Classic Eurohorrors: The Good and Bad

[Ticonderoga 64]

From the '50's through late '70's-early '80's, some truly noteworthy films came by way of European directors and producers such as Mario Bava, Paul Naschy, Amando DeOssorio, Jean Rollin, Leon Klimovsky, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, to name a few. Often overlooked when classics of the horror film are discussed, there are more than a handful of great takes to be had in this genre, sometimes showing a bit more imagination than their American and UK counterparts of the era.

Yes, there are some awful ones to be found here as well, as with any such grouping, however, even when at their worst, some of these films had a particular charm due to exploitation or other factors.

Which films of the classic Eurohorror era do you enjoy? Which ones just dont do it for you?


Some particular favorites of mine include:

Caltiki the Immortal Monster
Black Sunday
The Awful Dr.Orloff
Blood and Black Lace
Black Sabbath
Planet Of the Vampires
The Long Hair Of Death
Lady Frankenstein
Mark Of the Devil
Assignment Terror
Horror Rises From the Tomb
The Devil's Nightmare
Tombs Of the Blind Dead
Blue Eyes Of the Broken Doll
The Loriley's Grasp
Baron Blood


Your selections and comments would be appreciated!

[Alex]

Demons & Demons 2. I thought more could have been done with the sequel and the idea of a city overrun by demons being walled off from the rest of the world.

[zombie no.one]

Tenebrae
Lizard In A Woman's Skin
Spasmo
Eyeball
New York Ripper
What Have You Done To Solange?

giallo is a very erratic genre in terms of quality control. most of them seem to be hampered by bad acting and bad dubbing to some extent... but I can dig that. I genuinely enjoy all the above, despite their flaws.

I tend to enjoy less the supernatural themed ones, as a rule

[RCMerchant]

.NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965) is a great Barbara Steele shocker;with a haunting theme song too.

.the BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965) is stupid fun. And if you take a shot of booze every time Mickey Hargitay screams -"the Crimson Executioner!", you will get hammered. 

. The HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND (1959) is a personal favorite if for no other reason than the busty half nekkid goils! 

Oh yeah- and the goofy monsters!

http://youtu.be/c1wBOF1aeOI

[Ticonderoga 64]

Two particular favorites of mine:

THE MUMMY'S REVENGE(1973) with Paul Naschy as the undead Amenhotep who controls his descendant(also Naschy) and his gorgeous girlfriend to aid him in the resurrection of his dead mistress.

NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS(1974) Amando DeOssorio produced this tale of a demonic leopard women cult who add new hotties to their following through human sacrifice

http://youtu.be/YdPATFBieR0

[zombie no.one]

the BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965) is stupid fun. And if you take a shot of booze every time Mickey Hargitay screams -"the Crimson Executioner!", you will get hammered. 

yes I like this one. "stupid fun" just about sums it up :)

[316zombie]

although i'm not a huge guts& gore fan, i love the old eurohorror stuff because there's an actual story there, unlike today's torture porn garbage. and frankly, some of the effects are hysterically funny, lol!

[RCMerchant]

I would also like to add...

.the VAMPIRE AND THE BALLARINA (1960) Beyond it's expliotive title, this is a fine,atmospheric film.

.the WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971) My favorite Paul Naschy werewolf movie.

.FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1969) aka MALENKA- I don't know why. Perhaps because of the busty vampires, mebbe?

.KILL,BABY,KILL (1966) My favorite Bava film. Beautiful photography, creepy atmosphere, and dreamy music. It's like the cover of Black Sabbath's first album come to life.

.BURIAL GROUND:NIGHTS OF TERROR (1980)  Gory, goofy, scary...and starring my friend and yours, precious Micheal.

http://youtu.be/VOOwXX-uuso

[Ticonderoga 64]

A few more:


EYES WITHOUT A FACE(1960)..classic French offering featuring a mad doctor who removes womens' faces as a substitute for his daughter's own disfigured visage.

THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT(1973)..a lady vampire lures travelers to her castle where she uses the Ring of the Niebelung to drain them of their lives.

NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS(!975)..death cult of undead Knights' Templars sacrifices girls in a seaside village until a doctor and his wife become involved. Last of the Blind Dead series.

[The Burgomaster]

Just about anything starring Paul Naschy or directed by Dario Argento or Mario Bava.

[Svengoolie 3]

Planet of the vampires is utterly excellent.

X the unknown was fairly good.

The night caller was a good sf horror movie.

Quatermass and the pit was one of the best.

Horror express was pretty good.

Day of the triffids was top notch.

[zombie no.one]

TERROR EXPRESS  is on my to-watch list. anyone seen it?

btw the blu-ray release of Argento's TENEBRAE is amazing, the vibrancy of the colours stands out way more than it did on previous versions I've seen. all about the neon blue/pink/yellows... SUSPERIA was more about the accentualed greens and reds

[RCMerchant]

TERROR EXPRESS  is on my to-watch list. anyone seen it?

Do you mean HORROR EXPRESS? With Lee and Cushing and Telly Savalas?

I like this exchange-when the Inspector is questioning Lee and Cushing-

Inspector -" But what if one of you is the monster?"

Lee-" Monster? We're British, you know."

Being the 2 are famous for their horror roles, it struck me as funny.

[Trevor]

.NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965) is a great Barbara Steele shocker;with a haunting theme song too.]

My sister bought this one for me in a box set which she found in Kabul of all places. 

[voltron]

The Bloodstained Shadow
Don't Torture A Duckling
The House With Laugihng Windows
Thumbs up to RC for Burial Ground!