Summary
- Public domain horror movies provide a wealth of chilling classics that can be viewed free of charge and remade for a new audience.
- Notable public domain horror films include "The Terror" (1963), "Dementia 13" (1963), and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920).
- From cult classics like "Spider Baby" (1967) to iconic films like "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), public domain horror movies offer a diverse range of terrifying experiences.
Public domain refers to works that have reached a point beyond their copyright, making them open to the public and there are a number of public domain horror movies now available. The best guideline is that anything published before 1923 is in the public domain. In 2024, the date moves up to 1928. However, while this is a way to see what old properties are now available to anyone to remake or retool, there are also newer movies that have slipped into the public domain for other reasons.
The world of horror movies is especially filled with a wealth of monumental chillers that are free of any copyright. From silent terrors such as Nosferatu to influential zombie movies like Night of the Living Dead, some of the greatest horror classics are available to view free of charge. They are also there for anyone to remake or release using the titles, characters, and storylines of those originals. In the case of Night of the Living Dead, it was a failure to file for a new copyright. This is the same reason the Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life fell into the public domain in 1974 and remained there until a Supreme Court decision gave the studio the rights back.
20 Best Horror Movies Of All Time
What are the best horror movies of all time? Every fan has their opinion, but these movies have stood the test of time to become certifiable icons.
20 The Terror (1963)
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Roger Corman is a legendary horror producer known for his low-budget movies that also helped to launch the careers of many filmmakers and actors. Fans can see one such early Corman recruit with Jack Nicholson's role in the 1963 horror movie The Terror. Nicholson stars as a French officer who is separated from his army unit and helped by a mysterious woman only to discover a shocking secret behind her real identity. While the movie is not one of Corman's strongest efforts nor is it Nicholson's finest performance, it is a fun B-movie with a brief appearance from Boris Karloff.
19 Dementia 13 (1963)
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Francis Ford Coppola's best movies include some of the greatest movies ever made, from The Godfather trilogy to Apocalypse Now and even his previous horror movie Bram Stoker's Dracula. Given his amazing career, film fans will surely be interested in checking out his first ever directorial effort with the Roger Corman-produced Dementia 13. The movie follows a woman whose husband suddenly dies of natural causes, leading her to cover up the death while plotting how to gain his full inheritance. However, she soon finds herself stalked by an ax-wielding killer. Though it certainly doesn't reach the heights of Coppola's other masterpieces, it is a solid debut worth checking out.
18 Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1920)
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The story of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde is one of the most famous in the horror genre and has been adapted into dozens of movies including this silent movie from 1920. Based on the novel by Robert Louise Stevenson, is set in Victorian England and follows a scientist named Dr. Jekyll (John Barrymore) who experiments with separating the good and evil sides of the human personality and ends up transforming into the terrifying and brutal Mr. Hyde. Barrymore's committed performance and the unsettling makeup make for a true horror classic and one of many in the public domain that doesn't need sound to deliver its scares.
17 The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
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Richard Connell's short story The Most Dangerous Game has inspired many movies with its simple yet twisted tale. However, even with all the loose adaptations and reimaginings, this 1932 version is generally regarded as the best of the bunch as well as being the first. The plot revolves around a big game hunter who lures a group of engers on a luxury yacht to his island where he proceeds to hunt them for sport. The movie is often regarded as a prime example of the bold storytelling that was done before the Hayes Code took effect in Hollywood as it remains an intense and disturbing horror movie.
16 Spider Baby Or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)
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In this day and age, films rarely have the ability to shock anymore. However, Spider Baby stands out as an old horror movie that is actually terrifying. The film concerns an affable caretaker who puts himself in charge of a group of adult siblings who go mad after the death of their parents. Essentially a ing of the torch, the film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his last roles, and Sid Haig in one of his earliest. What makes the film chilling is how macabre and strange it is, especially for the 1960s. The performances are all top-notch, and the movie is packed with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat until the very end.
15 A Bucket Of Blood (1959)
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On his way to becoming the most prolific Hollywood director of all time, Roger Corman made his fair share of great horror movies. A Bucket of Blood is the story of a struggling artist who begins using dead bodies in his artwork which garners him increasing prestige in the art community. Though more tongue-in-cheek than terrifying, A Bucket of Blood is nevertheless an under-appreciated horror classic from a decade that was dominated by sci-fi. Making biting criticisms of the art world, as well as the 1950s beat culture, it is just as easy to laugh as it is to scream while watching Corman's masterpiece.
14 The Phantom Of The Opera (1925)
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Despite the fact that it was a tentpole movie from Universal Studios, the original silent Phantom of the Opera nevertheless lapsed into the public domain. Even nearly a century after its release, it still stands for many as The Phantom of the Opera. The opera in Paris is inundated with mysterious happenings that all point back to the supposed Phantom who haunts the company's star ingénue. Mostly ed for its terrifying face reveal thanks to Lon Chaney's ghoulish makeup, the film also has other cinematic merits to stand on. Made on an epic scale, the huge lavish sets allow for the action of the film to play out with an almost theatrical gravity.
13 The Hands Of Orlac (1924)
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German auteur directed the Austrian horror film Hands of Orlac in 1924, a movie starring Conrad Veidt as a concert pianist who lost his hands in a railway accident. When his wife pleads with a renowned surgeon to help save his hands, the doctor transplants the hands of a recently executed murderer. In this terrifying silent-era horror movie, Orlac believes the hands bring the murderer's tendencies into his mind. After he realizes he can't play the piano anymore with the new hands, he ends up finding his own father dead and believes he has become a murderer without knowing it. While controversial upon its release, it has since become a classic of the German Expressionist silent film era.
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12 Carnival Of Souls (1962)
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Horror has always pushed boundaries, and few films left as indelible a mark on cinema history as Carnival of Souls. After surviving a traumatic accident, a young woman is mysteriously drawn to a remote town where she is haunted by a ghostly carnival. In a time when horror movies were pretty straightforward, Carnival of Souls got decidedly ethereal with its story and execution. Packed with deeper themes about trauma and death, the movie is so much more than the run-of-the-mill chillers that haunted theaters and drive-ins at the time. Though the film itself is woefully under-seen, its impact on horror cinema is still felt to this day.
11 Der Golem (1920)
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While not mentioned as much as its contemporaries, Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Der Golem remains one of the seminal German Expressionist horror films of the silent era. Paul Wegener had previously directed a version of The Golem in 1915, but with Der Golem in 1920, he created a masterpiece of the era. What might hold the movie back somewhat in recognition is the old mythology that has since slipped into obscurity. Der Golem is a tale of the Jewish plight and follows a Rabbi named Loew who creates a Golem and brings it to life to save his people, only for it to turn on its creator. The movie was a massive success, selling out theaters for months in and the United States.
