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What Is The Weirdest Classic Horror Film Of All Time?

May 10, 2012 |

Author Richard

We recently asked classic horror film fans on Twitter and over on Facebook on the Classic Horror Campaign page and in the We Belong Dead group the following question :

What is the strangest or most obscure classic horror film you’ve ever seen? Feel free to add your choice and comments!

We had such an amazing and fascinating response that we thought we’d share some of the comments and film titles that were suggested by these wonderful classic horror film fans! One of the titles that popped up most frequently was Hausu or House, a 1977 Japanese horror film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film is about a schoolgirl traveling with her six classmates to her ailing aunt’s country home, where they come face to face with supernatural events as the girls are, one by one, devoured by the home. Cinefantastique has this to say about the film:

“Visually, HOUSE/HAUSU is stunning….Obayashi uses a mixture of pixilation, animation, and intentionally cheap special effects – including a demonic cat, a carnivorous piano and killer futons. Severed heads dance in the air; the piano chews up its victim; and a wall clock grinds another into a bloody pulp.”

You can see what all the fuss is about by buying a copy of this bizarre classic on dvd at Amazon.

Also receiving several mentions was Spider Baby (1964) a black comedy horror directed by Jack Hill and starring Lon Chaney Jr and Sid Haig. It tells a very bizarre story of a family cursed by a debilitating disease caused by inbreeding and which causes them to regress to a state of pre-human savagery and cannibalism. This cult classic has often been described as unclassifiable and its initial release was delayed by four years as the studio had no idea how to market it!

You can buy your own copy of Spider Baby on dvd from Amazon.

Here is a selection of comments we received from classic horror film fans over on Facebook :

Darrell Buxton said : “As the Squire hints, the ‘Golden age’ of classic horror is notable for its weirdness – from THE UNKNOWN (1927) through to ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), just write down the actual plots of some of these pictures, take a step back, and scratch your heads! THE OLD DARK HOUSE might well get my vote – I’ve seen it many times, and love it, but what on earth is it about?!”

Joe OBrien said: “I’m going to have to say Tod Browning’s “Freaks”. I don’t think you’ll find a more wtf/strange movie anywhere!”

Peter Benassi said: “I have to admit that the first time I saw THE WICKER MAN (1973) on late night TV (before it became so enormously popular) I was fascinated and highly amused with its use of songs scattered throughout – making the climax all the more sobering and utterly horrifying. Not obscure anymore, but it is certainly bizarre and far from predictable. Another most peculiar horror film is THE REDEEMER (1977) – anyone who has seen this one will agree, I’m sure.”

Dan Tunstall said: “The Shout is also fairly peculiar.”

Audrey A’Cladh said: “Mantango, I first saw it under the name Attack of the Mushroom People!”

Julian Hobbs said: “Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural. It’s Night of the Hunter meets Count Yorga via Night of the Living Dead and then some. Messiah of Evil and Let’s Scare Jessica to Death are also great arty horrors from the early seventies.”

And on Twitter we received the following comments:

@HoboRobot said: “Not a classic, but very subtle & creepy: 70s “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” got me pretty good – especially the twist ending”

@FilmAdTvMusic said: “Does ‘Thundercrack’ count?”

@garetpayne said: “I’d say I Drink Your Blood is high up on the list. It’s about a Satanic hippie cult with rabies.”