Kreepsville's Favorite Horror Movies
Well boils and ghouls, we’ve made it to 2021 and we’re just a week away from being halfway to Halloween. (To save you the search, it’s Saturday May 15, 2021!)
So what better way to get in the mood than to watch horror movies and chill? We’ve all spent the last year combing the streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and Hulu for films that are hidden gems, zombie gore fests, terrifying found footage flicks, childhood nightmare fuel, and chilling classics. So, we’ve put our collective monster knowledge together to give you a list of the Kreepsville favorites for scary movie and chill night.
The Horror Hostess with the Mostess
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
It’s no secret that Kreepsville loves Elvira! Her campy humor combined with her wicked curves and a love of macabre movies makes her a horror icon in our book. So, of course we’ve got the 1988 comedy horror film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark on our list. (Who doesn't love the horror comedy genre?)
In this madcap adventure, Elvira turns up in a puritanical town to claim her inheritance of a rundown mansion, a spell book, and a poodle from her great aunt Morgana and is hounded by the locals. Be sure to look out for Gonk, Elvira’s furry friend with a rad 80s style. You can watch this one on your Amazon Prime or Hulu subscriptions.
Elvira's Haunted Hills
And why not follow up with the second film starring Elvira? Did you know that Cassanda Peterson has a writing credit for this one too? Released in 2001 with the tagline “EVIL. TERROR. LUST. Some girls really know how to party!” Elvira’s Haunted Hills is sure to titillate your senses.
Set in 1851, spooky high jinks abound in this story when Elvira finds herself spending the night in a mysterious ghostly castle in the Carpathian mountains. When the castle owner’s long dead wife turns out to be the spitting image of Elvira, you can be sure it’s double the terror and double the fun!
An Interview with Cassandra Peterson
Ever wonder where the title for her second film came from? We suspect it has to do with her favorite horror film. When Cassandra Peterson officiated the grand opening of our East Los Angeles store, our friends from Haus of Horror stopped by and interviewed our mistress of (dark) ceremonies. It turns out that her favorite spooky movie, which inspired her love of horror, is the original House on Haunted Hill. And this classic from 1959 stars the next horror icon in our list!
The Voice of Terror
When you hear his iconic voice, do you think of ravens, madness, monsters, and mystery? We sure do! That’s why we’ve put Vincent Price on our list!
Kreepsville Loves Vincent Price
And here’s why Kreepsville loves Vincent Price. His epic film career spanned 7 decades and he has more than 200 actor credits in an impressive list of movies (and no surprise, many of them are horror films). He appeared on screen with an A-list of famous faces including Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, and Kermit the Frog, to name a few.
House on Haunted Hill
For your movie night, why not start with some vintage terror and watch Elvira’s favorite, the 1959 version of House on Haunted Hill? In this film, Vincent Price stars with Carol Ohmart and Richard Long.
The story is best summarized in his own words, “I am Frederick Loren, and I have rented the house on Haunted Hill tonight so that my wife can give a party. She's so amusing. There'll be food and drink and ghosts, and perhaps even a few murders. You're all invited. If any of you will spend the next twelve hours in this house, I will give you each ten thousand dollars, or your next of kin in case you don't survive.” You can watch this thriller on Vudu or as part of your Amazon Prime subscription.
5 Horror Movies Based on Poe Stories
And then, because it’s too hard to pick just one or two, you can follow up with a marathon of terrifying films from the 1960s based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. It’s no surprise to us that Vincent Price's eerie cackle features in all these creepy movies.
- House of Usher (1960)
- The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
- Tales of Terror (1962)
- The Raven (1963)
- Masque of the Red Death (1964)
You can find these nightmare filled films on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Vudu.
A Modern Fairy Tale: Edward Scissorhands
And last but certainly not least, be sure to add Edward Scissorhands to your list! This was Vincent Price’s very last film appearance before his death. He played The Inventor, a role written specifically for him and the character responsible for bringing Edward to life in this Tim Burton spooky favorite. Knowing that this was his last on-screen performance always brings a tear to our eyes!
Though this one is a little bit romantic and a little bit sad, we’re certain this macabre fairy tale fits in our favorite horror films and chill list. You can watch this one with subscriptions from Hulu, Sling TV, Starz, Amazon Prime Video, or Philo.
Vampira Forever
When you talk about horror icons, you simply must include Vampira! Maila Nurmi was the actress and television personality who brought Vampira to life as television’s very first horror host. From 1954 to 1955, she hosted The Vampira Show on the Los Angeles ABC station KABC-TV. Kreepsville loves Vampira for her glamour ghoul looks, campy puns, and sinister appeal.
So Bad, It's Good: Plan 9 from Outer Space
For your horror movie and chill night, be sure to check out one of our favorite cult sci-fi horror films starring Vampira, Plan 9 from Outer Space. This 1959 movie from Ed Wood is known for being one of the worst movies ever made, which makes it so bad, it’s good!
The plotline is about aliens who seek to stop humanity from creating a doomsday machine by implementing Plan 9—a scheme to cause chaos by resurrecting the dead. Vampira’s onscreen entrance in this film is strikingly similar to the opening sequence of her show when she’d make a sultry vampiric walk down a dark foggy corridor. You can watch this one on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon Prime Video.
We Love Bela
If the only reason you know the name “Bela Lugosi” is from the lyrics to the Bauhaus song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” it’s time to fix that with a classic monster movie marathon!
With a film career spanning from 1917 to 1957, Bela Lugosi is a horror movie icon known best for portraying some of our favorite monsters and madmen. With over 100 acting credits, he appeared on screen in movies alongside a list of Hollywood’s spookiest including Vincent Price, Vampira, Lon Chaney, Basil Rathbone, and Boris Karloff.
The OG Dracula
The 1931 Dracula is arguably Bela Lugosi’s best known film. His portrayal of Count Dracula using his own Hungarian accent is certainly one of the most imitated vampire movie characters. Bela Lugosi starred alongside Helen Chandler as Mina and David Manners as John Harker.
The film is adapted from a stage play based on the Bram Stoker novel, Dracula, and follows Count Dracula, John Harker, and Renfield from the Carpathian mountains to London, where the evil Count preys upon Mina and her friend Lucy Weston. You can find this classic on iTunes, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime Video.
5 Monster Movies and Creature Features with Bela Lugosi
And of course, it’s hard to pick just one more, so be sure to check out these other monster movies with Bela Lugosi:
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
- White Zombie (1932)
- The Black Cat (1934)
- The Raven (1935)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
Acting From Beyond the Grave
The very last film in his career was Plan 9 from Outerspace and as we discussed, it's a cult film that makes our favorite horror movies list. Bela Lugosi was billed posthumously as a guest star alongside Vampira, though the silent footage in Plan 9 is actually from another unfinished film from Ed Wood. In the film, he portrays a man mourning the loss of his dead wife, Vampira. And you better believe this inspired our Bela Loves Vampira line for vintage horror lovers!
