Horror cinema in the 1940s was a time in which audiences were introduced to frightening figures like the Wolf Man, mad doctors, and the undead, as Universal Monsters paved way to weirder, more iconoclastic films. The genre saw a continued rise in popularity and a second wind at the dawn of the decade, with familiar faces like Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi remaining horror staples. Revered producer and screenwriter Val Newton would go on to completely dominate the chilling film style, becoming the driving force behind influential hits like Cat People, The Body Snatcher, and Isle of the Dead.
Celebrated silver screen star Spencer Tracy was phenomenal in a dual performance in the thrilling Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, while moviegoers were on the edge of their seats when they watched the ominous haunted house juggernaut The Uninvited. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best horror movies of the 1940s.
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8 I Walked with a Zombie
RKO Radio Pictures
In Jacques Tourneur’s 1943 ominous horror film I Walked with a Zombie, nurse Betsy Connell (France Dee) finds herself in a waking nightmare in the Caribbean after agreeing to help take care of the ill wife of a sugar plantation owner; the young woman makes the chilling realization that the dead may inhabit the island after encountering a powerful voodoo priest.
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Based on Inez Wallace’s article of the same name, the picture is notable for its more realistic depiction of Haitian Vodou and for addressing themes like racism and slavery. Though initial responses to I Walked with a Zombie were mixed, it has since been regarded as a horror masterpiece due to its exceptional storytelling and foreboding atmosphere, along with being one of the earliest zombie movies (alongside White Zombie).
7 Cat People
RKO Radio Pictures
Simone Simon portrays a newly married Serbian woman who fears she will transform into a feline/human hybrid if she becomes intimate with her new husband in the influential 1942 picture Cat People. Irena Dubrovna becomes convinced she is a direct descendant from an ancient tribe of black panthers and her fears of being cursed are tragically confirmed when she suspects her husband has been unfaithful.
The jump scare is believed to have made its debut in the film, when editor and producer Mark Robson created mounting tension by focusing on Irena stalking a woman walking alone in a deserted street, only to frighten audiences when a bus suddenly enters the frame with a jarring loud noise. Cat People went on to heavily influence the horror genre in future decades, with the haunting atmosphere and afflicted female trope being utilized. Paul Schrader would later remake the film to atmospheric effect in the 1980s, starring Natassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, and Ed Begley Jr.
6 The Body Snatcher
Horror cinema legends Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi joined terrifying forces in 1945’s The Body Snatcher, an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson short story that follows a brilliant but cutthroat doctor and his prized pupil as they are terrorized by their deranged, illegal cadaver suppliers.
The film was the eighth and final silver screen collaboration between Karloff and Lugosi, who had both previously been the leading horror stars at Universal Pictures with their iconic portrayals of movie monsters Frankenstein and Dracula. Karloff was right at home in his creepy portrayal of the menacing graverobber, once again delivering a lauded and thrilling performance.
5 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Loew's, Inc.
Beloved classic Hollywood star Spencer Tracy helped bring Robert Louis Stevenson’s thrilling gothic novella to life with dual roles in 1941’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, appearing as the gentle and respected Dr. Jekyll who, after creating a serum to test the good and evil in people, unwittingly unleashes his violent alter ego Mr. Hyde on London.
Featuring screen sirens Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner, the Victor Fleming directed picture was the second movie adaptation of Stevenson’s work following the acclaimed 1931 version. Both Tracy and Bergman were praised for their riveting performances in the pulse-pounding picture, with the latter being singled out for nailing a more gritty and dark role.
4 Isle of the Dead
Boris Karloff once again headlined a classic horror hit in 1945’s Isle of the Dead, in which he portrays respected General Pherides who during the Balkan Wars of 1912 travels to the titular small island to visit the grave of his deceased wife; when a plague breaks out, Pherides and other visitors are forced to remain on the Greek island and wait out the sickness.
While quarantining, both the superstitious locals and foreigners begin to suspect a vampiric demon is running rampant, causing mass panic to spread. The film was a critical and commercial hit upon its release and was a knockout in the horror genre, with director Martin Scorsese later placing Isle of the Dead on his list of scariest horror movies of all time.
3 The Picture of Dorian Gray
Loew's Inc.
Hurd Hatfield takes on the iconic role of the doomed eponymous character in 1945’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on revered playwright Oscar Wilde’s novel of the same name that centers on the handsome aristocrat who sells his soul to remain youthful, with his portrait aging and recording his transgressions.
The Oscar-winning adaptation features the additional talents of famed stars like Angela Lansbury and George Sanders, chronicling Gray’s descent into madness and mayhem as he struggles to keep his sinful ways at bay. The memorable painting of Gray featured in the beginning of the film was sold at Christie’s, New York to a private collector for an impressive $149,000.
2 The Uninvited
Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Lauded for its use of supernatural elements and a foreboding atmosphere, Lewis Allen’s 1944 horror film The Uninvited tells the chilling tale of brother and sister Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald who, after purchasing an abandoned seaside home in Cornwall, begin to suspect the estate is haunted by frightening paranormal entities. Alfred Hitchcock was initially attached to direct the spooky picture, and although he was unable to work on the project gave the filmmakers advice on bringing the Dorothy Macardle story to life.
The Uninvited was one of the highest grossing movies of the year and was a trailblazer in the haunted house genre, with The Nerdist retrospectively writing, “It’s not just the story that makes The Uninvited so memorable. It’s the look and feel, the perfect way it captures encroaching dread, and the ghostly apparitions that take the film to the next level.”
1 The Wolf Man
Universal Pictures
Lon Chaney Jr. skyrocketed to cinema superstardom when he iconically appeared as the titular movie monster in the 1941 horror masterpiece The Wolf Man, which centers on Larry Talbot as he undergoes a horrific transformation into a werewolf after being bitten by the gruesome creature.
Chaney spent five to six hours in the makeup chair to achieve the hair-raising look of the Wolf Man, and while the role was the most celebrated of his career it also led to him being typecast as a horror actor for the rest of his life. The success of the Universal Pictures hit led to Chaney reprising the character in four sequels, with the Wolf Man going on to cross paths with Frankenstein and Dracula in further films.
