When you think of the classic horror movies, you either think of the early movies such as The Mummy or Dracula, or you think of the staples of modern horror such as Halloween or The Exorcist. Often the difference depends on your age, but some horror enthusiasts enjoy both types and genres. Horror is a very subjective genre to begin with, so from person to person it changes. What makes a horror movie get saddled with such an honorable moniker as “classic” to begin with?
The first thing is that it must be scary. Very few horror movies are classics without having some small amount of spooks in it. If it does not terrify us, then it is very hard to label it a classic. When you look back at the horror movies of the early days, they are surprisingly scary given the limited budgets and special effects they had back then. They had to focus a great deal more on plot and storyline then the modern horror movies of today. Still, the great horror movies of today have that in common most of the time.
Another thing that must be present in classic horror movies is that it must be groundbreaking or unique in some fashion. When Halloween came out in the late seventies, the serial killer in a mask thing was relatively new. Certainly the music was groundbreaking in the world of horror movies. Every movie that is labeled a classic has something about it that you did not see before.
Classic horror movies have a strong story as a rule as well. Think about it – The Exorcist, The Shining, Halloween, Jaws – they all had a fantastic story that drew us into the horror that surrounded it. All horror movies that are labeled classics have a storyline that keeps us interested and in the best cases, engrossed.
Scary movies were never really intended to make a statement of any kind. They were and are designed to allow us to see the worst of our fears come to life on the big screen, without the accompanying dangers. It allows us to face fears on the big screen, rather than in real life. It is an escape of sorts. The truly great horror movies know how to do this and keep us there throughout. Some movies have a scare here and a scare there. The greats keep us interested even when the scares are not there.
Classic horror movies are just like most any other classic movie genre. They are the best movies of the genre. The difference is only in that the horror genre is looking for something different than the others. They are looking for scares, thrills, chills, excitement and finally retribution. Hopefully today’s horror movie writers will take a look at those horror films that reached this honored status, and take a page from their book.
