Horror Films Vindicated by Time

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo released to mixed reviews at the time. Common complaints were its length and lack of excitement. People honed in on hating the last third of the film specifically after the mystery was revealed. The film has since been elevated by several critics from being a film that is simply boring to being one that is deeply profound. Considered to be one of Hitchcock's best and perhaps one of the greatest films ever made. Quite the turn around.

Critical response to Peeping Tom was so bad that Michael Powell's film career was pretty much over after its release. POV shots of people getting killed and voyeuristic fantasies did not go over well and lead to widespread controversy. Only decades later would Peeing Tom be touted as one of the best classic horror films and gain critical comparison to films such as Psycho (1960). As an early predecessor to the slasher subgenre it has even gained enough notoriety to be a trivia byline in Scream 4 (2011).

One of the biggest critics of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece was Stephen King himself. King decried the film as being made by a man who thinks too much and feels too little. Even going as far to say that Jack Nicholson should not have been cast. Critics jumped to King's side as well, blaming Kubrick for ruining one of King's best works. Others laughed at the use of long shots in a film meant to be scary. Kubrick and Shelley Duvall were both nominated for Razzies. Over the years the tables turned and The Shining is still heralded as one of the best horror films of all time.

Still trying to find a footing after Halloween (1978), expectations were high for John Carpenter. The Thing according to critics at the time was Carpenter blowing it. With double edged swords, they lauded the special effects, while labeling the film as meritless gore. Dismissing the film harshly with quips like "the quintessential moron movie of the 80's." The Thing is now almost universally held to be one of the scariest movies ever and its merit as a film is undeniable.

While not as universally lauded as some of the other films on this list, Freaks is an example of a film far beyond its time. Directors would have a hard time getting away with it today, but in the Pre-Code 1930's Tod Browning cast real circus freaks in order to visually upset the audience. Critical response and controversy was strongly against the film and it was only decades later that the film began to get re-evaluated. Oddly enough it was the counter-culture and midnight movie showings that gave Freaks a second chance.

Initial response to Night of the Living Dead was that it was pornography. Case and point for the need to censor films. George A. Romero's revolutionary horror film resonated with audiences though and over the course of half a decade reshaped the entire genre. It eventually gained massive critical dissection and stands up as one of the best allegorical horror films. Personally, I'm convinced the way this film came out was merely a happy accident - but love it all the same.

Proving that directors can always go further, Ken Russell unleashed a scathing tale about the church and corruption. Initial critical reaction was to ban the hell out of it. If Night of the Living Dead was pornography, The Devils was Sodom and Gomorrah reborn. A seething pit of sadism and perversion. Critics these days tend to highlight its importance and directorial vision. It still largely remains banned and finding an original cut is difficult.

Not so much hated by the critics as too quickly dismissed. Many critics picked up on bits of pieces of what makes this film a masterpiece, but it took decades to put them all together. Praise for Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie came often and early. However, weird pacing, disorienting editing, a non-conventional plot structure and an overwhelming sense of ennui were things that didn't really go over well initially. Now many recognize its technical merits and laud its filmmaking. The sex scene alone remains a classic topic for film study.

Being part of the Criteron collection alone will elevate the modern standing of just about any film. Yet western criticism of Onibaba has remained mixed. Rapid editing combined with slow motion shots helps to make a fairly slow boil film hard to watch. Add in an ambiguous ending and symbolism lost on non-Japanese viewers and its no wonder that this film loses so many. Despite being in the top 20 on IMDb, there is really no critical consensus established for this film amongst top critics.