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The Best '40s Horror Movies

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List RulesVote up your favorite horror films that were released in the 1940s

The horror films of the 1940s are replete with classic horror characters; terrifying figures that have embedded themselves firmly in the cultural consciousness. In a climate of growing international tension, it’s no surprise that countless horror films were produced in the ‘40s, giving voice to the undefined fears and anxiety gripping the world’s population.

So what are the best 1940s horror movies? Dracula, Frankenstein, and zombies, some of the most famous movie monsters ever, appear in numerous films in the decade. On this list you will find I Walked with a Zombie, starring Boris Karloff, the legendary horror actor. Karloff also stars in The Body Catcher, and he reprises his role as the original silver screen Frankenstein in House of Frankenstein. Another iconic horror actor can also be found on this list of the greatest 1940s horror moves: Bela Lugosi. Lugosi played Dracula in the first movie version of the classic tale, and in the ‘40s he appeared in horror classics such as The Wolf Man.

On this list you’ll find a dash of horror comedy. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein pit the famous comedy duo against formidable actors Lugosi as well as Lon Chaney, Jr. Vote up the best horror films of the 1940s, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.

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The Wolf Man
Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains
Released: 1941
Directed by: George Waggner
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American drama horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as a werewolf named "The Wolf Man" and features... more
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The Lodger
George Sanders, Merle Oberon
Released: 1944
Directed by: John Brahm
The Lodger is a 1944 horror film about Jack the Ripper, based on the novel of the same name by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It stars Merle Oberon, George Sanders and Laird Cregar, features Sir Cedric... more
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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1948
Directed by: Charles Barton
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein, or Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein —although the film is usually referred to as simply Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein—is a 1948... more
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner
Released: 1941
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1941 horror film starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner. Rather than being a new film version of the novel, it is a direct remake of the 1931 film of the... more
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Black Friday
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1940
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Black Friday is a 1940 American science fiction film starring Boris Karloff. Béla Lugosi, although second-billed, has only a small part in the film and does not appear with Karloff. Writer Curt... more
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The Curse of the Cat People
Simone Simon, Jane Randolph
Released: 1944
Directed by: Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise
The Curse of the Cat People is a 1944 film directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise, and produced by Val Lewton. This film, which was then-film editor Robert Wise's first directing credit, is... more
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Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney
Released: 1943
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster.... more
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Cat People
Alan Napier, Simone Simon
Released: 1942
Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
Cat People is a 1942 horror film produced by Val Lewton and directed by Jacques Tourneur. DeWitt Bodeen wrote the original screenplay which was based on Val Lewton's short story The Bagheeta... more
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The Ghost of Frankenstein
Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney
Released: 1942
Directed by: Erle C. Kenton
The Ghost of Frankenstein, is an American monster horror film released in 1942. The movie is the fourth in a series of films produced by Universal Studios based upon characters in Mary Shelley's... more
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I Walked with a Zombie
Boris Karloff, Frances Dee
Released: 1943
Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
I Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It was the second horror film from producer Val Lewton for RKO Pictures.... more

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The Uninvited
Ray Milland, Gail Russell
Released: 1944
Directed by: Lewis Allen
The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural mystery/romance directed by Lewis Allen in his feature film debut. It is based on the Dorothy Macardle novel Uneasy Freehold. The film stars Ray Milland,... more
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed
Released: 1945
Directed by: Albert Lewin
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin... more
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Phantom of the Opera
Claude Rains, Hume Cronyn
Released: 1943
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
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David and Jade, a young couple, are consumed by their feelings for each other. With the toll its taking on her schoolwork, Jade's father eventually bans David from seeing her. This devastates David... more
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The Body Snatcher
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1945
Directed by: Robert Wise
The Body Snatcher is a 1945 horror film directed by Robert Wise based on the short story The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the... more
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House of Dracula
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Released: 1945
Directed by: Erle C. Kenton
House of Dracula is an American horror film released by Universal Pictures Company in 1945. It was a direct sequel to House of Frankenstein and continued the theme of combining Universal's three most... more
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Dr. Cyclops
Albert Dekker, Paul Fix
Released: 1940
Directed by: Ernest B. Schoedsack
Dr. Cyclops is a 1940 American science fiction horror film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Thomas Coley, Victor Kilian, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, Frank Yaconelli, and Albert Dekker,... more
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The Ghost Breakers
Bob Hope, Anthony Quinn
Released: 1940
Directed by: George Marshall
The Ghost Breakers 1940 is a comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The film was adapted by Walter DeLeon from the play The Ghost Breaker by Paul Dickey... more
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The Black Cat
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1934
Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer
Not to be confused with the 1941 version also featuring Bela Lugosi. The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. The picture was the first... more
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Invisible Ghost
Bela Lugosi, Clarence Muse
Released: 1941
Directed by: Joseph H. Lewis
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Invisible Ghost is a horror film starring Bela Lugosi, shot in black and white, and directed by Joseph H. Lewis.... more
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The Devil Bat
Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren
Released: 1940
Directed by: Jean Yarbrough
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The Devil Bat is a black-and-white comedy-horror movie produced by Producers Releasing Corporation and directed by Jean Yarbrough. The film stars horror actor Bela Lugosi, along with Suzanne Kaaren,... more

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Dead of Night
Michael Redgrave, Googie Withers
Released: 1945
Directed by: Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton, Alberto Cavalcanti, Robert Hamer
This film is a British portmanteau horror film made by Ealing Studios; the individual stories were directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film stars... more
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House of Frankenstein
Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney
Released: 1944
Directed by: Erle C. Kenton
House of Frankenstein is an American monster horror film starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr., directed by Erle C. Kenton, written by Curt Siodmak, and produced in 1944 by Universal Studios as... more
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The Mummy's Tomb
Lon Chaney Jr., Elyse Knox
Released: 1942
Directed by: Harold Young
The Mummy's Tomb is the 1942 horror film sequel to The Mummy's Hand. Lon Chaney, Jr. disliked the role of Kharis the mummy. Make-up artist Jack Pierce spent up to eight hours to wrap Chaney. A rubber... more
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The Spider Woman
Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard
Released: 1944
Directed by: Roy William Neill, Victor Fleming
The Spider Woman is a 1944 mystery film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the seventh of fourteen such films the pair were involved in. As with all of the... more
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The Beast with Five Fingers
Peter Lorre, Robert Alda
Released: 1946
Directed by: Robert Florey
The Beast with Five Fingers is a horror film directed by Robert Florey and with a screenplay by Curt Siodmak, based on a short story by W. F. Harvey first published in the New Decameron. The original... more