10 Horror Anthologies You Must See Before You Die

10. Dead Of Night

Let’s kick off this list with an oldie but a goodie from British cinema: an early but influential entry into the horror anthology genre that set the blueprint for many an anthology to come.

Released in 1945, Dead of Night was something of a rarity for its time when the norm was more morale-boosting, patriotic movies designed to keep Britain’s collective stiff upper lip stiff during the war rather than films meant to scare the heck out of audiences.

Nevertheless, it’s regarded by many (including Martin Scorsese) as one of the best horror movies today and it’s easy to see why. Bringing together the talents of directors including Alberto Cavalcanti and Charles Crichton, its five main stories feature classic horror themes including haunted antique mirrors, ghost children and a possessed ventriloquist’s dummy – themes that have been endlessly recycled in the horror genre since.

Even its framing story doesn’t let the film down with a delightfully dread-inducing tale that weaves Dead of Night’s various stories together and caps them with a creepy twist ending.

Standout Segment:

Dead of Night’s most memorable story is definitely ‘The Ventriloquist’s Dummy’. It stars Michael Redgrave as a possibly insane ventriloquist driven to murder after his sinister dummy Hugo takes on a life of its own and influenced a whole host of future demonic dummy horrors.