The countdown to Halloween is on! It’s finally fall, andThe Criterion Collectionis getting in on the spooky celebration. All month long in October, film fans can watch some of the best pre-code, arthouse and 90s horror flicks on The Criterion Channel. For a brief stint in Hollywood, at the end of the silent era and the beginning of the talkies, there wasn’t a Hays Code in place to monitor content being featured in the movies of that time period. And a plethora of truly entertaining pre-code horror gems were released before censorship guidelines were finally put in place. One of the best examples of these pre-code movies comes in 1931’sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.And Fredric March even won the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar for his performance in the titular role.
Dracula(1931) director Tod Browning’sFreaksis another being shown in October, and it features one of the most bizarre payoffs when it comes to getting revenge on the Silver Screen — in any genre. Another of the best classic horror films of all time is also listed among The Criterion’s lineup:Mystery of the Wax Museum(1933). 20 years before Vincent Price tried to turn Carolyn Jones into a piece of artwork inThe House of Wax, it was Lionel Atwill terrorizing an unsuspecting Fay Wray.
Check out the first three minutes of the original film, which is based on the 1932 short storyThe Wax Works, courtesy of the Warner Bros. archive below:
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Arthouse & 90s Horror Take Center Stage
The Criterion Collection offers plenty more pre-codehorror, but fans can also stream a wide selection of arthouse movies all October long to celebrate Halloween. The Criterion Channel’s lineup includes a number of eclectic titles spanning from the silent era’sHäxan(1922) all the way up to 2019’sSuicide By Sunlight.
George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadis arguably the best of the arthouse bunch being featured on The Criterion Channel, but Dario Argento’sSuspiria(1977) also graces the lineup. But if there are any horror fans out there who have yet to seeSpoorloos, akaThe Vanishing, this one can’t be missed.
The Vanishingis a horrifying character studyof a normal, everyday man who just wants to convince himself that he’s capable of doing something evil. The Dutch version ofThe Vanishing, not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock remake in 1993, is one of the most effective psychological horror films ever made — and the ending is sure to shock those who don’t know what’s coming!
The Criterion Channel is also honoring scary movies from the 1990s. The decade of the 90s arguably represents a lull in the horror genre, butThe Exorcist IIIis undoubtedly at the head of this class, in terms of The Criterion Collection’s 90s lineup. However, the rest of the roster features unusual selections likeFrankenhooker,When a Stranger Calls BackandTales from the Crypt: Demon Knight.
Clyde Folley is credited with curating the 90s lineup on The Criterion Channel. Sadly, The Criterion Collection didn’t include the more meaningful movies from the decade likeRingu, akaThe Ring(1998),The Silence of the Lambs(1992),Scream(1996)& Scream 2(1997) andCandyman. And where isAudition(1999)? If ever there was a horror movie that truly stands out in the 1990s, and exemplifies the horror genre, it is director Takashi Miike’sAudition.
Other than a somewhat iffy lineup of horror movies selected to represent the 90s, the pre-code and arthouse selections are filled with plenty of gems to satisfy fans’ respective appetites for thrills, chills and gore.
The Criterion Channel offers a free, seven-day trial. Afterward, it costs $10.99 a month, or $99.99 a year to access The Criterion Collection’s content. Please note, some of the titles are only available to view in the United States. For more information, and a complete list of the titles celebrating All Hallows’ Eve, please visitThe Criterion Collection’s official website. Meanwhile, you can check out the short film Suicide By Sunlight in its entirety below:
