10 period horror films to watch by candlelight this Halloween

Tighten your corset and powder your wig, it's time to enter the realm of historical horror. Allow these frightening phantasmagorias to transport you to a different world and satisfy your darkest October curiosities. 

Remember, these 10 period pieces are best witnessed in the darkness, so lower the flame of your kerosene lantern — or indulge my other suggestions for setting a spooky scene — to fully feel the romantic, ghostly fantasies of these films. 

Sleepy Hollow 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an 1819 gothic story by Washington Irving, tells the tale of a school teacher who's run down by a headless horseman, while riding through the thorny woods of New York's Hudson Valley. At the turn of the millennium, it was Tim Burton — king of goth kids everywhere — who brought Sleepy Hollow to life again for a new generation. 

While each frame of this film drips with dark beauty, it's the women of the Hollow who really steal the show. Christina Ricci haunts the scenery in white, her large eyes and ghostly stare reminding us what an onscreen force she is. However, the real MVP here is Miranda Richardson, who does double duty as Mary Van Tassel and the witch of the Western Woods. Richardson quite literally burns down the scenery with her wicked, wonderful and absolutely wild performance.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 adaptation of Dracula is arguably one of the greatest retellings of the novel since Bela Lugosi donned the mantle decades earlier. In Coppola's bloody vision of madness — which was nominated for four Academy Awards and received three for costumes, sound and makeup — Gary Oldman takes on the title role with equal parts charm and menace. Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves round out the stellar cast. 

Sometimes delicately sensual, and other times downright horny, the sexual energy of this outrageous horror film perfectly captures the romantic grotesqueness of its source material. In fact, watching this title with your significant other may just inspire your own vampiric powers of seduction to emerge.

Bride of Frankenstein 

On a dark and stormy night, three young writers collect in a handsome parlour to hear a horror story. As Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron fawn over Mary Shelley (portrayed here by Elsa Lanchester, in a double role as the titular character), the author narrates her macabre work, Bride of Frankenstein, with a fantastic glimmer in her eye.

This sequel to Universal Pictures' hit Frankenstein was released in 1935 from visionary queer director James Whale and stars Boris Karloff in his second portrayal as Frankenstein's Monster. Bride of Frankenstein is the perfect entrypoint for horror fans looking to tiptoe into the classical arena of the Universal Monsters. You wont need to have seen the first film to properly enjoy this one. Turn off the overhead lighting and instead permit Whale's masterwork to cast a flattering glow across your late-October festivities. 

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

Nosferatu. Does the word not sound like the deathbird calling your name? Just uttering it out loud can make you feel cursed — so beware. An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, this silent German Expressionist horror film was directed by F.W. Murnau and released in 1922. Actor Max Schreck delivers an unforgettable performance as Count Orlok, the antagonist vampire of the story, who sets his sights on the wife of his real estate agent.

Sitting down to watch a silent film can sometimes feel like a daunting task, but don't let that scare you from pressing play on this sharp and jarring classic. Its shadows draw long and the use of blackness is chilling, still to this day. With beauty and mood to spare, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is an ideal viewing experience for a quiet October night spent alone with your crescent moon reflections as you wonder if there's anything scarier than the real estate market.   

The Woman in Black

Not for the faint of heart, The Woman In Black is a pitch-dark ghost story tackling gruesome and tragic subject matter. Set in 19th century England, it concerns a young widowed lawyer, who is sent out to a rural marshland to wrap up the estate. The horror begins when a phantom woman draped in black clothing appears and begins luring little children to shocking deaths. Featuring the acting talents of Daniel Radcliffe, fresh off his graduation from Hogwarts, this adaptation of the Susan Hill novel of the same name is a stunning foray into Edwardian horror for a modern audience. 

Beautiful, complex and never boring, The Woman In Black is the kind of Halloween horror visitation that will leave you checking behind the shower curtain every time you need to pee. Each creak and whimper of the film's main setting is expertly used to keep audiences on the edge of their seats and rooting for Radcliffe's safe return. Watching it by candlelight will quickly transform your living room into the empty hallway of an abandoned English countryside manor — so get cosy. 

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning

The first Ginger Snaps — one of the most important Canadian horror titles of all time — is a self-aware werewolf story that uses a woman's adolescence and puberty as its metaphorical touchstones. The third entry in the trilogy, however, inexplicably transports its lead characters, Ginger and Brigitte Fitzgerald, back to 1815 Quebec, where the sisters find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness, being chased by werewolves. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins shine as the perennially-doomed Fitzgerald siblings, and the film's formatting allows genre fans who may be unfamiliar with previous entries to easily play along in the blood-stained jardin d'hiver. 

Strange and unprecedented as this bookender is, the final Ginger Snaps film is a beautiful exploration of Canadian wilderness and the immortal bond of sisterhood. While it's nothing like its predecessors, the title's snowbound 19th-century Canadian setting makes for a spooky and gorgeous Halloween showcase. For full effect, turn off the lights and open a window to let the crisp October air chill your room while you watch. 

Crimson Peak

Guillermo del Toro is a master of fright, but somehow the prince of darkness has not wrought us very many traditional horror films. This one is an exception. Stuffed full of ghosts, death, blood and regret, Crimson Peak is a horror soup if there ever was one. Released in 2015, its story revolves around a haunted mansion in rural England where a young writer retreats with her strange husband and his mysterious sister. 

What this film lacks in obvious scares, it makes up for with its relentlessly haunted atmosphere, while Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain steal the show as the brooding and forlorn Sharpe siblings. Incest, isolation and murder — not all is as it seems in the shadowy corners of Crimson Peak. You'll want to see how this one plays out. You can trust me on that.

Black Sunday

This story of a witch betrayed and murdered by her own family is also a landmark of Italian cinema, as well as the official directorial debut of Mario Bava, who'd go on to achieve success with such outings as Black Sabbath and A Bay of Blood. It begins in 17th century Moldavia with a horrific bang, as a woman named Asa, who moonlights as both a witch and a vampire, is brutally slain along with her lover. With her head encased in a bronze mask filled with sharp spikes, the witch curses her executioners. 

Starring Barbara Steele as Asa, a powerful woman scorned, the beauty and horror of Black Sunday lies in its blistering story of revenge. This gothic horror masterpiece, packed with melodrama, is the perfect way to petrify party guests on a stormy night. Make sure to watch this one under the dimmest light possible. Asa would have demanded it. 

Interview with the Vampire

When director Neil Jordan was tasked with adapting Anne Rice's iconic 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire, a who's who of A-List '90s heartthrobs — including Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas — signed on to turn this queer masterwork into an entertaining big-budget affair. 

It's a gay time for all as these hunks show their sensitive sides, while letting blood spill through the streets of 1791 New Orleans. Another fantastic facet of this gothic creepshow is the performance by a 10-year-old Kirsten Dunst, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of child vampire Claudia. Watching her evolution from innocent child to bloodthirsty creature will add some emotional weight to your October watch list. And don't forget to check out the new AMC series adaptation, which is already garnering rave reviews. 

The Village

One of M. Night Shyamalan's more divisive films also happens to be my favourite of his. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody and Sigourney Weaver, The Village tells the tale of a 19th-century hamlet tucked away in the woods of Pennsylvania. The inhabitants of the small town all fear what they call "Those We Don't Speak Of" — a species of strange monsters who lurk in the forest surrounding their enclave. To keep the evils out, the villagers assembled a large wall around the town, which no resident should pass.

While initial response to this monstrous thriller was negative, it has enjoyed new life as a cult favourite in recent years. Sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, and elicit some polarized responses from your friends, The Village is ideal material for a candlelight viewing party this October.