Welcome Back to the final installment of Great but Forgotten Horror Movies. Here are the most underrated, obscure scary films that horror fans should check out in addition to the well-known classics.

I’ll have Amazon links if you’re curious enough to buy, and will mention which titles are playing on Netflix Streaming (Click Here to get a free month-long trial of the service.)

Get the frighteningly Authentic 6 Foot Wolf Man Prom from Spirit Halloween!

**Make sure to check out PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE if you haven’t already, to see what other films already discussed.

10. “The Tingler” (1959)/“Homicidal” (1961)

[amazon_image id=”B0024FAG3U” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The William Castle Film Collection (13 Frightened Girls / 13 Ghosts / Homicidal / Strait-Jacket / The Old Dark House / Mr. Sardonicus / The Tingler / Zotz!)[/amazon_image]

Producer/Director William Castle used gimmicks to get kids asses into the movie seats. For “The Tingler” he had theater owners rig seats to emit small electric shocks during the film’s climax (which takes place in a movie theater. Genius.). “The Tingler” is goofy, but it’s so much fun you submit to its charms. Vincent Price plays the Mad Scientist who discovers ‘The Tingler’, a creature that lives on fear.

Check out the trailer:

 

“Homicidal” is another Castle production, and was a “Psycho” knock-off. Castle’s gimmick was a ‘fright break’; where you could chicken out and get your refund. But you’d have to sign a certificate claiming you were a coward.

But the twist ending of ‘Homicidal‘ is worth staying for, where the mystery of the goings on at a creepy mansion has a truly shocking finale.

 

9.”Frailty” (2001)

[amazon_image id=”B002NPY7F4″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Frailty [Blu-ray][/amazon_image]

Bill Paxton’s underrated directorial début is about a religious zealot who kills people he claims are demons in disguise. His 2 sons are split in their loyalty; Adam  believes his father is doing God’s work, but Fenton’s horrified. This all occurs in flashback, as Fenton is now an adult and speaking to authorities. Was his father insane, or did he truly have a supernatural gift for discovering evil? The story will keep you guessing until the end.

 

8. “Them” (2007)

[amazon_image id=”B000X1RYEQ” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Them[/amazon_image]

Available On Netflix Streaming.

Not to be confused with the ant movie, this French film’s about a couple being attacked by shadowy intruders in their countryside home. It’s reminiscent of “The Strangers‘, but it came first (accusations of plagiarism abound on the internet). Disturbing and ultra-tense, it’s expertly crafted dread.

 

7. “Blue Sunshine”

[amazon_image id=”B005EAWFTA” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Blue Sunshine[/amazon_image]

Available On Netflix Streaming.

This film of acid tripping hippie zombie murderers is so out there, it must be seen to be believed. I covered this more extensively in The 30 Most Underrated Movies Of All Time, so check that out for a deeper synopsis, as well as other great films of various genres.

 

6. “The Innocents” (1961)

[amazon_image id=”B0009X75EC” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Innocents[/amazon_image]

This adaptation of the novella, “The Turning Of The Screw“, is an eerie ghost story about Miss Giddens, a governess hired to take care of Flora and Miles, 2 young orphans living at a country estate. But something isn’t right with the children. They act sinister and seem too old for their years. She also feels the house is haunted. She learns the governess before her died, and  the circumstances around her demise take this film into dark territory.

 

5. “28 Weeks Later” (2007)

[amazon_image id=”B000VDDWEM” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]28 Weeks Later [Blu-ray][/amazon_image]

“28 Days Later” was huge, but this sequel underperformed, even though it’s equally terrifying. Britain has declared a portion of the country safely quarantined, with citizens allowed back into the area, including Don, who has a dark secret; he abandoned his wife while escaping from the Infected (one the scariest scenes ever). When she’s found alive, he’s guilt ridden, but relieved that she is okay. This proves a fatal miscalculation which fuels the rest of the movie.

 

4. “Freaks” (1932)/”The Devil Doll” (1936)

[amazon_image id=”B001NA2NM4″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Freaks[/amazon_image][amazon_image id=”B000GRUQJW” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Hollywood’s Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)[/amazon_image]

Director Robert Browning’s “Freaks“, starred real life sideshow performers, and left audiences shocked and repulsed. Critics demonized the film for exploiting deformities. They missed the point of the story.

The plot involves Cleopatra, a cruel trapeze artist who marries Hans, a little person, but only for his money. When the sideshow ‘freaks’ finds out her motives, and how much she despises them, they band together to take their revenge.

After ‘Freaks‘, Browning struggled to get work, but he pulled off another cult classic with “Devil Doll”, a weird story about Paul LaVonde, a wrongly accused man hiding out as a woman. To get back at his accusers, he uses a formula which can shrink people to microscopic size, making them tiny assassins to exact his revenge. Over the top, but entertaining.

 

3. “Hausu” (1977) aka “House”

This Japanese film is a haunted house tale like no other. Featuring over the top hallucinatory sequences, it’s psychedelic sequences gives it the vibe of a sinister kids television show. But it’s beautifully shot, and you’ve never seen anything like it (4 words: Flying Ass Biting Head!) Check out the trailer:

 

2. “House Of The Devil” (2009)

Available On Netflix Streaming.

This is the best 1980’s horror flick made in the 00’s, shot and edited to look as if it was from that era. I also covered this more extensively in the underrated movies list, so check that out for more details. (It also has an exceptionally scary scene.)

 

1. “Carnival Of Souls” (1962)

This cult film  deserves wider acclaim. A church organist is pulled from the wreckage of a car that plunged into a lake, claiming the lives of 2 of her friends. Afterwards she leaves home, opting for a fresh start. But she’s continually plagued by visions of a frightening spectral figure. She’s perplexed and terrified of his intentions, and begins questioning her sanity.

What makes this film amazing is its languid black and white cinematography. It was shot in Kansas on a shoestring budget, but it looks like an arty French film. That, and the weird church organ music score elevates it above its sometimes amateurish production  and wooden performances. It is a gorgeous nightmare, where nothing is as it seems. If you get lost in its spell, you’ll be joining admirers like George Romero and David Lynch. (it was also an influence on the recent film “Insidious“. Not a major fan of that one though).

So that’s my list of Great But Forgotten Horror Movies. I hope you enjoyed, and that you’ll give some of these a try. If you want to make your own list, or point out some glaring omissions, feel free to sound off below.

And stay tuned as up next I celebrate the enduring appeal of John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’.