When I was 4 my parents took me to see The Million Dollar Duck at the drive-in theater. Just the three of us. I had on my PJs, I had a blanket and a pillow, and when the duck movie was over I fell asleep. My parents took the opportunity to dive over to another movie while I “slept”. Only, unbeknownst to them I woke up and watched my very first horror movie. It was The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and it scared the living shit out of me! I never forgot that film, and although it’s a great film, I would probably like it more if it hadn’t scarred me for life.
I honestly can’t remember when I went from being too scared not to watch to wanting to watch horror films, but it happened. At some point after that night at the drive-in, it happened and I’m glad it did. Horror films, especially in the 80s, were a huge part of my life. Below is a list of my favorite 11 horror films that were released in the USA between 1960 and 1990. Why? Because growing up in the 70s when old horror was shown on TV (Bob Wilkins Creature Feature!) and as a young adult in the 80s with a VCR I watched a lot of horror films on my TV. After that, I just wasn’t that into movies or tv. That’s not to say I don’t still love horror because I do. I’ve also seen plenty of good horror films post 90s, but you have to draw the line someplace right? Well, I drew the line out of 111 films, which I whittled down from like 400. Again, you have to draw the line someplace! Check it out, if you’re looking for some vintage recommended horror.
My Top 11 Horror Films in Order
- Hellraiser
- The Evil Dead
- A Nightmare on Elm Street
- The Thing
- Poltergeist
- Puppet Master
- Pet Sematary
- Re-Animator
- Fright Night
- The Gate
- House
All of the films from my top 11 are on my big list of 111, the link is below…