"Old" doesn't equal "boring". If you think it does, you're missing out on some of the best horror movies ever.
Movies that not only have become iconic over time, for their historical value and contribution to cinema, but are timelessly scary and exciting.
In no particular order, here are five (=part one, link to part 2 at end of article) out of ten really old horror films you must watch:
Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
When speaking about horror films, "Nosferatu" has a bit of singular place in history. It's basically in the lineage of "Dracula", but changes to some elements of the story (e.g. name) put it into a different context. And director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau managed to create some striking imagery that is unmatched to this day. Combined, "Nosferatu" is the Dracula that defies Dracula. A universe, such as Dracula's, with countless variations on the myth, was never created for "Nosferatu". It's just this singular, otherworldly nightmare put on film, that is unparalleled in its sinister aesthetic quality. The full original title translates to "A Symphony Of Horror", which is an accurate description of the movie. This Dracula doesn't beguile or enchant - he just stares into your soul, and wants to eat it.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu (with streaming movie!)
If you like to watch "Nosferatu" make sure it's a long (>90min) version (e.g. the one on the Wikipedia page).
Häxan (1922)
In this quite unique production, directed by Benjamin Christensen, we get an analytic approach to the alleged phenomenon of witchcraft - "Häxan" is the Swedish word for "witches". Being a somewhat scientific document, there isn't much of a story, it just goes through some chapters exploring the material, and giving some commentary. Material, in this case, being a reference to folklore, and "Häxan" being the most expensive Swedish film production at the time. Add one to one - it's to witchcraft movies what "Saving Private Ryan" is to WWII movies. Did you ever want to see the actual devil, the one you were scared of as a very little kid? In "Häxan" you do - and then some.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013257/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4xan (with streaming movie!)
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920)
Horror cinema wouldn't be the same without Dr. Caligari's infamous cabinet. Generations of filmmakers have looked at this movie as a guideline, and source of inspiration. It is basically the seed of the "psycho thriller", thus "slasher", genre, and a template for the modern script writer as well as the cinematographer. Also it's the most expressionist of German Expressionism films, almost completely dropping the ties with physical reality in its visual design. The psyche is everything, and everything is the psyche, in this creepy, pivotal masterpiece, directed by Robert Wiene.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari (with streaming movie!)
Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926)
Another F. W. Murnau directed milestone of fantastic cinema, a drama of biblical proportions, and a stunning display of visual cinematic virtuosity. This adaptation of the classic Wolfgang von Goethe material is the "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings" of German Expressionism cinema. It opens with the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, riding through the misty clouds, looking... terrifying! And this is just the first minute of the movie. Rooted in religion and folklore, with overwhelming expressionist shapes of black and white, masterful use of composition, superimposition, and other effects, "Faust" is an array of beautiful, epic, nightmarish imagery that is guaranteed to crawl under your skin. "Faust", without a doubt, ranks among the top achievements in cinema history, and will forever do so.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust_(1926_film) (with streaming movie!)
Kurutta Ichipeji ("A Page of Madness", 1926)
Japanese experimental psycho horror film "A Page of Madness", directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa, is interesting, beautiful, and disturbing, all at once. Naturally, it has similarities with other productions of the time, but there's also a very distinct element to. The bizarre, stylized imagery, and the sometimes dizzying, unsettling editing is unique to Japanese cinema, and is still seen today in everything from "Tetsuo" (1989) to "Ringu" (1998) and beyond. "A Page Of Madness" is a groundbreaking, mesmerizing visualization of a mind falling apart at the borders between reality and imagination.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017048/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Page_of_Madness (with streaming movie!)
