6 Great Horror Movies From the 1960s

An Underrated Decade for Horror

When it comes to the 1960s, Psycho and Rosemary’s Baby get a lot of love in top all-time horror movie lists across the internet. And yes, those films are iconic, quintessential even, but there are many more gems. Here are some of mine in no particular order:

Repulsion (1965)

We’re starting with my favorite horror movie from this decade, because why not? It’s claustrophobic and eerie, and I’ve never seen a film delve so uncomfortably deep into the mind of its main character like Repulsion. 

Source: BloodyDisgusting.com

Now, a lot of descriptions of this film describe our main character, Carole, as “sex-repulsed.” I don’t like that description (yes, I know repulsion is the title). I think it’s an oversimplification, I think it implies her mental state and aversion to men are character flaws, that they’re her fault. I saw Carole as lonely, depressed, mistreated by the men we see onscreen, and yearning for connection deep down but unable to reach out to anyone, male or female. Her downward spiral is sad and empathetic, not freakish or a symptom of her being “frigid.” But anyway.

Most of the story takes place in one apartment, and Carole’s tortured mind distorts the space in grim, unsettling ways. It’s such an intimate movie. I feel her hopelessness in every tick of the clock while she lays in bed, her fear when the kitchen wall suddenly cracks open as a symbol of her deteriorating psyche.

Psychological horror at its very best, truly. 

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

A story of loneliness, agency, and the importance we give to beauty, Eyes Without a Face was the very first 1960s horror movie I ever watched, and it has stuck with me. It’s a slow, deliberate burn, every scene atmospheric and full of weight.

Here’s the premise: a Parisian surgeon and his daughter Christiane get into a car accident, marring Christiane’s face beyond recognition. He becomes obsessed with recapturing her former beauty via facial transplant, going to illegal and secretive lengths with help from his secretary to do so. In the meantime, Christiane is falsely proclaimed dead and forced to live in his countryside mansion wearing a featureless white mask. 

Source: IMDb

I’ll leave the rest for you to explore. This is a somber, thoughtful story with some great twists and turns. Also, random fun fact: Billy Idol’s song “Eyes Without a Face” is based on this movie.

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

60s Euro high fashion, murder mystery intrigue, surprisingly intense moments that go beyond what American horror was doing at that time. What more could you ask for? If you’re a fan of slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th, I think you’ll find something to love in Blood and Black Lace. The trenchcoat-clad killer is an effective villain, his face obscured by thick white fabric.

Source: Screen Slate

Basically, the murderer is running rampant in an Italian fashion house full of scandal and secrecy. Who is the killer? What’s in the diary? Somebody’s…pregnant??? You’ll have to watch for the answers.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

I mean, c’mon. I can’t make a post about this era without mentioning The Night of the Living Dead, THE movie that launched zombies into pop culture. To be honest, I’m not a huge zombie movie person. I think it’s an especially tropey subgenre of horror (more than the others), you’ve seen one you’ve pretty much seen them all, etc. But as one of the earliest* and most influential titles in this subgenre, Night of the Living Dead still feels fresh and exciting.

Source: The New York Times

A disparate group of people trapped in a house surrounded by the undead, society collapsing beyond the field of bodies. It has been done dozens of times since this movie, but not nearly as well. And the ending? Heart-wrenching. No spoilers, of course.

*The very first zombie film is widely accepted to be White Zombie from 1932. The more you know.

Seconds (1966)

If you could do life over again with a new identity, leave everything behind for a fresh start, would you do it? That’s the big question behind Seconds, a psychological drama that is very, very underappreciated. Oh, and I should clarify: you have to get surgery to alter your face and sign a binding contract to do all that.

Source: Mubi

Arthur hates his life, so through a referral from a long-time friend, he becomes a client of this mysterious company that sells people new names and bodies for $30,000. I know that was a lot in 1966, but wow, what a steal. I paid more to go to college.

This isn’t your usual horror movie; there’s no gore or ghosts. I’d like to call it emotional horror. It’s just really sad, and it makes you do some uncozy self-reflecting as Arthur grapples with his new identity. So well-acted, so gripping. Please check it out.

Jigoku (1960)

Welp, I’ve saved the most insane movie for last. I don’t know how else to explain Jigoku other than three words: Japanese Buddhist Hell. 

The first hour of this movie is a lot of characters and setup for the all-out insanity that is the last 30-ish minutes. When our main character Shiro enters the afterlife, he starts in limbo. There’s a deep black sky, a glowing white river, and ribbons of red and green snaking in the void above. Beautiful in the most haunting way.

Source: The Criterion Collection

Once we get past limbo into Buddhist Hell, AKA Jigoku AKA a concept I didn’t even know existed, shit gets crazy. As our main character Shiro walks deeper into Hell, we’re bombarded with grim, Dante-esque imagery scene after scene after scene. Fields of people wandering aimlessly, sinners being cooked alive in big black cauldrons, other far more gruesome imagery I’ll leave to the imagination.

Jigoku is a feat of film-making, morbidly fascinating and full of impressive special effects for 1960. It’s also insane that it came out around the same time as Psycho. Seriously, this movie makes Psycho look like Scooby-Doo. I’ve also read that it was made by a devout Buddhist, so it’s interesting to see another religion’s version of merciless, eternal punishment. Very fun stuff.

I’m still exploring this decade of horror, and I can’t wait to find more gems. Maybe there’ll be a sequel to this blog in a few months, who knows? If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them!