There are certain movies that can leave a lasting impression and stick with fans for a while after a viewing, haunting viewers with thoughts and fears or mind-bending ideas that hit hard. This is best explored in certain genres like Gothic horror, which is a multi-faceted genre touched on by many authors and filmmakers over the years in different ways.
The focus of Gothic horror is usually on the atmosphere and setting of a particular place or past time period as mysterious and/or supernatural incidents occur that also often crosses over with romance to further inspire emotional reactions in the audience, which has led to a number of different options to explore for fans looking to find a new movie about haunts to haunt them.
Updated October 5, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Gothic horror movies ooze style while typically not neglecting the substance either. From the early days of German Expressionism to recent releases such as Gretel & Hansel and The Eyes of My Mother, there is still a want for horror stories that deal with humanity's inner darkness (with perhaps a hint of romance). With Halloween fast approaching, this is the ideal time to revisit this article and add a few more of the best Gothic horror movies, some of which are bonafide masterpieces of not just the subgenre but film in general.
15 The Black Cat (1934)
A true classic of the horror genre, The Black Cat was a trailblazer for the early '30s. Launching with 1931's Dracula, Universal Classic Monsters movies were in full swing by 1934, and The Black Cat distinguished itself from its predecessors by prioritizing psychological horror.
Highlighting the vengeful and ugly side of people, The Black Cat is very much about humans (and cults) rather than monsters. The film also stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, which is just an unbeatable duo.
Note: Quite a few of the Universal Classic Monsters movies fit the Gothic Horror genre, and a significant percentage of them are great.
14 The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is often cited as the first proper horror film, and it helped define the genre alongside 1922's Nosferatu. Both movies are German Expressionist masterpieces, utilizing unnatural sets, dense shadows, and harsh angles to craft a nightmarish representation of reality.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari tackles themes of death, human experimentation, and conformity, all the while being a plainly frightening experience. Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu are not just for film school.
13 House Of Usher (1960)
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Newcomers to Gothic horror searching for a place to start can turn to Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations for guidance. Starting with 1960's House of Usher and concluding with 1965's The Tomb of Ligeia, Corman produced a series of ambitious projects based on arguably the most famous Gothic writer of all time. Most of them star Vincent Price, the king of horror.
1964's The Masque of the Red Death is fantastic and well worth seeking out, but House of Usher is a more traditional Gothic horror project. While the film doesn't quite capture the haunting imagery of Poe's story, it is still a loving and passionate tribute to the author.
12 The Haunting (1963)
Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House novel has been adapted to movies a few times over the years, though it was only Robert Wise's 1963 The Haunting that managed to capture the haunting Gothic horror of the novel and the genre.
The Haunting took place at Hill House, an oddly constructed manor with a dark past filled with death that led a doctor's investigation into the supernatural alongside a pair of psychic siblings. The design and structure of the film keep fans guessing over the reality of everything happening, further adding to the horror of Hill House.
11 The Others (2001)
Nicole Kidman starred in 2001's The Others from director Alejandro Amenábar as a war-time widow forced to live in the dark in her large mansion while she raised her two light-sensitive children alone with the aid of servants.
However, the struggling family soon begins to experience troubling and terrifying events in the creepy house that make them begin to question their own sanity. The Others features atmospheric tension and a shocking twist ending that has made it a favorite among horror fans.
10 Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Anne Rice's celebrated series of novels has seen a few adaptations that have explored the centuries-spanning story of the vampire Lestat, though Niel Jordan's 1994 adaptation of Interview with the Vampire was the most successful.
Interview with a Vampire followed former plantation owner Louis (Brad Pitt) as he was transformed into a vampire by Lestat (Tom Cruise), leading to a tortured existence of loss and suffering that takes him on a journey around the world over the centuries that extends to the titular present-day interview with a reporter.
9 The Innocents (1961)
A slow-burning psychological horror film, The Innocents just has a way of getting under people's skin. Set on a sprawling estate, Miss Giddens watches over two children, Miles and Flora, who might not be as "innocent" as they seem.
The Innocents drenches its setting in a thick and suffocating sense of dread. The horror elements are sprinkled in meticulously, permitting the fear to organically grow to match Giddens' state of mind. Expertly directed and just as haunting today as it was in the early '60s, The Innocents is a classic.
8 Kill, Baby, Kill (1966)
Legendary Italian director and "Master of the Macabre" Mario Bava directed 1966's Kill, Baby, Kill/Operazione Paura which followed a doctor and a medical student as they investigated a mysterious death of a woman in a superstitious Carpathian village.
They soon discover that the village is cursed by a ghostly young girl as they begin to experience increasingly mind-bending supernatural events at their haunted villa that has made Kill, Baby, Kill a must-watch for fans of both Italian and Gothic horror movies.
7 The Changeling (1980)
Peter Medak directed 1980's The Changeling, which is a masterclass in atmospheric horror that follows a composer (George C. Scott) as he moves to a large Victorian mansion in Seattle following the tragic death of his wife and child.
He begins to experience a number of terrifying events including loud banging and ghostly apparitions that continue to escalate, leading him to hold a seance that helps him begin to unravel the dark mystery of the manor.
6 Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
The literary classic from Bran Stoker has been adapted in a number of different ways over the years, though Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 adaptation not only captured the gothic elements of the original novel, it focused the movie through that darkly romantic lens to great effect.
Gary Oldman wowed audiences with the many transformations of Count Dracula as the movie explored the history of Vlad the Impaler and the ancient vampire set his sights on Victorian London and young Mina Harker.
5 Suspiria (1977)
Who said Gothic horror has to feature a color palette of nothing but harsh blacks? Dario Argento's Suspiria is absurdly vibrant for a horror film, and this aesthetic helps to highlight the otherworldliness of the Tanz Dance Akademie. Although by no means indecipherable, Suspiria's narrative is driven by mood rather than logic, something emphasized through the (stellar) cinematography.
Suspiria's soundtrack by Goblin is also haunting and forceful, a perfect score for the dream-like horror that awaits Suzy in the German dance school.
4 The Orphanage (2007)
Guillermo del Toro produced 2007's The Orphanage/El Orfanato from first-time director J. A. Bayona, who delivered a tense, gothic horror about a woman who reopens the orphanage she grew up in to help disabled children alongside her husband and young son, who begins to play with an imaginary young friend.
The titular orphanage by the sea in Spain was the perfect setting for the taut horror as the new owner of the orphanage begins to encounter the startlingly terrifying masked child that only begins to scratch the surface of The Orphanage's horror.
3 The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's terrifying The Shining is a more modern take on Gothic horror though it successfully checks off the requirements as it follows a man and his family as they spend a winter taking care of the potentially haunted Overlook hotel.
The Torrance family soon began to experience distressing events that appeared to be supernatural, though the movie excels in making both the characters and the viewers question their own sanity as things get worse at the Overlook.
2 Beloved (1998)
Jonathan Demme directed the 1998 adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, which starred Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover as former slaves dealing with the lasting trauma of racial oppression as they explored their history and the ongoing haunting of a tortured ghost (Thandiwe Newton).
Beloved is a haunting Gothic horror for a number of reasons and in a number of ways, as it deals with the unsettling supernatural horror tied to Sethe's personal tragedy and sacrifice that continues to haunt her family, but also the horrors of their time on the plantation that left both mental and physical scars.
1 Crimson Peak (2015)
Guillermo del Toro has become well-known for his use of Gothic horror in his movies that have developed a loyal fanbase over the years, and he further explored the genre with 2015's Crimson Peak starring Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain.
Crimson Peak refers to the nickname of the haunted manor a young author moves to with her husband and his sister, though she soon finds herself haunted by warnings from her deceased mother and the specters of the house itself.