SCARY MOVIES WITH SINGLE WORD TITLES (1945 - 1985)

 

Here's a macabre Saturday Night Special concept for you, a list of scary movies with one word titles, and no "The's" invited.

To choose a one word title for a horror film, you need a strong word, a single word that invokes terror, dread, confusion, or somehow gives you the creeps just thinking about it like "IMPULSE" is a good place to start. The added daggers in this title card are just frosting on the cake combined with one of the creepiest characters William Shatner ever played!

And speaking of "MACABRE," the Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as "Dwelling on the Gruesome," and I'm pretty sure that's what Schlockmeister William Castle had in mind when he made this 1958 monsterpiece of horror!

 

"ROPE," it's a simple word really, but when it's the title of an Alfred Hitchcock film, then it takes on multiple new meanings. Hitchcock must have liked one word titles, because quite a few of his films fell into this category, starting with his most famous, "PSYCHO," and  including such titles as "NOTORIOUS," "SPELLBOUND," "SABOTAGE," "SUSPICION," "BLACKMAIL," and...

 

......."VERTIGO!" I get dizzy just thinking about it!

Then it just starts getting weirder and more psychologically difficult like

"TORMENTED" from 1960.

     

This 1977 Mario Bava movie has been released as more than one title like "Beyond the Door II," or "The Demon Is Nuts," but this is the simplest and  most shocking one,

"SHOCK."

 

 

Then there are titles that just scream fun like Freddie France's "HYSTERIA" from 1965.

Here's another one-word masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock in 1972, that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy, "FRENZY!" 

 

 "SEIZURE" from 1974 is another comforting title because after all, 

"It's a children's story!"

 

After the seizure, the "DEMENTIA" sets it!

This 1955 classic was also known as "Daughter Of Horror."

Then you end up in this happy place from 1946.

"BEDLAM"

 

Let's see, then there's "SUCCUBUS," another fun family film from Jess Franco in 1968, that is literally defined as

 "a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men!"

 

 

So let's take a little "DETOUR," and "Get back on track, Jack," because in 1945, what was better than going to movie that you had no idea where it was headed?

 

Next is the "Are These Really Even Words?" Department, where they just made something up, and you had to go to the movies to find out what it even was, like "GOG" from 1954.

Believe it or not, "KRONOS" is still not a word some 67 years later!

Nor is the title of the 1962 film "ZOTZ!"

 

 

Some one word titles are very descriptive, like with 1982's "PIECES,"

 what else do you need to know?

 

Or how about "RATTLERS" from 1976? That title pretty much says it all!

 

 Now this 1966 title has charisma and plenty of mystery to it, because anything could happen in matter of  "SECONDS!"

 

For one word, it just doesn't get much more ominous than "QUICKSAND,"

and Mickey Rooney just sinks deeper and deeper into it in this 1950 film.

From 1968 we have "CORRUPTION," which is defined as "Dishonest or Fraudulent Conduct by Those in Power," so you immediately know this film's going to be a barrel of laughs!

I'll leave you with Argento's "CREEPERS" from 1985, because why not?

You're sure not going to expect sunshine and lollipops with a title like that!

Interestingly enough, this film was originally released as another single word title,

"PHENOMENA."

ALIEN MOVIE SPACECRAFT OF THE FIFTIES

Last Monday I posted the MOVIE SPACESHIPS OF THE FIFTIES, so, today I'm doing the ALIEN MOVIE SPACECRAFT OF THE FIFTIES! I have to admit, the Alien ships don't compare with those of Earth in coolness...

First up is THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL from 1951, another movie they played a lot on TV in the fifties. The Saucer and Gort were great, but, it comes across as a drama, which I hate.

THE MAN FROM PLANET X also came out in 1951, starring Dungeon Hero, Robert Clarke. The spaceship is just plain weird, I mean, how would you even describe the danged thing?

I absolutely love THE THING from 1951, it pushed all my precious sci-fi horror buttons! This is all you get to see of the saucer, frozen there in Arctic ice...

When I saw INVADERS FROM MARS from 1953 on TV in the fifties, it always freaked me out, a lot! Here's the nice Martian Saucer landing in the sand dunes outside David's house. Check out the British version when you get the chance!

Also from 1953, Universal's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE kicked royal ass! Here's a classic shot of the alien spacecraft as it lies at the bottom of a ravine, covered in rocks and dirt.

PHANTOM FROM SPACE from 1953 remains one of my favorite fifties flicks, the special effects were above average for the time. The spaceship though, is nothing to write home about.

George Pal's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS in 1953 is a freakin' terrific movie, it delivers all the goods! And, the Martian war machines are probably the finest creations of the fifties, wow!

DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS came to Earth in 1954, love that title! Her saucer totally reminds me of the tops I had when I was a little monster.

KILLERS FROM SPACE from 1954 is another bad movie that I love, it's just fun to watch. Here, the aliens show Peter their space stations on a flat screen televiewer.

Also from 1954 came GOG, at the end of the movie, the mysterious alien spacecraft is revealed and is destroyed by missiles and jets.

In STRANGER FROM VENUS from 1954, he's picked up by these strange saucers. Another movie with too much drama, in other words, BOR-RING!!

Even though BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES from 1955 is a really weak flick, I have a bond with it. There's the Beast's spaceship blasting off into space.

Universal's THIS ISLAND EARTH from 1955 had this stylized saucer. For some reason, the saucer has an older look to it and is not one of my favorite designs. But, it's pretty cool.

Harryhausen's EARTH vs. THE FLYING SAUCERS hit the screen in 1956. The saucers were tasty morsels but also mighty war machines from another world!

In 1957, they reuse the saucer from EARTH vs. THE FLYING SAUCERS in THE 27th DAY, another movie with too much drama for my taste.

Another movie I love is INVASION OF THE SAUCER-MEN from 1957, Blaidell's BEMs are all time classics. He also made the gleaming saucer that lands in the woods.

Wow, I saw KRONOS at the theater in 1957 and it was a real thrill, it was so unique! It also had this beautiful saucer with Kronos inside that crashes into the ocean off the Mexican shoreline.

Here's the orb spacecraft that brought us THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER in 1957. Robert Clarke watches the craft crash into the forest there.

Toho brought us THE MYSTERIANS in 1957, the saucers have bright colors, unlike the majority of other alien spacecraft.

In THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X aka COSMIC MONSTERS from 1957, the human looking alien leaves Earth in this WTF! saucer! I mean, damn, it looks like a freakin' kid's toy!!

And, let's remember those little ships from QUATERMASS 2 aka ENEMY FROM SPACE from 1957, with those slimy alien life forms in them, dropped onto Earth from a large asteroid always hidden in the shadow of the planet.

The alien invader in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN from 1958 had this big round ball of a spacecraft, saw this one at the time too, it was wild 'n' weird!

The saucer was well secluded in the woods in I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE from 1958. But at the end, they show a multitude of saucers leaving Earth. The monsters were awesome, loved the smokey mist that took the human bodies away and the monster faces flashing on the human transplants!

My dad took me to see THE LOST MISSILE in 1958, it was a great film for a 10 year old kid to absorb when it came out. The Missile was a menace from Hell.

ATOMIC SUBMARINE from 1959 is one of my very favorite fifties movies! The cyclops monster was great, and, the saucer was pretty damn creepy as it moved through the Arctic ocean!

In BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE from 1959, the alien saucers accompany the mother ship. The battle in space is a ton of fun!

John Carradine was THE COSMIC MAN in 1959, that little floating metal ball there is his means of transportation through the dimensions of space!

INVISIBLE INVADERS from 1959 had invisible spaceships, well, until John used his sonic gun to expose and destroy them!

Even though Ed Wood's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE from 1959 is totally schlock, this mother ship is one of my very favorite saucers from the fifties. What a classic design!

Then, there's this spacecraft in TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN from 1959. Looks like pretty much a rip off of the ship in IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE with snow replacing the dirt!

And, let's not forget TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE from 1959, a wild little flick that has flesh dissolving ray guns and that weird earth boring spaceship!

There we have it, a list of the Alien Spacecraft of the fifties, check in Wednesday with more fun stuff, from... THE DUNGEON!!