4 underrated horror and dark fantasy films from the classic era of Hollywood
Classic Hollywood – the era of film that produced some of the most iconic films that we still cherish today. All those musicals, dramas and screwball comedies galore! But what about horror and dark fantasy?
Sure, we get the Universal Monsters and Val Lewton movies from that era, but they’re not the only ones. There are some classic films that have managed to fly under the radar of horror and fantasy fans for decades.
So, for your obscure viewing pleasure, here are four underrated Hollywood classics that you should add to your streaming queue immediately.
Technicolor fever dream of a movie, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman It was directed in 1951 by Albert Lewin, and may have been photographed by the famous cinematographer Jack Cardiff who was known for his collaborations with Powell-Pressburger.
Starring Ava Gardner in one of the best roles of her career, this gorgeous film is set in 1930’s Spain where Pandora, the devil who cares, lives by her own rules in a gorgeous house in a gorgeous city while wearing gorgeous clothes. Men want to marry her and literally die for her, but she is going her own way. That is, until a mysterious ship that may be the legendary Flying Dutchman appears near the shore, and she becomes fascinated by its elusive captain. Add some ghostly mystery and a lot of high melodrama, and you have a really great movie.
My main complaint about… Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is that James Mason’s gloomy Captain Hendrick is unworthy of the ethereal and lively Pandora. But provided you can get past that obvious oversight, the film is a beautifully photographed ode to the classic era, and doesn’t really look like anything else of its era. A scary love story to beat.
Another unknown movie by Ava Gardner, on the beach Possibly the best end-of-the-world movie you’ve never heard of. It’s really unfortunate that more horror fans don’t know about this movie, because it’s unlike any other end-of-the-world story you’ve ever seen before. Again, this isn’t total horror; instead of, on the beach It exudes existential dread as the last remaining pockets of civilization face their grim and unrelenting fate.
Starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Perkins, Fred Astaire, and, of course, Gardner, you won’t get any triumphant third-act montages or world-saving-the-world-style efforts. The disaster. This is not that kind of movie. On the contrary, it is a film about the small moments at the end of civilization – a driver sitting in his race car, a pair of lovers embracing on a final journey, two parents doing the only humane thing they can for their child – and in doing so, it undeniably becomes The scariest apocalypse movie I’ve ever seen.
Watch it – provided you can find it on the live streaming channel – and see if it haunts you in the same way.
I hope the gods bless the Criterion Channel and the Criterion Group for rediscovering so many queer films and making them more readily available to cinephiles.
melodrama to the max, Corridor of mirrors It is a strange and surreal little film that is rarely discussed in film circles. The story follows Myfanwy (played by Idana Romney, who also co-wrote the screenplay), a young woman who becomes involved with an eccentric older man who owns a kind of fun palace dedicated to his obsessive devotion to reincarnated lovers and Renaissance Italy. It’s as strange as it sounds.
Corridor of mirrors It’s not necessarily horror or dark fantasy, but it definitely has an aura of both, and with a dark fairy tale setting, it’s absolutely worth seeking out. Full of shadows Bluebird And beauty and the beastThis is a strange story of bitter love that will stick with you long after the final frame. Also look for horror legend Christopher Lee in a small role that marked his film debut.
Like the other films on this list, Blanche Fiore It’s not traditional horror per se; It’s a gothic thriller set in an ancestral estate with lots of ancestral secrets. But since there’s a supposed curse at the center of it all, it all may have come true, and it certainly has its fair share of horror elements, including a supporting role from Hammer Films favorite Michael Gough.
Her eponymous Blanche Fury, played by Valerie Hobson, finds herself moving into a spacious estate with her extended family, including her cousin Gough, who wants to marry her. However, Blanche has her eye on the caretaker who should be the rightful owner of the place (Stuart Granger in all his sure-footed glory). A diabolical plot ensures.
Color noirs are a rare thing indeed, and noirs set in the so-called gaslight era are even stranger, which makes… Blanche Fiore Unlike anything else in classic Hollywood. He thinks Double compensation For the Victorian collection. Bold, beautiful, and totally worth your time.
