From the silent era to the atomic age, horror movies evolved alongside American culture. In the 1910s, filmmakers began experimenting with supernatural and gothic tales. Titles like Balaoo the Demon Baboon (1913) and The Dead Secret (1913) pulled from pulp fiction and stage plays to explore otherworldly fears. Even without sound, early horror used lighting, makeup and practical effects to create characters that left a lasting impression. Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera (1925) was a landmark in both performance and prosthetics, setting a standard for horror icons that followed.
The 1930s kicked off the golden age of classic horror, with Universal Pictures leading the way. This was the decade that gave us Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Invisible Man, and turned actors like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff into household names. These movies helped define how monsters looked and acted on screen for decades. As the country went through the Great Depression, audiences filled theaters for an escape that was both terrifying and strangely comforting.
By the 1940s and ’50s, horror had to adapt again. War, science fiction and atomic age fears pushed stories in new directions. Dr. Cyclops (1940) brought radioactive madness to the screen, while The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) introduced psychological themes that laid the groundwork for future thrillers. By the time The Fly (1958) and The Mummy (1959) hit theaters, horror was blending creature features with science-gone-wrong plots that reflected anxieties of the time. The 1960s gave rise to more cerebral scares, like Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963), where the horror came from everyday people and ordinary places.
Below, get ready to remember some of the biggest thrills and chills from yesteryear, through these posters and ads for some of the top vintage horror movies — great to watch at Halloween… or any time you want a little scare!
Vintage horror movies: The scary films and spooky flicks from years past
Balaoo the Demon Baboon (1913)
This fascinating take of the weirdest animal ever created
Vintage horror movies: The Dead Secret (1913)
In the Toils of The Devil (1913)
Mortmain, with Robert Edeson (1915)
MORE: See how the disturbing original Wizard of Oz Broadway musical from 1903 looked like nightmare fuel
Old horror flicks: The Devil (1915)
Lon Chaney in the classic Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Frankenstein: The classic film with Boris Karloff (1931)
DON’T MISS: Boris Karloff’s guacamole recipe: Frankenstein’s monster does the avocado mash (1966)
Frankenstein… The man who made a monster (1931)
ALSO SEE: About Young Frankenstein, the 1975 comedy-horror movie that people still talk about
Vintage horror movies: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula (1931)
MORE: 8 rules of the vampire, according to Dracula (from 1901)
Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
The weird tale of Zaroff — half-mad hunter… and his mysterious island!
Classic Boris Karloff in The Mummy (1932)
Vintage horror comedy movie The Old Dark House (1932)
Travelers on a mountain road overtaken by a thunderstorm and torrential rain seek shelter in a mysterious old mansion.
Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Man with Nine Lives, with Boris Karloff (1940)
ALSO SEE: Time Warp back to 1975 for The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Vintage horror movies: Diabolical “Dr. Cyclops” (1940)
Vintage horror movies: The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) & Son of Dracula (1943)
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
MORE: Why old drive-in movie theaters were popular, and what they were like
The Return of Dracula (1958) / The Flame Barrier (1958)
Vintage horror movie: The Spider (1958)
The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958)
The Fly, with Vincent Price (1958)
Vintage horror movie: Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)
Old double-feature: Return of the Fly (1958) & The Alligator People (1959)
Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)
Vintage horror movie: The Mummy (1959)
Can a pharaoh’s evil prophecy reach out across 4000 years to enslave… to kill… to menace YOU?
It SEES without EYES! It LIVES without BREATH! It TALKS without a TONGUE!
Brides of Dracula (1960)
House of Fright – aka The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll (1960)
Edgar Allan Poe’s House of Usher (1960)
Vintage psychological horror: Psycho (1960)
The 3rd Voice: It’s diaboli-kill (1960)
The Birds (1963)
MORE: Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ movie starred Tippi Hedren & some feathered fiends (1963)
