10 Black & White Monster Movies With Legitimate Scares

What classic monster movies lack in color or excessive effects, they more than make up for in shock, scares, and unsettling imagery. If anything, the stark and contrasting visuals of the black and white film only accentuate the details, painting them in a more unnatural and uncanny light.

It’s a practice even some modern horror films have adapted, proving that the traditional methods never go out of style. While some in this vein might have slipped into campy territory, there are several films that prove color isn’t required for unforgettable fear.

10 The Thing From Another World

It’s the film that inspired John Carpenter’s The Thing and while it’s monster effects might not be what one would call terrifying, the idea of a constantly growing, constantly changing, constantly evolving scientific threat was a very real thing during the time of the cold war.

The alien creature itself might bear a strange resemblance to Frankenstein’s monster, but the threat of a radioactive weapon was all too real on this film first released. “Watch the skies…”

9 The Mummy

It might be a stretch to call this film terrifying, but the original mummy was no doubt unsettling. The flashback where Imhotep is mummified alive followed by the impalings of the Egyptians who buried him would more than likely get a huge PG-13 or R rating had the MPAA existed in 1931.

Not to mention that Boris Karloff gives the audience a hypnotic and eerie performance as the undead sorcerer. It’s certainly more verbose than his previous role as Frankenstein’s monster.

8 The Man Who Laughs

A silent film this one might be, but the imagery is none the less disturbing and frightening. Although Gwynplaine’s tale is reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera, it starts much more brutal as he brutally disfigured as a child so that his face is struck with a permanent rictus grin.

While he finds his place and falls in love while at a circus freak show, his image isn’t exactly what one would call inviting.

7 Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Where The Thing from Another World played on the audience’s fear of nuclear war, Invasion of the Body Snatchers played on their fear of communism to get audiences feeling uneasy. Even with that factor taken out of the equation, the film is still a bit unnerving.

Knowing that any character in the movie could be a mutated pod person from another planet definitely helps sell that never-ending air of suspicion.

6 The Creature From the Black Lagoon

When one takes of universal monsters, jump-scares are not usually one of the first things to come to mind. Creature from the Black Lagoon not only delivers on having one of the most incredible looking monsters, but also a decent handful of scares.

Like creatures like the Mummy, Dracula, or Frankenstein’s monster, the Gill Man is a predator and cannot be reasoned with by logic or romance. He’s an animal, making him much more of a challenge to escape.

5 Night of the Living Dead

George Romero’s  Night of the Living Dead was the indie darling of its day. It was an underground horror flick that took audiences by storm. To this day, it is regarded as one of the most revolutionary films in the zombie genre.

Despite lacking the guts and gore of its modern contemporaries, Night of the Living Dead still has an unpleasant uneasiness to it. It’s a waiting game as the zombies get closer and closer to the farmhouse before help arrives.

4 Nosferatu

While Count Orlok might not be as famous as his Transylvanian counterpart, the star of Nosferatu practically began the Vampire movie genre. What earns this film a spot on the list is the almost supernatural performance of Max Schreck as the titular vampire.

There’s just something uncanny about Orlock’s appearance, movement, and presence that is no doubt nightmare-inducing. Fans of this monstrous icon should also check out the Klaus Kinski version for an extra dose of eerie.

3 Village of the Damned

Evil children will always be scary, whether they have supernatural abilities or not. However, the glowing-eyed munchkins from Village of the Damned are an exceptionally creepy crop of kids. Even with the black and white footage, the otherworldly evil of the characters burns right through the screen.

A sci-fi classic this feature might be, but there’s no shaking off the willies that come from locking eyes with these unnatural urchins.

2 The Lighthouse

The only modern entry on this list, but one that simply couldn’t be left off thanks to its nautical nightmares and eldritch horrors. Whether the tentacled terrors or monstrous mermaids were real is up for debate, but one thing that was certain was how the lack of color made the visuals absolutely rip themselves from the screen.

A triumph for both Robert Pattinson and Willem DeFoe’s careers, both give harrowing and haunting performances in this sea-worthy scarefest.

1 Haxan

To describe this film is a challenge in itself. Haxan isn’t exactly a solid film, more like a series of scenes cobbled together. But the scenes that are cobbled together are nothing short of a hellish nightmare viewers will want to wake themselves from.

Scenes of demonic bacchanals, witches’ sabbaths, and depictions of hell and damnation. Even some die-hard horror fans might raise an eyebrow at this sinister silent flick.

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