We’ve heard it a million times: “Old movies aren’t scary anymore!” Frankenstein — lame. The Blob — corny. Any atomic alien creature — are you serious, we can see the zipper! Back in their prime, these films and monsters were the pinnacle of horror cinema. They represented the fears that everyone had, from people using science for destruction to damned creatures from another world. They were once the terrifying beings that haunted our nightmares. Today, they’re Lon Chaney in cakey plaster and greasepaint.
No matter how much I agree with these statements, they’re simply not entirely true. People look at older films and only see what is presented to them: costumes, early prosthetics, over-acting. They aren’t seeing the story and absorbing the feelings that come with it. The best part of a movie is feeling what someone feels, monster, or victim, and the discovery of a new idea or thought or fear that you’ve never dealt with before. You understand the torment and darkness that comes with the bad lighting and bad dubbing. Their moods begin to shine, just as much as they did in their release.
Let’s take one of the most famous horror movies of all time: Nosferatu (1920, F. W. Murnau). We have a black and white silent film about the titular vampire Count Orlok (aka illegal Dracula). Already we have lost the modern audience; color is a joy to see and we don’t have time to read subtitles. But take a closer look at this undead monster. We have a creature with looks as haunting as 20s makeup and film can appear — which is considerably frightening even by today’s standards. We have music that lets your mind do the talking if you’re not into reading subtitles; in the same way that not seeing the monster makes your mind create a scarier one, not hearing dialog can have that same type of effect on creating a scarier situation. Limited technology made movement a horrifying ordeal, with inhuman expressions and jerky motions throughout the entire film. And no one can forget the ageless story of a blood-sucking abomination making its way through society, crossing oceans and mountains just to get to you. Nothing in this world will satisfy its craving for blood until his teeth are thrust into your neck. There’s a reason this story is timeless — like the vampire itself, Nosferatu, Dracula, and every rendition in between speak to our reptile brains and tell us to avoid the night, avoid death where it is warned, and avoid the creatures that hide in the night.
But still we have a high school popularity contest between old blood and new blood. Of course, there are people like me who thrive on movies no matter the year, but it’s almost seen as uncool if you allow yourself to be scared by, let’s say, 1932’s The Old Dark House. It’s like we forget that the modern movies we see today will turn into those “old” movies in less time than we think. Veronica, claimed to be one of the scariest “based on a true story” religious-supernatural films will be just another The Exorcist; the effects are good, but do we really believe in demons anymore? Krampus probably won’t even be considered horror in 50 years for its jolly take on Yule monsters and comedy richness. The Visit will have its twist ending ruined by memes, just like The Sixth Sense. Entire universes like The Conjuring, The Purge, Saw, and Insidious will be compared to series from the 70s and 80s — they won’t be watched for scariness, but rather for saying someone watched every film in the timeline. In reality, very few films are privileged enough to be in a group that never falters in popularity or gains cult status over the years.
And why is that? Well, it has to do with a lot of factors.
- Societal relevance: we once thought Earth was flat and that ships could fall off the edge of the ocean. Now that we’ve been to space and have a generally good understanding of the universe, going down what is essentially a waterfall is a piece of cake. It’s the same with atomic weapons, most diseases, and monsters — our understanding and knowledge of the world raises us above fear.
- Technology: we’ve come a long way from phonographs and the first film cameras. The same can be said for special effects and makeup. With every technological advancement we get closer and closer to realism where, at this point, we have to worry about the uncanny valley peeking through. We are in an age where good computer work and lighting make it hard to differentiate between a person and a robot.
- Over saturation: the sheer amount of films available at the press of a button, in your own home, and oftentimes for free is utterly astounding. But this comes at a cost; there is such a thing as desensitization, and too many movies allows us to become complacent and bored. This is especially true with movies that have similar plots (e.g., slashers, haunted house, remakes or connected universes).
- Plain ol’ arrogance: with most people on the planet having access to a couple friends and a camera phone, you can make yourself a movie that could put you on the fast track to becoming a millionaire overnight. Unfortunately, we as people have learned to ignore the labor and love in what we see and think only of how you could “do it better.” We don’t experience and we don’t feel. We only profit.
It doesn’t have to be like this. There’s always a new world problem that we don’t know how to fix. There’s always a quality about older films that adds an effect no amount of tech can recreate. And there is always someone willing to take an idea to the next level. The beauty in older movies is their duality. On one hand, they will stand the test of time — a monument to man’s progress in storytelling. On the other they’re masterpieces that add a new shadow, a new eeriness, a new fright to every viewing. Older movies are to be appreciated just as aged wines; you take the time to enjoy their taste as much as their history.
Because horror movies are never just movies, they’re souls with a story to tell. Jigsaw might not reach you through the screen, but Nosferatu always will.
