The top 10 silent horror films

There is an abundance of chilling classic horror movies from Hollywood’s silent era that are now in the public domain. Below is our frightening favourites that are available to watch here by clicking the link in the title.

10. The Cat and the Canary (1927)
When the heirs of a wealthy eccentric gather in his eerie mansion for the reading of his will, strange events unfold. One of them is set to inherit the fortune, but only if they are proven sane within 24 hours. Amid creeping shadows and sudden disappearances, it becomes a night of terror as they are stalked by an escaped lunatic.

9. The Golem (1920)
Set in 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates a giant clay figure known as the Golem to protect the Jewish community from persecution. However, when the Golem is infused with life through a mystical ritual, it becomes uncontrollable. The rabbi’s creation turns against its master, leading to a tragic and destructive climax.

8. The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
An atmospheric adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s story, this film centres on a man who visits his ailing friend, Roderick Usher, in the decaying, haunted Usher mansion. Roderick is tormented by the belief that his house is alive, while his catatonic sister, Madeline, is buried alive. The film builds to a dramatic collapse of both the Ushers and their ancestral home.

7. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Beneath the Paris Opera House lurks a disfigured and masked man, the Phantom, who falls in love with a beautiful young soprano, Christine. Obsessed with her, he haunts the opera house, manipulating events to make her a star, while violently punishing those who stand in his way. When Christine uncovers the truth of his deformity, it leads to a tragic confrontation.

6. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
A young nobleman, Gwynplaine, is disfigured by a sinister surgeon who carves a permanent smile on his face. Living as a sideshow performer, he struggles with his grotesque appearance but finds love in a blind woman, Dea. As secrets about his noble birth emerge, Gwynplaine must navigate between his past and the cruelty of the world that mocks him.

5. Haxan (1922)
A hybrid of documentary and dramatisation, this film explores the history of witchcraft from medieval superstitions to modern-day hysteria. Combining grotesque imagery with historical commentary, it examines the persecution of women accused of witchcraft and the role of the Church in stoking fear. The film blurs the lines between fact and fantasy in its depiction of dark rituals and inquisitions.

4. The Unknown (1927)
A circus performer, Alonzo the Armless, hides his deformity and love for his fellow performer, Nanon, who fears the touch of men. Unbeknownst to her, Alonzo is not truly armless, and his secret leads him down a path of madness and violence. The film culminates in a shocking and tragic attempt by Alonzo to ensure Nanon can never love another man.

3. Nosferatu (1922)
In this unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Count Orlok is a vampire who travels from Transylvania to the German town of Wisborg. As he spreads a deadly plague, he fixates on the wife of a real estate agent, who may hold the key to his destruction. This expressionist horror classic introduced one of cinema’s most iconic monsters.

2. The Last Laugh (1924)
An aging hotel doorman loses his prestigious job and is demoted to bathroom attendant, leading to a devastating blow to his pride and identity. The film follows his downward spiral as he grapples with humiliation and the loss of purpose. Despite its melancholy, the film ends with an ironic twist, highlighting the divide between social status and personal worth.

1. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)
Told through a frame story, this film follows a hypnotist, Dr Caligari, who uses a sleepwalker named Cesare to commit murders in a small town. The story unfolds in a surreal, expressionist setting, with twisted, jagged landscapes reflecting the psychological horrors at play. The twist ending questions the nature of reality and madness, making it a landmark in psychological horror.