When fans think of horror, one of the biggest names over the last few decades has been musician-filmmaker Rob Zombie. From his homages to 70s and 80s grindhouse cinema to his stylized reboot of the Halloween franchise, he’s brought bone-chilling frights to the screen for the last 20 years. And while critics and fans were divided over his comedic 2022 take on The Munsters origin story, no one can argue Zombie’s horror genre credentials.

Whether he’s drawing comparisons to horror king Dario Argento with his witchcraft tale Lords of Salem or serving up a pack of clowns more sadistic than Pennywise, Zombie’s unique spins on classic horror themes range from darkly funny to downright disturbing. So, what scares a director whose career is built on the stuff of nightmares — and where does he draw inspiration? A lifelong fan of the genre, Rob Zombie’s favorite horror movies span decades and cover all manner of monster and mayhem.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Frankenstein (1931)

     Universal Pictures 

Frankenstein has shown up on the screen many times — with everyone from Robert De Niro and Benedict Cumberbatch to Mel Brooks and Diablo Cody taking their turns at retelling the story. But it was the 1931 feature directed by James Whale that remains the most creepily classic. Featuring Boris Karloff in the iconic role of Frankenstein’s monster, this tale of terror packs a scary punch, and earns high praise from Zombie. As he told Revolver in 2014, “What Elvis is to rock and roll, Frankenstein is to horror movies. It’s the first, best, and the greatest.”

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

White Zombie (1932)

     United Artists

Bela Lugosi stars in White Zombie in one of his most sinister roles: a Haitian sugar mill owner who uses a potion to control the minds of his workers. Zombie movies have come a long way since this film based on the 1929 book The Magic Island by William Seabrook. Over the decades, zombie movies have evolved into a cultural phenomenon and genre of film in their own right. But as Zombie explained to Rotten Tomatoes, “I’m pretty sure it’s the first movie to ever use the word ‘zombie’ — to use that in a movie.” Just how deep are Zombie’s feels for this flick? Look no further than the fact that he named his band White Zombie, as he mentioned to Rotten Tomatoes: “I love that movie so much, and I always thought, ‘What a great name for a band.’ I thought that way before I ever had a band. I go, ‘If I ever had a band, that would be the name.’”

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

     Bryanston Distributing Company

After writing, producing, and directing Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper went on to helm other creepy classics such as Poltergeist (1982) and TV miniseries Salem’s Lot (1979). But the chainsaw-touting character Leatherface is by far Hooper’s most infamous creation. And though the film graphically depicts a family of rural cannibals brutalizing of a van full of teenagers, many forget that the amount of gore shown on-screen is tame by the standards of many of the horror films it has influenced, including those by Zombie. “It’s not that bloody, as much as it seems it would be,” Zombie explained to Esquire, “It’s just the style that it was made in. It’s beautifully shot — it’s that really rough, handheld look. Usually movies look like movies. This just looked like you were there.”

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

     Paramount Pictures

Based on the H.G. Wells classic, Island of Lost Souls features Charles Laughton as the mad scientist Dr. Moreau. On a secluded island, Moreau performs twisted experiments resulting in bizarre creatures that are half human, half animal, and completely gruesome. And while this film has been remade several times — including a 1996 version starring acting great Marlon Brando as Moreau — none have matched the creep-factor of the original.

In fact, Zombie is still in awe of the movie all these years later, telling Rotten Tomatoes, “That movie is amazing. That movie’s dark. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, the extras — I mean, even now you watch like, this is really disturbing.” Demented doctors such as Moreau have popped up a few times in Zombie’s own films, such as the terrifying Dr. Satan in House of 1000 Corpses (Zombie’s first film) or the obsessive Samuel Loomis in Halloween.

The Thing (1982)

     Universal Pictures

John Carpenter’s sci-fi gore-fest, The Thing, remains as disgusting today as the day it was released. One of the undisputed masters or horror, Carpenter had already directed Halloween and The Fog before bringing The Thing to theaters. Starring Kurt Russell (who also worked with Carpenter in the Escape From New York films), the movie tells the story of isolated scientists in Antartica who encounter a vicious, shape-shifting alien that makes the team suspect and turn on one another as it murders them one by one.

And though Zombie undertook the daunting task of remaking Carpenter’s classic Halloween in 2007, few may be aware of his fond feelings for Carpenter’s re-imagining of the 1951 version of The Thing. In a piece featured on Vice, Zombie spoke about Carpenter’s remake: “It seems as though the remake has eclipsed the original in some respects. People always go, ‘I hate remakes,’ and they don’t realize that’s a remake sometimes. It’s great, I’ve always loved John Carpenter.”

Carnival of Souls (1962)

     Herts-Lion International 

Though Carnival of Souls was the only feature-length film ever directed by Herk Hervey, it has endured as one of the most influential horror films of all time. With a slow, ominous pace and ambiance of mysterious dread, Carnival of Souls follows the haunting of woman named Mary. After she narrowly avoids death in a drag race, Mary is stalked and pursued by a pack of ghostlike people (led by a menacing, nameless ghoul portrayed by director Hervey).

“That’s a great movie, I love movies that [rely on] the atmosphere,” Zombie told Vice. And the sinister vibe of the film is not just a result of the cinematography, actors and story. The film was uniquely scored by Gene Moore to feature dark, dramatic and unearthly organ music throughout.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

     United Film Distribution Company (UFDC)

“Dawn of the Dead is probably the movie I love the most,” Zombie told Vice. George Romero’s sequel to his groundbreaking 1968 debut Night of the Living Dead was hailed as an instant classic in its own right by horror fans. Zombie described his love for this brain-gobbling zombie flick to Vice by explaining: “Dawn blew me away, I loved it. It became one of those things where I had it on VHS and I’d watch it every single day. Even if I wasn’t paying attention to it, the sound in the background was soothing.” With special effects by Tom Savini and a soundtrack scored with the help of Dario Argento, Dawn Of The Dead brought together some of the most well-known horror virtuosos of the 20th Century — and remains a touchstone for horror movies to this day.