)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey seeks shelter from a storm in a house that turns out to be haunted. The skeletons command him to play the organ; they dance and play along.
Directors: Walt Disney, Jack King | Stars: George Magrill, Walt Disney
Votes: 1,447
Studio: Disney
57. The Skeleton Dance (1929)
Approved | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.
Director: Walt Disney | Stars: Walt Disney, Carl W. Stalling
Votes: 6,296
This is probably the most popular Disney cartoon episode.
In 2006, Disney released a version of the short that changed the original music to the song "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," in order to make a sing-along version of the short.
Studio: Disney
58. Blackmail (1929)
Not Rated | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood, Charles Paton
Votes: 11,969
No one can say what the first film noir was, because it's subjective, but it's probably this movie.
It's such an early talkie that the crew didn't anticipate Anny Ondra's Polish accent, so they used a voice actress to do her lines.
Warning: Attempted sexual assault
Studio: indie movie
59. Murder! (1930)
TV-PG | 92 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A juror in a murder trial, after voting to convict, has second thoughts and begins to investigate on his own before the execution.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam, Edward Chapman
Votes: 6,923
An adaption of Enter Sir John by Helen Simpson and Clemence Dane.
This is a film noir and an early evil carnie movie.
Studio: indie movie
60. Swing You Sinners! (1930)
8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bimbo is seen late at night, trying to steal a chicken. He runs away from a policeman and enters a haunted cemetery. Various ghosts and monsters tell him that he will be punished for his sin.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Ted Sears | Star: Billy Murray
Votes: 768
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
61. Spooks (1930)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The Phantom of a cheap opera house helps an aspiring singer by putting a phonograph machine down her skirt. When she spurns him for Oswald the Rabbit, the Phantom takes his revenge.
Director: Walter Lantz | Stars: Pinto Colvig, Walter Lantz
Votes: 140
This is Universal's parody of their movie Phantom of the Opera (1925).
Studio: Universal & Walter Lantz Productions
62. Mysterious Mose (1930)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop (with dog's ears) can't sleep on a scary night, so she sings the title song and meets the gentleman in question... a surreal version of Bimbo.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky | Stars: Margie Hines, Billy Murray
Votes: 294
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
63. Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931)
Passed | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Piggy and Fluffy have adventures on a riverboat. And Uncle Tom is chased by skeletons promising to take him to Hallelujah Land.
Director: Rudolf Ising | Stars: Ken Darby, Marcellite Garner, Rudolf Ising, The King's Men
Votes: 383
This has a fun Halloween vibe.
Warning:
Negative racial stereotypes - This short has long been considered to be extremely racist and unfit for TV and DVD/streaming. The reason is because Uncle Tom is an archetypal character called an Uncle Tom. Those characters, from my (limited) understanding, are harmless, poor, uneducated country bumpkins. It's definitely an old stereotype of Black people. But I don't think this short is offensive. I encourage you to see for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Studio: WB
64. Popcorn (1931)
6 min | Animation, Short
Two mice go to a carnival on a date.
Director: Frank Moser | Star: Margie Hines
Votes: 28
The mice go to a funhouse with skeletons in it, so it's a good cartoon to watch for Halloween.
Studio: Terrytoons
65. Halloween (1931)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Toby organizes a Halloween celebration. Some witches and elves join the party.
Directors: Arthur Davis, Dick Huemer, Sid Marcus
Votes: 96
Studio: Mintz Productions & RKO
66. Dracula (1931)
Passed | 75 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.
Directors: Tod Browning, Karl Freund | Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye
Votes: 58,653
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie. I'm not really a fan of it, but it's ok.
Studio: Universal
67. Drácula (1931)
Unrated | 104 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Centuries-old vampire Dracula preys upon the innocent Eva and her friends.
Director: George Melford | Stars: Carlos Villarías, Lupita Tovar, Barry Norton, Pablo Álvarez Rubio
Votes: 5,105
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
This Universal movie, instead of being dubbed into Spanish, was actually filmed in Spanish using Spanish-speaking actors. It's far superior to Dracula (1931) in every way.
Studio: Universal
68. The Spider and the Fly (1931)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A kitchen is filled with houseflies. A spider wakes up and plays his web like a harp, attracting a pair of them; the female is trapped, and the male summons the cavalry, which arrives ... See full summary »
Director: Wilfred Jackson
Votes: 346
Studio: Disney
69. Egyptian Melodies (1931)
Approved | 6 min | Animation, Short, Family
A spider sneaks into the Sphinx and has several spooky encounters.
Director: Wilfred Jackson | Star: Marcellite Garner
Votes: 678
Warning:
Racism - Ancient Egyptians lived in the Middle East and typically had light brown skin. Later in Egyptian history, part of Egypt was ruled by Nubians (who had dark brown skin) and the other part was ruled by Greeks (who typically had white skin). Then the Romans (who typically had white skin) conquered the Egyptian empire.
In this cartoon, the ancient Egyptians have white skin and a few of the low-class servants have black skin. I assume the black characters are Nubian servants or Nubian slaves. This is both accurate and inaccurate.
It's inaccurate in that the Egyptians were not typically white. In the cartoon, they should have been grey. If black or white were the only two coloring options, the Egyptians should have been black, since they were from Africa.
However, there is some truth here. Ancient Egyptians did care about skin color, because the wealthy could afford to have lighter skin since they weren't outdoors much. Regular folks were darker from the sun. Before the Greeks became pharaohs, the Egyptians saw themselves as being a reddish-light brown skinned people. They generally had a negative view of non-Egyptians, like the 'black' Nubians and the 'white' Anatolians (present day Turkey). We see both depicted as slaves in ancient Egyptian art.
Studio: Disney
70. Svengarlic (1931)
6 min | Animation, Short
A Columbia Krazy Kat animated short. Krazy Kat plays a painter who has to protect his model from a wolf hypnotist.
Directors: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison
Votes: 23
Studio: Mintz Productions & Columbia
71. Mask-A-Raid (1931)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop is queen of the Masquerade Ball where, among other antics, Bimbo and a lecherous old man vie for her affections.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Al Eugster | Stars: Ann Little, Billy Murray
Votes: 182
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
72. Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
Not Rated | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bimbo the dog is initiated into a secret society in a sadistic 'fun house'; then Betty Boop (with dog's ears) takes a hand.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Grim Natwick | Stars: Margie Hines, Billy Murray, William Pennell, Mae Questel
Votes: 1,704
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
73. Dizzy Red Riding-Hood (1931)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop goes to Grandma's through the woods despite wolf warnings; but Bimbo follows and gives the old story a new twist.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Grim Natwick | Stars: Ann Little, Billy Murray
Votes: 234
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
74. Alice in Wonderland (1931)
55 min | Family, Fantasy
A young girl named Alice falls down a rabbit-hole and wanders into the strange world of Wonderland.
Director: Bud Pollard | Stars: Ruth Gilbert, Ralph Hertz, Lillian Ardell, Mabel Wright
Votes: 201
A faithful adaption of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
I have no idea why this movie has a low IMDB rating. I assume it's because people compare it to Alice in Wonderland (1933), which has great special effects. But I'd say that Alice in Wonderland (1931) does a better job of conveying the plot. The 1931 version spends a lot of time focusing on the nonsensical trial. It's almost literally a kangaroo court. This political satire is one of the main points of the Alice books.
Studio: indie movie
75. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Passed | 98 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Dr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that transforms him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert
Votes: 15,813 | Gross: $2.79M
An adaption of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Studio: Paramount
76. The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)
G | 68 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
Englishmen race to find the tomb of Genghis Khan before the sinister Fu Manchu does.
Directors: Charles Brabin, Charles Vidor | Stars: Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett
Votes: 3,714 | Gross: $0.82M
This is a tough one. It's extremely racist, but it's hilariously over the top and bonkers. It's a Pre-Code horror movie, so the torture scenes are wild.
To be fair, there's less yellow face than I expected from a 1930s movie. Fu Manchu is played by Indian actor Boris Karloff. The Indian Prince is played by Indian actor Lal Chand Mehra.
Something unique about this movie is that Fu Manchu could be bisexual. Something that is always brought up about this movie is that there seems to be sexual tension when Fu is torturing his male prisoner. Fu is definitely also attracted to women, though, because he has a daughter named Fah.
Another unique aspect is that Fah gets seemingly erotic pleasure from torturing men with restraints and whips.
Warnings:
- Themes of yellow peril
- Yellowface - Myrna Loy plays a Chinese woman.
Studio: MGM
77. The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
PG-13 | 63 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A psychotic big game hunter deliberately strands a luxury yacht on a remote island, where he begins to hunt its passengers for sport.
Directors: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 14,015 | Gross: $0.97M
An adaption of the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell.
This is the first 'the rich making the poor fight, for their amusement' movie.
It mainly focuses on the romance, and the couple mostly just sits around and talks. But it's a pretty good movie overall.
Studio: RKO
78. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
Passed | 61 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A mad scientist seeks to mingle human blood with that of an ape, and resorts to kidnapping women for his experiments.
Director: Robert Florey | Stars: Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Ames, Bert Roach
Votes: 5,264
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
It's a Pre-Code horror movie so it's scary at times. But it's also kind of silly because the mad scientist has a gorilla that kills his enemies. Overall, it's a pretty good horror movie though.
Studio: Universal
79. Vampyr (1932)
Not Rated | 75 min | Fantasy, Horror
A drifter obsessed with the supernatural stumbles upon an inn where a severely ill adolescent girl is slowly becoming a vampire.
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer | Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz
Votes: 20,524
Studio: indie movie
80. White Zombie (1932)
Passed | 69 min | Horror
A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiancé, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.
Director: Victor Halperin | Stars: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Robert Frazer
Votes: 11,659
This is the first zombie movie. It's Voodoo zombies; not the brain-eating type of zombies.
Studio: United Artists
81. Doctor X (1932)
Unrated | 76 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, Preston Foster
Votes: 4,266 | Gross: $0.88M
This is a mix of a monster movie and a film noir.
It was one of the main influences on Rocky Horror and Doctor X is mentioned in the Rocky Horror play/movie.
Studio: WB
82. The Old Dark House (1932)
Passed | 72 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Seeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart
Votes: 13,106 | Gross: $0.03M
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
An early killer-in-the-house movie.
Studio: Universal
83. Minnie the Moocher (1932)
Passed | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop and Bimbo run away from home, but that night they are scared by a chorus of ghosts singing the title song.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky | Stars: Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra, Cab Calloway, Billy Murray, William Pennell
Votes: 1,723
This is probably the most popular Betty Boop cartoon.
In this short, Betty is either an unmarried woman living at home or a teenager, and a symbol of the modern woman. In this short, her parents are Dutch immigrants with old-fashioned attitudes. Mr. Boop berates Betty for not eating her hazenpeper. She runs out of the kitchen and says that she's rather eat worms. Well, worms come from the ground and underground is exactly where she's going. Way, way down. She calls her boyfriend, Bimbo, and they run away together, all the way to the underworld.
This is one of the rare positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons. Real-life Black jazz star Cab Calloway, and his orchestra, play ghost versions of themselves. They perform their creepy (and not kid-friendly) songs "St. James Infirmary Blues" and "Minnie the Moocher."
This mature cartoon seems to be aimed at teens, rather than kids.
Studio: Paramount & Fleischer Studios
84. The Mummy (1932)
Approved | 73 min | Fantasy, Horror
A resurrected Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he believes to be his long-lost princess.
Director: Karl Freund | Stars: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron
Votes: 30,142
A classic Universal Monsters universe movie.
Studio: Universal
85. The Banker's Daughter (1933)
6 min | Animation, Short
Act I of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Fanny is captured and held for ransom, and a showdown ensues at the sawmill.
Director: Frank Moser
Votes: 23
Studio: Terrytoons
86. The Old Can Mystery (1933)
6 min | Animation, Short
Act II of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry plans to drown Fanny while Strongheart is indisposed.
Director: Frank Moser
Votes: 19
Studio: Terrytoons
87. Fanny in the Lion's Den (1933)
5 min | Animation, Comedy, Short
Act III of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry throws Fanny to the lions to be eaten alive, but she befriends the lions.
Director: Frank Moser
Votes: 19
Studio: Terrytoons
88. Hypnotic Eyes (1933)
6 min | Animation, Short
Act IV of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry uses his hypnotic powers to lure Fanny to his lair.
Director: Frank Moser
Votes: 20
Studio: Terrytoons
89. The Snowman (1933)
6 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy
A young Eskimo and his animal friends build a snow man, only for it to come to life and terrorize the local wildlife.
Director: Ted Eshbaugh
Votes: 97
A cute short where a kid brings a snowman to life and it turns into a Yeti that must be stopped.
This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
Studio: Eshbaugh Studios
90. Alice in Wonderland (1933)
Passed | 76 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In Victorian England a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland populated by even more fantastic characters.
Directors: Norman Z. McLeod, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Stars: Richard Arlen, Roscoe Ates, William Austin, Gary Cooper
Votes: 2,616
A faithful adaption of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll.
I think this adaption is good but not great, because I didn't get what the message of the story is in this adaption. But it's still very creepy, surreal, and fun. The costumes are nightmare fuel and the special effects are amazing.
Studio: Paramount
91. Silvery Moon (1933)
6 min | Animation, Short, Family
As two feline sweethearts sail along Moonlight Bay, the moon invites them up for a visit. They discover the moon is not made of green cheese, as is rumored, but is actually a land of candy, ice cream and cake.
Directors: Mannie Davis, John Foster | Star: Margie Hines
Votes: 154
Studio: Van Beuren Studios & RKO
92. Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party (1933)
7 min | Animation, Short, Family
Betty Boop hosts a Halloween party with aid from a scarecrow, but an uninvited gorilla threatens havoc.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky | Star: Bonnie Poe
Votes: 375
Studio: Paramount & Fleischer Studios
93. The Magic Mummy (1933)
Passed | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Tom and Jerry are police officers, driving around in their car and enjoying listening to some music on their police radio, when they hear a bulletin announcing another theft of a mummy from... See full summary »
Directors: John Foster, Vernon Stallings | Stars: Artie Dunn, Margie Hines, Les Reis
Votes: 154
This is a Tom & Jerry short by J. Van Beuren Studios; not to be confused with the Tom & Jerry cat & mouse cartoons by MGM Studios.
This is a parody of Phantom of the Opera.
Studio: Van Beuren Studios & RKO
94. The Mad Doctor (1933)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
Mickey must save Pluto from a mad doctor's lair.
Directors: David Hand, Wilfred Jackson | Stars: Billy Bletcher, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney, Florence Gill
Votes: 1,661
Mickey Mouse visits a Dr. XXX, which is a reference to Doctor X (1932).
Studio: Disney
95. Snow-White (1933)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Trouble starts when the queen's magic mirror says Betty Boop is fairest. Cab Calloway sings "St. James Infirmary Blues."
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall | Stars: Cab Calloway, Billy Murray, Mae Questel
Votes: 2,216
A spooky take on Snow White. Cab Calloway voices Koko in this one, and sings St. James Infirmary.
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
96. Murders in the Zoo (1933)
Passed | 62 min | Crime, Horror
A monomaniacal zoologist is pathologically jealous of his beautiful but unfaithful wife Evelyn and will not stop short of murder to keep her.
Director: A. Edward Sutherland | Stars: Charles Ruggles, Lionel Atwill, Gail Patrick, Randolph Scott
Votes: 1,783
Studio: Paramount
97. Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Passed | 77 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh
Votes: 6,831
An early 'murders in a wax museum' movie. It's a mix of a monster movie and a film noir.
Studio: WB
98. Supernatural (1933)
Passed | 65 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A serial black widow murderess returns to life in the body of a young woman to exact revenge on a former lover, a phony spiritualist who betrayed her.
Director: Victor Halperin | Stars: Carole Lombard, Randolph Scott, Alan Dinehart, Vivienne Osborne
Votes: 933
An early evil possession movie and an evil fake medium movie.
Studio: Paramount
99. The Ghoul (1933)
Approved | 77 min | Action, Drama, Horror
An Egyptologist returns from the dead to take revenge on those who have violated his tomb.
Director: T. Hayes Hunter | Stars: Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Dorothy Hyson
Votes: 3,249
The only reason this has a low IMDB rating is because for a long time there were only low quality prints of this film. Then they found a high quality print, which is widely available today.
This is basically Boris Karloff in another mummy movie, which is awesome.
Studio: indie movie
100. The Vampire Bat (1933)
Passed | 65 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible.
Director: Frank R. Strayer | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Maude Eburne
Votes: 3,051
Fay Wray in a vampire movie!
Studio: indie movie
Tell Your Friends