Austin Public Library Blog

Most of these movies are known as B-Movies, low budget films made mostly during the 50s and 60s. This is the era of mutants and all sorts of oversize creatures on the big screen: giant ants, lizards, and evil or extraterrestrial monsters. According to those studying what’s behind horror movies, these films represent the fear about the idea of an atomic bomb and communism, in other words, the Cold War in general. Movies during this era were also competing with television, and films were trying to offer a different and unique experience that would draw more people to the movie theater instead of staying in the comfort of their home watching TV. The B-Movies “category," however, covers all decades; for example, Evil Dead from the 80s is considered by some a B-Movie as well.

I know, your significant other might cringe when she/he sees you coming home with The Curse of Frankenstein, but hey, why not have a good laugh this Halloween with a movie that was supposed to scare you? Here are some titles Austin Public Library has for you to check out and watch while eating candy corn:

• Creature from the Black Lagoon
• House of Wax (VHS)
• Godzilla King of Monsters and Other Movies
• Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth
• The Thing from Another World
• The Mummy
• The Old Dark House
• The Blob
• Forbidden Planet
• Cat People

In case you want to read about horror movies, how to make them, or how they are related to culture, here are some ideas:

• Splatter Flicks: How to Make Low Budget Horror Films
• Horror Films of the 1980s
• The Rough Guide to Horror Movies
   
• Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture
• Nightmare on Main Street: Angels, Sadomasochism, and the Culture of Gothic
• I was a Monster Movie Maker: Conversations with 22 SF and Horror Filmmakers

For more information about B-Movies in general, including horror films, you can visit:

• B-Movie Central