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812 voters

The Best Gothic Horror Movies

Updated November 10, 2020 7.4k votes 812 voters 33.6k views50 items

Gothic horror (also commonly referred to as gothic fiction) is a genre of literature or film that typically combines horror, fiction and romance. The first recorded work of gothic fiction was in 1764 when author Horace Walpole wrote his classic book A Gothic Story. Gothic fiction will pull on a pleasant sense of terror within the emotions and throw in some romantic feelings into the mix. Two other long-standing components of a gothic horror work of art are parody and melodrama. Some of the most well known literary works of art were part of gothic horror, including most of Edgar Allen Poe’s works as well as Mary Shelley’s (hi there, Frankenstein's monster).

This list features the best gothic horror movies, including: Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Devil’s Backbone, Eyes Without a Face, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Haunting, Phantom of the Opera, Hour of the Wolf, and Vampyr.

Vote up your favorite horror flick today, or add a gothic horror film you love that isn't already on the list.

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Frankenstein
Boris Karloff, John Boles
Released: 1931
Directed by: James Whale
Frankenstein is a 1931 horror monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and... more
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Nosferatu
Max Schreck, John Gottowt
Released: 1922
Directed by: F. W. Murnau
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by... more
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The Others
Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston
Released: 2001
Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
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The Haunting
Claire Bloom, Lois Maxwell
Released: 1963
Directed by: Robert Wise
The Haunting is a 1963 British psychological horror film directed and produced by Robert Wise... more
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Bride of Frankenstein
Boris Karloff, Walter Brennan
Released: 1935
Directed by: James Whale
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein. Bride... more
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Dracula
Bela Lugosi, Tod Browning
Released: 1931
Directed by: Tod Browning, Karl Freund
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Sleepy Hollow
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci
Released: 1999
Directed by: Tim Burton
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Rebecca
Laurence Olivier, Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1940
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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The Innocents
Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave
Released: 1961
Directed by: Jack Clayton
The Innocents is a 1961 British supernatural gothic horror film directed and produced by Jack... more
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Bram Stoker's Dracula
Jack Palance, Pamela Brown
Released: 1973
Directed by: Dan Curtis
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The Pit and the Pendulum
Vincent Price, Barbara Steele
Released: 1961
Directed by: Roger Corman
The Pit and the Pendulum is a 1961 horror film directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent... more
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Bette Davis, Joan Crawford
Released: 1962
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
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Suspiria
Joan Bennett, Alida Valli
Released: 1977
Directed by: Dario Argento
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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover
Released: 1920
Directed by: Robert Wiene
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The Masque of the Red Death
Vincent Price, Jane Asher
Released: 1964
Directed by: Roger Corman
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House of Usher
Vincent Price, Mark Damon
Released: 1960
Directed by: Roger Corman
House of Usher is a 1960 American horror film directed by Roger Corman and written by Richard... more
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Fredric March, Wallace Beery
Released: 1931
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
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The Phantom of the Opera
Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry
Released: 1925
Directed by: Lon Chaney, Edward Sedgwick, Rupert Julian, Ernst Laemmle
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Pan's Labyrinth
Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Released: 2006
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
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Carnival of Souls
Reza Badiyi, Herk Harvey
Released: 1962
Directed by: Herk Harvey
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The Orphanage
Geraldine Chaplin, Belén Rueda
Released: 2007
Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona
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Crimson Peak
Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Released: 2015
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
Released: 2007
Directed by: Tim Burton
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Rosemary's Baby
Mia Farrow, Tony Curtis
Released: 1968
Directed by: Roman Polanski
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The Woman in Black
Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds
Released: 2012
Directed by: James Watkins
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