Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s

$5,000,000 (USA)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was the top grossing movie of 1953.

Fun Movie Facts:

The dinosaur skeleton in the museum sequence is not a real dinosaur skeleton. It was borrowed from storage at RKO where it had been created for another movie – Bringing Up Baby (1938).The “Coney Island Amusement Park” in the film is actually The Long Beach Amusement Park in Long Beach, California. The production crew was able to film at this park from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.This was the first film to feature a giant creature awakened or mutated by a Nuclear Bomb.Warner Brothers bought the film from producers Hal E. Chester and “Jack Deitz” for $450,000.

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Top 10 Experimental Films

9. L’Age d’Or

Directed by Luis Buñuel

1930

The second film on this list is another collaboration between Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Unlike Un Chien Andalou, this film attempts to have some semblance of a cohesive narrative. It is composed of several seemingly unrelated vignettes that range from a nature documentary on scorpions, a young couple trying in vain to find a place to have sex, and a partial reenactment of the events in Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom. Also, unlike Un Chien Andalou, this film was subjected to great protests and anger from the general public. It particularly enraged the Catholic Church for several potentially blasphemous images, including a young woman fellating the toe of a religious statue and a scene that implies a Christ-like figure taking part in orgies. Nonetheless, it has since gained a reputation as one of the most important experimental films ever made.

8. Rose Hobart

Directed by Joseph Cornell

1936

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Top 10 Under Appreciated Silent Horror Films

but backwards.

8. The Student of Prague

1913

Directed by Stellan Rye and Paul Wegener

The Student of Prague is an early German horror film that contains a basic retelling of the classic Faustian tale.   It involves a poor student named Balduin becoming completely obsessed with a countess.  He ends up making a deal with a sorcerer named Scapinelli to give everything he desires, including great wealth.  In return, he must sign a contract.  You can figure out where the plot goes from there.  The film is notable for several different reasons.  First, it contained some very prominent special effects that were considered quite extraordinary for the era.  The most famous is where Balduin shares the screen with a double of himself.  Also, Scapinelli is an incredibly important figure in the development of horror films.  He was one of the first characters who would seduce the protagonist with deals and bargains instead of defeating him with demons and infernal magic. It was due largely in part to this film that the entire trope of

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