8 black-and-white horror movies perfect for spooky season

Now that September has arrived, it’s time to start planning those spooky movie marathons. Though I’m a fan of all eras of horror and both international and domestic films, there’s something about black-and-white horror that just feels fitting for this time of year as days slowly grow cooler and shorter.

If you’re looking for some creepy black-and-white movies to watch this season, here’s a list of some favorites, including a mix of new and old.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

They’re coming to get you, Barbara! As a proud Pennsylvania native, I’ll always have a soft spot for George A. Romero’s work, since he shot several of his films in the Pittsburgh area. Night of the Living Dead kicked off his initial zombie trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead) and really gave us the modern zombie.

There have been oceans of articles written about why this film is so important. I just want to underline the point that Duane Jones was cast as Ben, a Black lead who takes charge. This was bold for the late 1960s. This movie resonated socially and politically because though Ben survives the zombies, he’s shot in the head by a white vigilante mob at the conclusion.

Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968, the same year MLK was gunned down on a balcony in Memphis and just three years after Malcolm X was shot and killed in NYC. Night of the Living Dead has one of the most powerful endings in horror history. It also sets up Romero’s long-running premise: humans are often worse than monsters. We bicker. We squabble. We cause our own undoing.

Night of the Living Dead is streaming for free on Crackle, Tubi, and Pluto TV. It's also available on Max, Prime Video, Shudder, and Peacock.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

Simply put, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one of my favorite films of the last decade. Ana Lily Amirpour’s feature is a stylish vampire flick unlike any that you’ve seen. It features a skateboarding vamp, Girl (Shelia Vand), who feeds off the horrible men in the fictional, run-down Iranian town of Bad City.

This film blends a lot of styles, including western, drama, romance, and horror. It also has a great soundtrack and several memorable sequences. I can’t recommend this one enough!

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is available on Prime Video.

Frankenstein (1931)

It’s really hard for me to pick my favorite Universal Monster movie. However, when in doubt, I always revert to James Whale’s iconic Frankenstein. The entire cast in this one is great, but especially Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein.

Though the movie isn’t necessarily scary in 2024, it did feature a few scenes that were censored for years, including the moment the Monster throws little Maria (Marilyn Harris) into the pond and she drowns. Dr. Frankenstein’s line, “Now I know what it’s like to be god,” during the infamous creation scene was also censored.

I can’t understate the importance of this one to film history generally. Though Whale changed some details from Mary Shelley’s 19th Century novel, his direction, coupled with Karloff’s performance, warrants our sympathies for the Monster, and in turn, keeps in theme with Shelley’s masterpiece.

Frankenstein is currently streaming on Peacock.

The Lighthouse (2019)

This 2019 film by Robert Eggers is a moody feature with unforgettable images and rather theatrical performances by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. They’re great together.

Set in the 1890s, The Lighthouse centers around two lighthouse keepers. They try to maintain their sanity on a strange New England island. Though I like all of Eggers’ films, I probably rewatch this one the most, namely for Dafoe and Pattinson’s performances. Eggers really nails the atmosphere with this one, too. After watching it, you feel cold and wet. And who can forget that seagull?

The Lighthouse is currently streaming on Max.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

I’ve seen Carnival of Souls several times, and I’m still unsure how to interpret this one. It’s all kinds of weird and oddly hypnotic. Herk Harvey’s eerie and surreal feature stars Candace Hilligoss as Mary. After surviving a traumatic car accident, she lands a job as a church organist in Utah. She’s soon drawn to an abandoned carnival.

This one influenced Night of the Living Dead, specifically the uber creepy pale-faced man, played by Harvey, who stalks Mary. He’s truly the stuff of nightmares and resembles Romero’s initial “ghouls.” This movie contains such a dream-like quality that it always makes me wonder if the whole thing is a vision Mary had right before she died in that accident. Maybe she’s not actually alive. As I said, this one offers itself to many interpretations.

Carnival of Souls is streaming for free on Crackle, Pluto TV, and Tubi. It's also available on Shudder, Max, and Prime Video.

Nosferatu (1922)

F.W. Murnau’s German Expressionist masterwork is a loose adaptation of Bram Stoker’s late 19th novel Dracula. Because Murnau didn’t have permission to adapt Stoker’s work, he made some slight changes, namely to character names and a few plot points. The general story remains the same.

Max Schreck's mesmerizing performance as Count Orlok remains chilling. The make-up and Schreck's eerie movements, specifically the way he stalks his victims and creeps up a hallway or staircase, sometimes shown as a shadow, haunts film history to this day. This one was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog, and it’s worth a watch. Robert Eggers' take on the tale releases on Christmas day. Considering the influence of Murnau on Eggers’ body of work, he’s the right choice for the remake.

If you like German Expressionism, make sure that you also check out The Golem and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Nosferatu is available to watch for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Crackle.

Diabolique (1955)

I have to admit that I arrived at Diabolique late after hearing about it for years. In fact, I didn't watch it until a year or two ago. I'm sure glad that I did because it's a great thriller with quite a twist ending.

This movie is a lot of things, including a female revenge tale. It stars Paul Meurisse, who plays Michel, an abusive headmaster at a boarding school who cheats on his wife (Vera Clouzot) while constantly showing off his mistress (Simone Signoret). The women hatch what they think is the perfect alibi. The only problem is that Michel's body goes missing.

This film just may have one of the most startling final acts out of any movie on this list. To add, Clouzot and Signoret really turn in great performances, especially as their characters become increasingly unhinged, fretting over the missing body.

Diabolique is currently available on The Roku Channel and PLEX for free, and it's available on Max and Prime Video as well.

Psycho (1960)

Well, what hasn't been said about Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho at this point? The film is so ingrained within pop culture and has influenced countless horror films. That said, when it was released in 1960, it broke so much ground, from the infamous shower scene to the fact it kills off its biggest star, Janet Leigh, near the halfway point, and then flips the narrative to focus on Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).

This film only gets better with age. No matter how many times I've watched it, I still enjoy it. It's a perfect film for the season, enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's hair-raising score.

Currently, Psycho is available on Prime Video.

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