Reel Old Movies

No trick, all treats: Horror movies lurk in every corner of classic film. This Halloween, go beyond the usual suspects and sample of few of these frightfully fun movies from the silent era that may not be as well known. 

Ten minutes of lost footage is now restored to the Lon Chaney classic silent horror movie, “The Unknown” (1927), and the new print is screening for audiences for the first time in the United States. 

Whether it’s blood and gore or creepfest thrills or just a classic monster movie – what do these movies all have in common? Enough scares to last all year long.  If you’re looking for classic horror movie favorites or searching out new frightful films for the Halloween season, here are a few ideas for when you want to jump and shiver.  It’s a mix of popular fright favorites, horror classics, psychological thrillers and hidden gems, from the silent era into the 1960s. What would you add to the list? What would you remove? Share your thoughts @ReelOldMovies on Instagram.   The Phantom of the Opera (1925) While in more modern interpretations, the phantom is portrayed as a singing misdirected figure, the 1925 silent movie version showed the phantom is all his most obsessed and grotesque glory. Lon Chaney, the Man of a Thousand Faces, created the Phantom’s skull-like look himself and the big “reveal” scene would make audiences recoil for generations. Night of the Hunter ...

It’s not Joaquin Phoenix’s The Joker. It’s Conrad Veidt’s Gwynplaine from 1928’s “The Man Who Laughs.” 

Early “scream queen” Fay Wray was born on this day, September 15, in 1907.  She is best remembered for her character Ann Darrow in 1933’s “King Kong” and her roles in horror films.