Best 1950s Horror Movies From America

The 1950s were a highly influential and innovative time for cinema during which some of the most iconic and notable horror flicks made their debuts. A plethora of Hollywood’s greatest movie monsters and villains shined during this dazzling period, from the Amazon River-dwelling Creature from the Black Lagoon to the terrifying plant-like aliens known as “pod people,” and of course the menacing Vincent Price in a delightful assortment of nefarious roles.

The ‘50s utilized various techniques and methods to present these classic pictures, like the gimmicky 3-D films and CinemaScope, and sci-fi and horror was beautifully blended together to deliver thrills and chills for audiences across the country. 1950s horror films also tended to utilize allegory more than ever before, with many films subtly commenting on Communism, McCarthyism, conformity, the nuclear age, and the Korean War. Celebrated staples such as The Fly, House on Haunted Hill, and The Blob were just a few of the knockout masterpieces that premiered during the remarkable period in Tinseltown. Let’s take a look at some of the best horror movies from the ‘50s.

8 House of Wax

Horror icon and cinema legend Vincent Price stars as a disfigured sculptor on a demented, murderous rampage in 1953’s House of Wax, which follows artist and wax museum owner Henry Jarrod as he steals corpses from the morgue and kills unsuspecting people in order to display their wax-coated bodies.

The chilling picture was the first American color 3D feature film and was a massive hit for both Warner Bros. and Price, with the actor taking on further notable villainous roles throughout the decade like in The Fly and House on Haunted Hill. Despite an initial mixed bag response, House of Wax has been retrospectively deemed a triumph in the horror genre and helped revitalize Price’s cinematic career.

7 The Thing from Another World

Based on the John W. Campbell Jr. sci-fi horror novella “Who Goes There?,” the 1951 flick The Thing from Another World centers on a group of U.S. Air Force scientists in a remote Alaskan outpost who stumble upon a terrifying humanoid in the Arctic that accidentally becomes defrosted, causing them to fight for their lives.

Many critics believed the film featured commentary on the menace of Communism throughout the Cold War in America while also addressing the skepticism regarding the science field following Hiroshima in 1945. Master of horror John Carpenter remade the novella in 1982 with The Thing, and paid homage to The Thing from Another World in his more faithful adaptation.

6 The Blob

Silver screen stud and the “King of Cool” himself Steve McQueen made his feature film debut in a leading role in the 1958 sci-fi horror The Blob, telling the fun story of a predatory amoeboid alien who terrorizes the citizens of a small Pennsylvania town, growing bigger and bigger as it consumes everything in its path (in a metaphor which could be applied to many things, from consumerism to communism).

The iconic classic was said to be inspired by the discovery of star jelly in the aforementioned state in 1950, leading to the picture’s monster being amusingly referred to as “the blob.” Moviegoers couldn’t get enough of the spine-tingling yet delightfully cheesy B-movie, with its popularity eventually leading to a 1972 sequel, along with a wickedly nasty 1988 Blob remake.

5 A Bucket of Blood

Independent film trailblazer Roger Corman directed the 1959 comedy horror A Bucket of Blood, delivering a darkly comic satire that paid homage to low-budget 1950s teenage films. In the tongue-in-cheek picture, an impressionable busboy and gifted sculptor (Dick Miller) working at a beatnik café accidentally kills the cat belonging to his nosy landlady, causing the artist to spiral and become a murderer in the name of his craft.

Upon the movie’s release and subsequent success, Corman would go on to once again collaborate with writer Charles B. Griffith in two more comedy-infused projects: The Little Shop of Horrors and Creature from the Haunted Sea, both of which brilliantly blended horror with humor.

4 Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Adapted from the Jack Finney sci-fi novel of the same name, 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers chronicles an extraterrestrial invasion in a fictional California town, where plant-like aliens known as “pod people” become identical copies of humans that are devoid of all emotions. Local psychiatrist Dr. Miles Bennell discovers the horrific invasion and bans together with fellow citizens to try and stop the sinister takeover.

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Many reviewers of the horror staple believe its filmmakers set out to address the dangers of McCarthyism that ran rampant throughout the decade, while others felt it was an allegory over a lack of individualism during the Soviet War. The celebrated picture has since been remade three times, most notably with 1978’s Donald Sutherland-led adaptation.

3 Creature from the Black Lagoon

Featuring one of the most distinguishable and influential movie monsters from the horror genre, the 1954 black-and-white 3D masterpiece Creature from the Black Lagoon follows a group of scientists on a geology expedition in the Amazon where they encounter a piscine amphibious humanoid known as the Gill-man. The creature may not have the best special effects, but the story and cinematography is excellent, and there’s a kind of pathos attached to the monster that has inspired everything from Marilyn Monroe (“it just wanted to be loved,” she says in The Seven-Year Itch) to The Shape of Water.

The celebrated Universal Pictures classic was inspired by the myth regarding half-fish, half-human creatures that dwell in the Amazon River, with the monster’s appearance conceptualized by Disney animator Milicent Patrick with the help of make-up artist Bud Westmore. Creature from the Black Lagoon went on to have a massive impact on pop culture and helped shape the face of future monster movies.

2 House on Haunted Hill

Vincent Price once again headlined a revered ’50s horror staple when he portrayed the peculiar millionaire Frederick Loren in 1959’s House on Haunted Hill, which depicts the chill-inducing night five strangers experience after being invited to survive an evening in an allegedly haunted house for a $10,000 reward.

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Directed by William Castle, the spooky picture was a massive hit with audiences, in large part due to its use of a savvy promotional gimmick utilized in many theaters; during a pivotal scene late in the film, a plastic skeleton was flown over the heads of moviegoers (much to both their terror and delight). Alfred Hitchcock was so impressed by House on Haunted Hill‘s performance that he set out to make his own low-budget horror film: 1960’s Psycho.

1 The Fly

Telling the grim tale of a brilliant scientist’s grotesque transformation into a disturbing fly-like creature after an experiment goes awry, the 1958 sci-fi horror flick The Fly stars Al Hedison as the unfortunate expert who races against the clock to find a cure for his grisly ailment, turning to his wife for help in his desperate crusade. It’s a surprisingly sad, emotional film that encapsulates the decade’s obsession with new science, the loneliness inherent in suburban life, and the existential dread of death and annihilation on a fluke. Plus, it’s still visually gorgeous to look at.

Adapted from George Langelaan’s short story in Playboy, the film included the additional talents of Patricia Owens and Vincent Price, with the latter actor firmly cementing his status as a prominent horror star with his role; Price retrospectively expressed, “I thought The Fly was a wonderful film–entertaining and great fun.” In 1986, esteemed director David Cronenberg remade The Fly with Jeff Goldblum, winning an Academy Award for Best Makeup in the process.