Some of the best horror films use historical settings as a backdrop to their terrifying tales. It may be because the story would not be believable in modern society, like how cell phones solve a lot of the 'phone lines being cut' tropes. Or it could be focusing on something sinister that actually happened in the past.
If you want to combine your love of period pieces and Halloween horror, this list of films is perfect for you. Whether it's supernatural or based on real events, these historical fiction horror films will sweep you through time and immerse you in the terror of that period.
Witchfinder General (1968)
A true classic in terms of horror and cinema, Witchfinder General shows how truly frightening it was to live during the witch hunts of England. The film is one of the first folk-horror stories to gain popularity. And with the master of horror himself, Vincent Price, as the lead, you know the film is well-made as well as haunting.
Matthew Hopkins (Price) is the Witchfinder General, who hunts witches all over England during the English Civil War. His cruelty and penchant for torture during his investigations are only countered by his self-righteousness and greed. Based on a real person, Hopkins goes about trying to cleanse the world from evil. But the most evil the villagers see is not from the accused witches but the fearful glint in Hopkins' eyes as he watches people suffer.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow is a Tim Burton masterpiece and a Halloween staple for many. It is loosely based on Washington Irving's short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It takes place in colonial New York and tells the tale of Ichabod Crane and his run-in with the Headless Horseman.
Tim Burton's version features Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, though instead of a schoolteacher as in Irving's story, he is an investigator sent to find out why the village of Sleepy Hollow has had so many murders. It's a great choice for lovers of literature, folklore, and history. Burton took Irving's superstitious folktale and infused it with his macabre style, creating a film that people lost their heads over.
The Turn of the Screw (1999)
Another film based on classic literature, The Turn of the Screw follows a similar plot to Henry James' novella of the same name. The fact that this was a TV movie made for PBS' Masterpiece Theatre should not count against it because it portrays James' tale of madness and terror beautifully. There are also many other adaptations, but this version has Colin Firth in his Mr. Darcy era, so you can see why I chose it.
The Turn of the Screw is the story of an unnamed governess (Jodhi May) and her descent into insanity. She has romantic feelings for the Master (Firth) but also cannot help but wish to leave when the ghosts of the previous governess and her lover haunt her and the children she cares for. Are the children innocent and need to be protected from these specters, or are they working with the ghosts in unraveling the governess' sanity?
The Others (2001)
The Others was one of the first horror films I remember wanting to watch over again. The twist in the plot was mind-blowing at the time, and the movie remains one of my favorites for the screenplay and acting.
Set in 1945, on the English isle of Jersey, Grace (Nicole Kidman) is raising her children in an old manor. She keeps it dark because both of her children are extremely sensitive to light, making an already creepy environment ripe for terror. Though she doesn't believe in the supernatural, Grace is forced to accept that the house is haunted when she, her children, and their servants all encounter 'the others.' Trying to solve the mystery of previous deaths in the house completely shocks and unnerves Grace, and the audience.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame, The Woman in Black tells the story of a lawyer in Edwardian England who gets a lot more than he bargained for when tasked with retrieving the legal documents of a deceased woman. The house that the woman lived in is filled with the cries of ghostly children and the infamous 'woman in black.'
The reception for The Woman in Black has been divided. It's kind of a love it or hate it type of film. But, if you are interested in period horror, the chances are high that you'll enjoy it. Just be warned that there are several deaths of children, as the woman in black entrances kids from the village to kill themselves.
Stonehearst Asylum (2014)
Stonehearst Asylum is a film that often gets overlooked despite having a cast full of big names. Ben Kingsley, Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Michael Caine, and David Thewlis all star in this film, which was previously titled Eliza Graves. The plot is loosely based off Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether."
Poe's story criticized the inhumane treatment of mental asylum patients in the Victorian era, and Stonehearst Asylum plays on those critiques to create a psychological horror. Who, in this place of madness, is ever truly sane? And, who exactly is in charge of the asylum: the staff or the patients?
Crimson Peak (2015)
Crimson Peak is another horror film with a star-studded cast, including Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain. It's a Guillermo del Toro film, so you know it's twisted and dark, but crafted as a work of art. It's a true Gothic romance turned very, very wrong.
Edith (Wasikowska) is a young American novelist who falls in love with Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). They marry and move into his English ancestral mansion, nicknamed 'Crimson Peak,' with his sister Lucille (Chastain). The problem: the mansion is haunted and Edith, who can see ghosts, discovers that her new family isn't as lovely as they first seemed.
The Witch (2015)
The Witch is similar to Arthur Miller's The Crucible, with the same themes surrounding strict Puritan culture and the hysteria of the witch trials. But The Witch is much darker, and the supernatural elements are not merely imagined. The Devil and his black magic are really at work to tear this family apart. As one of the themes is the repressed sexuality of the Puritans, this film has quite a bit of nudity, so be aware of that before choosing to watch the evil conjured up in this Puritan family's home.
An English family, newly moved to New England, are cast out of their village and forced to live in the woods. They were banished due to the other villagers believing them to be in league with Satan, and it seems at first as if they were unjustly accused. But then, strange things begin to happen and the youngest children fall prey to mysterious illnesses, making the family members turn on one another. Who is the real witch?
Frankenstein (2025)
This is Guillermo del Toro's latest offering in horror, an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. What makes this adaptation unique is that it actually closely follows Shelley's imagining of the monster created by Victor Frankenstein. He is intelligent and can think and communicate complex thoughts. He is not a monster because he's a hulking, green zombie. He is a monster because he goes against nature.
Toro's Frankenstein is an honest adaptation of Shelley's novel, and as a literature nerd, I am dying to see a film from the monster's point of view. It stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monstrous creation. Frankenstein is in select theaters now, but if you can wait until after Halloween, it will be streaming on Netflix starting November 7, 2025.
Which time period do you think lends itself best to horror? I think many of us consider Gothic Victorian vibes when we think of haunted houses, but some of these movies surprised me by stepping out of the stereotypical. I think these films prove that the past can be just as terrifying, if not more so, than the times in which we live.
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