Top 10 Beautifully Shot Horror Movies

So recently I have been listening to a lot of FHP (FearShop Horror Podcast) and while listening to Mike and Frank talk back and forth I noticed that Mike has an eye for ‘beautifully shot films.’ Frank, however, seems to not care as much about the look of the film but rather the entertainment value. So, I approached Mike and asked him if he would be interested in writing a little piece for me on his top ten beautifully shot horror movies.

Top Ten Beautifully Shot Horror Movies
By FearShop Mike (Owner of www.FearShop.com and host of the FearShop.com Horror Podcast)

Some movies capture you early on and leave you staring at the screen mesmerized by its beauty. These movies are sometimes littered with flaws, but you can see past these flaws and love it for its beauty. Here are ten films that I think are just beautiful. Keep in mind, this is not my top ten movies by any means, but if you want beauty, look no further.

10. Twitch of the Death Nerve (Bay of Blood) (Mario Bava, 1971)
Hundreds of movies stole entire scenes and the slasher film formula off of this classic, making this not only one of Bava’s most bloody and beautiful films, but also one of his most influential. Check it out and see entire scenes that were copied in Friday the 13th.

9. Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1960)
Such a macabre and surreal story that was never really meant to be a horror story, but more so a tale of anguish. This was French horror before it was cool to be French horror.

8. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
The Shining is normally on a lot of top ten lists of horror movies, but for some reason, it gets no love for its beauty. While this is probably my favorite movie on this list,

7. Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)
I shutter to put Antichrist on this list because I worry that people who may not know about it may want to see it. One thing that I can guarantee is that you will only ever see it once. With that begin said, it is art at its best in the genre.

6. Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) (Michele Soavi, 1994)
It is very hard to say that this movie is more beautiful than Anna Falchi (She), but as hot as she is in this movie, the movie really is shot beautifully. Michele Soavi was a protege of Dario Argento and it shows with this masterpiece. The plot of the film is relatively simple, but it is done so well.

5. Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Werner Herzog, 1979)
Klaus Kinski plays Dracula wonderfully bringing sympathy to the role of such a wonderful character. I honestly think that you have to put Kinski in the conversation of best Dracula performers with Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee.


4. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (David Lee Fisher, 2005)
This is one of the finer horror remakes out there. Of course, the original is a classic, but I actually prefer this remake. Shot entirely on green screen, they were able to reuse many of the original movie’s backgrounds while add some new camera angle. This was a true labor of love.

3. Subspecies (Ted Nicolaou, 1991)
Anders Hove, as the villainous Radu, is the type of fiendish demonic monster that all vampires should be. Filmed in the city of Bucharest and the Transylvania region of Romania, Subspecies was one of the first films shot in post-Soviet Romania and many of the locations would go on to be used in a number of Full Moon productions.

2. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
This seems like the obvious choice for number one, but I am rarely one to go with the mainstream. It is a beautifully crafted tale of friendship and love told from the viewpoint of a little boy and his new female vampire friend. It is a unique take on vampires and young relationships.

1. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
Suspiria earned director Dario Argento the title of master of horror, one he proudly holds to this day. The film really is fine art. It is visceral, powerful and beautiful. It really is everything that makes a horror movie horror."