Public Domain Horror Movies: Devil Times Five, Vampire Bat & Horror Express

These Little Known Horror Gems Provide Thrills, Chills & Chuckles Galore

Public domain movies, are those whose legal copyright, for one reason or another, have lapsed into being freely distributed by the public. They can be a decidedly mixed bag. For every good or even great one, there are a dozen or more stinky bombs best left alone. The

Internet Archive is a wonderful site which hosts thousands of public domain films from every decade. Here are some of the best horror films I've downloaded from the site.

Devil Times Five

This one is disturbing, weird and funny all at the same time. One thing's for sure, horror fans will savor its off kilter sensibility.

As three couples rendezvous for a big business meeting weekend at a rural house in the snow caped countryside, five children - one hard to truly determine in terms of age - also make their way to the house in the snowy terrain making a ruckus and engaging in some horrific horseplay. This has been compared to other horror films where children are the villains like Children of the Corn or the classic Village Of The Damned, but while those movies dabbled in the supernatural or paranormal, the kids here aren't devil spawned or alien possessed, they're insane. A somewhat murky ending in terms of ultimate motivation to it all may put off some, but the basic scares and frightful fun of horror movies is deftly showcased. There's a shocking basement murder scene alone which makes this one definitely worth a viewing.

The Vampire Bat 1933

Genre favorites like Fay Wray (King Kong), Dwight Frye (Dracula) and Lionel Atwill (Mark Of The Vampire) abound here and though it's more a mystery than anything else, horror fans will delight in the spooky atmosphere and authentic fright feel throughout.

When a small village is plagued by bloody - or is that bloodless - murders, vampires are thought to be at deadly play. What follows is a study in the danger of mob mentality, poignantly portrayed at center by a thoroughly sympathetic Dwight Frye. The ultimate truth may be predictable to some, or way too far fetched for even a horror movie, but it's the performers, well defined characters and great cinematography which sells the movie and makes for more than one viewing.