The Best Anthology Horror Movies of the 1960s and 1970s: Cult Classics and Macabre Tales

The anthology format has produced some of the most iconic works in horror cinema, taking audiences through different stories often connected by a framing narrative or a recurring thread running across the individual segments.

British studio Amicus Productions played a fundamental role in the development of anthology horror during the 1960s and 1970s, producing some of the most celebrated movies in the genre (with British director Freddie Francis behind many productions of this kind), including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Torture Garden, The House That Dripped Blood, Asylum, and From Beyond the Grave. In doing so, the studio helped define the identity of anthology horror cinema.

These productions were also characterized by a remarkable number of actors associated with British fantasy and Gothic cinema. Peter Cushing was one of the most recurring faces of Amicus anthologies, alongside Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, Donald Pleasence, Herbert Lom, and other performers familiar to genre fans. Many of them were already associated with Hammer and British Gothic horror, creating an ideal connection between two of the most important forces in British horror, despite their different production and stylistic identities.

In the years that followed, the anthology format continued to provide fertile ground for experimentation and collaborations between major horror filmmakers. Cult movies such as From a Whisper to a Scream, Two Evil Eyes, and Creepshow also became reference points for horror fans, along with many other anthology films that will be explored in a future article.

Below is a selection of some of the best anthology horror movies made during the 1960s and 1970s, ranging from established classics to lesser-known titles and genuine gems of genre cinema. The list will remain open and may be updated over time with other movies considered worthy of inclusion.

Tales of Terror (USA - 1962)

Roger Corman's Tales of Terror is one of the best-known horror anthologies inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone, the movie adapts three stories by the American writer, blending Gothic horror with supernatural elements. Tales of Terror remains one of the most accomplished cinematic interpretations of Poe's dark imagination.

• "Morella" centers on the return of a dead woman and the secrets of a tormented family;
• "The Black Cat" combines "The Black Cat" and "The Cask of Amontillado" in a macabre story of rivalry and revenge;
• "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar": a physician hypnotizes a dying man in an attempt to manipulate his will, but death does not bring the experiment to an end and the corpse returns to take revenge.

Black Sabbath (Italy, France - 1963)

Directed by Mario Bava under the pseudonym John Old in 1963, Black Sabbath is one of the great classics of anthology horror and one of the movies that helped define the visual identity of Italian Gothic cinema.
Composed of three stories, the film showcases Bava's visual elegance and his ability to turn lighting, color, and settings into powerful sources of tension and unease.

From the psychological terror of "The Telephone", in which a woman is tormented by mysterious threatening phone calls inside her apartment, to the celebrated "The Wurdulak" (based on a story by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy), starring Boris Karloff as a vampire connected to a family haunted by the curse of the undead, and the supernatural horror of "The Drop of Water" (based on a story by Anton Chekhov), in which a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a medium, Black Sabbath remains one of the most influential and fascinating horror anthologies in genre cinema.

Kwaidan (Japan - 1964)

Inspired by the ghost stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn, Kwaidan is one of the most renowned and visually refined horror anthologies in Japanese cinema. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi from a screenplay by Yoko Mizuki, the film consists of four stories rooted in Japanese tradition.
Set in feudal Japan, the four segments explore ghosts, curses, and supernatural apparitions in a world where the boundary between the living and the spirit realm always appears fragile and uncertain.
Thanks to its extraordinary visual design, stylized sets, and dreamlike atmosphere, Kwaidan remains one of the finest examples of anthology horror and one of the masterpieces of Japanese fantasy cinema.

• "The Black Hair": a samurai abandons his wife for money but will be haunted by the consequences of his choices;
• "The Woman of the Snow": a young woodcutter encounters the legendary Woman of the Snow, who spares his life on one condition: he must never reveal what happened between them.
  Trivia: the story of this segment would be revisited and reworked many years later in "Lover's Vow," a segment from Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990).
• "Hoichi the Earless": a gifted young blind monk is summoned every night by the spirits of fallen warriors;
• "In a Cup of Tea": a samurai is haunted by a mysterious figure appearing in the reflection of his cup of tea before becoming involved in a disturbing encounter with supernatural forces.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (UK - 1965)

Directed by Freddie Francis, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is the first of the major anthology horror classics produced by Amicus Productions, the British studio that played an important role in popularizing horror cinema, particularly the anthology format, throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Remembered for its atmosphere and impressive cast, which also includes Christopher Lee, the movie became a landmark in anthology horror and remains one of the most influential horror anthologies of the 1960s.
The story follows five men traveling by train when the mysterious Dr. Shock, played by Peter Cushing, reads their fortunes through tarot cards he calls the "keys of terror."

Each card introduces a different story:

• "Werewolf": a man returns to his family home, where a werewolf is lurking;
• "Creeping Vine": a musician encounters a strange plant;
• "Voodoo": a composer steals a melody connected to a curse;
• "Disembodied Hand": an art critic is pursued by a severed hand;
• "Vampire": a doctor discovers that he has married a creature of the night.

Torture Garden (UK - 1967)

Directed by Freddie Francis in 1967, Torture Garden is another of Amicus Productions' best-known horror anthologies. Inspired by stories by Robert Bloch, author of the novel Psycho, the movie consists of four segments linked by the mysterious Dr. Diabolo (Burgess Meredith), owner of a sinister carnival attraction where Atropos reveals each visitor's fate with her scissors.

Moving between Gothic and supernatural horror, Torture Garden is one of the most representative Amicus anthologies. Performances by Jack Palance, Peter Cushing, and Burgess Meredith help make the stories memorable, and they still retain their macabre appeal today.

• "Enoch": a man becomes obsessed with a magical cat and eventually finds himself trapped in a master-servant relationship with the animal;
• "Terror Over Hollywood": an aspiring actress becomes involved in a story with supernatural implications;
• "Mr. Steinway": a pianist seeking success becomes obsessed with a possessed piano;
• "The Man Who Collected Poe": a writer is willing to do anything to obtain the extraordinary stories belonging to a mysterious fellow author.

Spirits of the Dead (France, Italy - 1968)

Spirits of the Dead (aka Histoires extraordinaires) brings together three exceptional filmmakers (Roger Vadim, Louis Malle and Federico Fellini) in an anthology inspired by the stories of Edgar Allan Poe.
Much of the film's strength lies in the contrast between its three segments, each shaped by the unmistakable style of its director. The anthology also features an impressive cast including Jane Fonda, Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot, Terence Stamp, and Peter Fonda.

• "Metzengerstein": a young and rebellious countess develops an obsession with her cousin, while a mysterious horse appears to embody a supernatural force connected to her family;
• "William Wilson": a cynical and cruel Austrian officer is pursued by a mysterious double who embodies the better side of himself and appears whenever he is about to commit a dishonest act, leading to an inevitable final confrontation;
• "Toby Dammit": a declining alcoholic English actor agrees to appear in a "Catholic" western in exchange for a Ferrari, but a mysterious presence draws him toward a tragic fate.

The House That Dripped Blood (UK - 1971)

Produced by Amicus Productions and directed by Peter Duffell, The House That Dripped Blood is one of the best-known horror anthologies of the 1970s, bringing together some of the biggest icons of British horror cinema, including Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Ingrid Pitt.
Written by Robert Bloch, author of the novel Psycho, the movie consists of four stories connected by a mysterious country house and an investigation conducted by a Scotland Yard inspector trying to reconstruct the disturbing events involving its former occupants.
With four distinctive segments effectively tied together by its framing story, The House That Dripped Blood remains one of the best anthology horror movies of the 1970s and an enduring Amicus Productions classic.

• "Method for Murder": a writer is haunted by a character from one of his novels;
• "Waxworks": two men become obsessed with a wax figure resembling a woman from their past;
• "Sweets to the Sweet": a young girl becomes the center of a disturbing story involving the occult;
• "The Cloak": a horror actor comes into possession of an enigmatic vampire cloak.

Asylum (UK - 1972)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker, Asylum is considered one of the best anthology horror movies produced by Amicus Productions. The screenplay was written by Robert Bloch, who adapted four of his own short stories for the screen.
The framing story follows a young doctor who, in order to secure a position at a psychiatric hospital, must determine which of four patients is actually the institution's former director, who has since gone insane. This premise gives rise to four self-contained stories that move between madness and the supernatural while maintaining tension through to the ending.
With Robert Bloch's writing, an unsettling atmosphere, and a cast including Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, Charlotte Rampling, and Britt Ekland, Asylum holds an important place in British anthology horror of the 1970s.

• "Frozen Fear": after murdering his wife so he can live with his lover, a man is haunted by the woman's remains, which appear to return to life in search of revenge;
• "The Weird Tailor": a struggling tailor creates a suit from a mysterious fabric capable of bringing the dead back to life, with disturbing consequences;
• "Lucy Comes to Stay": a woman recently released from a clinic is encouraged by an enigmatic friend to commit increasingly violent acts in a story exploring schizophrenia and split personality;
• "Mannikins of Horror": a doctor obsessed with transferring the soul into small automata carries out disturbing experiments as the segment reveals the mystery at the heart of the framing story.

Tales That Witness Madness (UK - 1973)

In 1973, Freddie Francis also directed Tales That Witness Madness, one of the most fascinating anthology horror movies of the decade. Through a framing narrative set inside a psychiatric hospital, the film tells four stories connected by the theme of madness, gradually blurring the line between reality and hallucination. Imaginary children, ferocious tigers, cursed trees, and disturbing female figures shape segments that move between psychological and supernatural horror, all surrounded by the distinctly British atmosphere associated with Amicus Productions.
With Freddie Francis' elegant direction, a screenplay by Jennifer Jayne, and a cast including Joan Collins, Donald Pleasence, Kim Novak, Jack Hawkins, and Michael Jayston, Tales That Witness Madness remains one of the more fascinating and underrated horror movies of its era.

• "Mr. Tiger": a child neglected by his parents finds comfort in an imaginary tiger that protects him from reality;
• "Penny Farthing": an antiques dealer inherits a mysterious Victorian penny-farthing capable of transporting him back in time;
• "Mel": a man becomes attached to a tree trunk with a female form, provoking his wife's jealousy.
  Trivia: this segment features a sequence in which a woman is attacked by animated trees, anticipating a scene that Sam Raimi would later make famous in The Evil Dead (1981).
• "Luau": a Hawaiian prince hides a dark ritual behind an apparent love story, putting the daughter of the woman hosting him in danger.

From Beyond the Grave (UK - 1974)

Built around four stories connected by a sinister antique shop, From Beyond the Grave is one of the most highly regarded anthology movies produced by Amicus Productions. Directed by Kevin Connor in 1974, the film adapts stories by writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes.
The four segments are linked by a mysterious antique shop run by an enigmatic proprietor played by the iconic Peter Cushing, where each customer purchases an object destined to tragically alter their fate.
With its refined framing story and four segments capable of maintaining a constant sense of tension, From Beyond the Grave stands as one of the finest achievements of Amicus Productions' golden age.

• "The Gatecrasher": a man is tormented by a cursed mirror;
• "An Act of Kindness": a customer (Christopher Lee) steals a mysterious medal from the shop and later falls victim to two sorcerers;
• "The Elemental": a customer cheats the shopkeeper by switching the price on a silver box, only to find an Elemental (a small and highly dangerous mythological creature) perched on his shoulder;
• "The Door": a man buys a door from the antique dealer that can open a passage into another dimension.

Trilogy of Terror (USA - 1975)

Directed by Dan Curtis, Trilogy of Terror is an anthology television movie consisting of three segments based on stories by Richard Matheson, all starring Karen Black, who takes on four different roles throughout the film.
Twenty-one years later, Curtis returned to direct the sequel, Trilogy of Terror II.

• "Julie" explores the ambiguous relationship between a teacher and a student;
• "Millicent and Therese" revolves around twin sisters with completely different personalities;
• "Amelia" follows a woman who is attacked by an animated Zuni fetish doll armed with a knife, leading to an extended sequence of physical terror and tension that culminates in a famous ending.

All three segments originated from stories by Matheson, although only "Amelia," based on "Prey", was adapted for the screen by Matheson himself. The other two episodes were written by William F. Nolan.
Karen Black also made a significant contribution to the screenplay for this final segment, which helped turn the movie into a cult favorite. Her transformative performance and the stripped-down effectiveness of "Amelia" helped make Trilogy of Terror one of the most memorable television horror movies of the 1970s.

The Uncanny (UK, Canada - 1977)

Written by Michel Parry and directed by Denis Héroux in 1977, The Uncanny is a British-Canadian horror anthology produced by The Rank Organization and built around three stories connected by the disturbing presence of cats.
The film holds a particular place on this list because it represents a kind of spiritual continuation of the anthology tradition made famous by Amicus. Although The Uncanny was not an Amicus production, it was co-produced by Milton Subotsky, one of the key figures behind the British studio, and clearly follows the same model: a framing story, several self-contained tales, and a cast filled with familiar faces from horror cinema. Unlike many earlier anthologies, however, it adopts an especially focused connecting theme, making cats a recurring and threatening presence throughout all three stories.

The framing segment, "Montreal 1977", follows writer Wilbur Gray (Peter Cushing), who is determined to convince his publisher (Ray Milland) that cats are supernatural creatures capable of exercising a dark power over humans. The three stories move across different periods and settings, combining revenge, witchcraft, and murder, with a cast that also includes Donald Pleasence, Samantha Eggar, and Joan Greenwood.

• "London 1912": an elderly and wealthy woman decides to leave her fortune to the many cats living in her home. Her housekeeper murders her in an attempt to destroy the will, but the cats retaliate with bloody revenge;
• "Quebec 1975": after being orphaned, young Lucy moves in with her aunt and uncle, bringing her beloved cat Wellington with her. When her aunt tries to get rid of the animal, Lucy turns to a book of witchcraft that belonged to her mother in order to take revenge;
• "Hollywood 1936": an arrogant movie actor (Donald Pleasence) kills his wife by staging an accident on a film set in order to help his young mistress Edina. The victim's cat, however, leads him toward a tragic fate.