3 Artful & Stylish Horror Movies

Pop some corn, mix in some Milk Duds, and you're ready to watch a few of my favorite horror flicks that will get you in the mood for Halloween while at the same time being great examples of period style and decor:

**1. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980)**

This is a definite must see--not only for Jack Nicholson's masterful performance as a writer who quickly becomes deranged--but for the interiors of this snowed-in lodge that's a mix of both historic Art Deco rooms and a few 1970s upgrades such as the famous geometric carpet that's all the rage right now in tile and flooring. Only the exterior shot is of Oregon's Timberline Lodge; most of the scenes were elaborate sets constructed from road trip studies of many historic hotels.

**2. Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (2015)**

If you're into a modern gothic horror movie, then turn to the master of monsters, Guillermo del Toro and Crimson Peak (starring Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain). A young bride is swept up in a whirlwind romance that leads to a quick marriage and a move to her new husband's remote mansion away from civilization, of course. This movie, with its rich Victorian sets that were actually constructed vs. computer generated, moves you along as you wonder if this is some kind of Del Toro version of Wuthering Heights, or could it be even more disturbing? (Yep.)

**3. House on Haunted Hill (1959)**

Calling all Vincent Price fans! If you haven't seen the House on Haunted Hill, then you're in for a treat. Price plays the host to his houseguests--survive the night locked in his creepy mansion, and you'll be handed a check for $10,000 (adjust in today's dollars, and maybe you'd do it). Of course, it's just not that easy... Although the interiors are all Hollywood sets, the exterior of this mansion is a real architectural gem located in the hills of Los Angeles: famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Mayan-inspired Ennis House, also seen in the original Blade Runner.