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The Victorian Era is defined as the reign of Queen Victoria from June 20, 1837, to her death on January 22, 1901. Her reign lasted 64 years, and the era in England is defined by a move towards rationalism and breakthroughs in science and medicine leading to an industrial revolution, while the arts embraced romanticism and a push toward the supernatural. This period of time is when classic horror authors like Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louise Stevens, and H.G. Wells were imagining horrors beyond imagination, many of which would become the basis of many feature films.
This era’s push and pull between tradition, as well as the dawning of a new era, makes for an interesting backdrop for horror films. There are plenty of period horror pieces to choose from, and for his list, we will be looking at films set in England during the Victorian Era, so that rules out Sleepy Hollow which takes place in America in 1799, or The Woman in Black which takes place five years after the Victorian Era ended. With all that being said, these are great horror movies set during the Victorian era.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Dracula was published in 1897 and has been the basis for countless films over the last century, from Nosferatu to the iconic Universal monster movie starring Bela Legosi. Yet it was arguably legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 film, fittingly titled Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which stands as the best adaptation.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula embraces its 19th-century setting, from the lustful horror romance being a commentary of sexuality and confinement during the period, to Coppola using old-school visual effects from the early days of cinema when it was beginning to be an art form during the time. The costume work in the film is breathtaking, and costume designer Eiko Ishioka earned her Academy Award for Best Costume design.
Bride of Frankenstein
Released four years after Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein is regarded as the first great movie sequel. The story skews closer to the original Mary Shelley text, featuring a lot of elements from the original novel that the first film cut out, particularly the Monster’s ability to speak and his desire for a mate.
The Bride herself is one of the most iconic characters in cinema history, and even without seeing the film a viewer already knows the image. Director James Whales, who also directed the original Frankenstein and 1933’s The Invisible Man, delivers not just a great horror movie but one of the greatest sequels ever made.
House of Usher
Legendary B-picture director and producer Roger Corman, horror icon Vincent Price, and an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story make House of Usher a winning combination. If hearing the lineup of talent doesn’t entice you, consider that in 2005 the film was listed with the United States National Film Registry as being deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
House of Usher is set during the Victorian Era, but in America. While Edgar Allan Poe was an American author and the story does take place in Boston, Poe’s writing is often so closely associated with Victorian-era horror authors that it feels like a fitting pick for this list.
The Innocents
Based on Henry James’ 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents follows Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), a governess who watches over two children and begins to suspect that not only is the large estate haunted, but the children are possessed by ghosts.
The Innocents is a great psychological horror film and director Jack Clayton along with the incredible work of the cinematographer Freddie Francis creates a haunting, claustrophobic and gothic atmosphere in part by using minimal lighting and deep focus. The Innocents is widely regarded as one of the great horror films, one which helped turn horror into high art, and also served as one of the inspirations for the next film on this list.
Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak in many ways feels like Guillermo del Toro making the Haunted Mansion movie that he was supposed to produce in 2010 but never materialized. Crimson Peak was a long-held passion project of Del Toro that draws from Victorian Era gothic horror in addition to horror films like The Haunting and The Shinning.
Despite an impressive cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam and the breathtakingly creative production design audiences expect from a Del Toro film, the movie sadly bombed at the box office. Yet like many Victorian-Era horror movies, the film has gained a cult following for those looking for a more atmospheric horror movie and Crimson Peak is an underrated modern gem from one of the best directors working today.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
While sadly Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s Sleepy Hollow couldn’t qualify for the list, the duo’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street easily does as the story takes place in 1846. The film adaptation of the popular stage musical by Stephen Sondheim, which itself was based on the character that appeared in penny dreadful stories. Penny dreadfuls were a type of 19th-century British fiction publication with lurid and sensational subject matter that were popular during the Victorian era.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’s gothic atmosphere, over-the-top blood effects, and incredible music make it a must-watch and a great entry in Tim Burton’s lengthy filmography. The film was a box office bomb at the time of its release, but it has generated a cult following like many of Burton’s films.
Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire is another one that is tricky. It has the innate feel of Victorian horror, but the story starts out in 1791 in America and ends in the present day; however, the film does see the characters travel across Europe and a good portion of the final third takes place in 1870 (though it is Paris). Still, that feels like enough to warrant Interview with the Vampire on the list, and with the new series on AMC and the tragic passing of Anne Rice, it feels like a fitting time to check out this 1994 horror movie that took the world by storm.
The movie is so good, that despite hating the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat before the movie was released, Anne Rice eventually came around to the performance and praised the actor. It has been 28 years since Interview with the Vampire opened in theaters and still is worth checking out.
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