Martin Scorsese's Horror Movie Recommendations Are Interesting

When one hears the name Martin Scorsese, one might not necessarily immediately think of the horror genre. But perhaps one should. Over the years, Scorsese has not only delivered bona fide classics of the genre (Cape Fear, Shutter Island or even his early short The Big Shave), but he has also routinely gone to bat for the genre and its respectability time and time again. In a world where the horror genre is generally dismissed as lesser than other genre pursuits, the legendary Scorsese coming to its aid multiple times over the decades has gone a long way. Since he's such a big fan of the genre, let's look at some specific horror films he has praised over the years.

Martin Scorsese Adores A24's Pearl

The closing shot of the horror movie, Pearl

The most recent example of Scorsese adoringly bestowing praise upon a horror film was his public declaration of love for Ti West's Mia Goth-starring X prequel, Pearl. Scorsese loved the movie so much that he personally penned a letter of adoration and sent it to A24. In that letter, Scorsese referred to the film as "mesmerizing" and "deeply disturbing," saying it was "powered by a pure undiluted love of cinema" and that he "...had trouble getting to sleep. But I couldn't stop watching."

It's not hard to see why Scorsese would love Pearl. For starters, it rules. In stark contrast to its predecessor X, which was a fast-paced '70s horror homage to films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Pearl is set in 1918 but formally has more of a late '40s/early '50s technicolor aesthetic. It plays like a Jacques Tourneur-directed, Val Lewton-produced RKO horror film via the stylistic intent of a Powell and Pressburger film. In other words, Pearl is exquisitely crafted.

Martin Scorsese Can't Resist The Innocents

miss giddens holds a candelabra in the innocents 1961

When asked to curate a list of his personal favorite horror films in 2015, Scorsese picked a handful of absolute bangers to discuss, but one of the most revelatory is his inclusion of Jack Clayton's aggressively transcendent classic, The Innocents. The definitive adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents is an utterly immaculately staged film shot in gorgeously pristine black and white by Clayton and cinematographer Freddie Francis. Scorsese writes that The Innocents is "one of the rare pictures that does justice to Henry James" and that "It's beautifully crafted and acted...," referring to Clayton and Francis' incredible work and Deborah Kerr's gradually unraveling lead performance as Miss Giddens. Scorsese is completely right here, as The Innocents has one of the most searing and terrifying endings in horror history.

Martin Scorsese Is in Awe of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining

Scorsese has long been an advocate of the works of Stanley Kubrick, with him having praised everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Barry Lyndon to Eyes Wide Shut multiple times over the years. In that time, Scorsese made it clear that he considered Kubrick's The Shining one of the scariest visions ever put to film. As he put it, "Kubrick made a majestically terrifying movie, where what you don't see or comprehend shadows every move the characters make."

It is not at all surprising that Scorsese would love The Shining. One need simply watch the sheer joy on his face as he watches The Shining in a Charlie Rose interview to see just how exhilarated he is by Kubrick's technical prowess and craftsmanship to understand what itch this scratches for him. Kubrick's King adaptation is also heavily visually influenced by Victor Sjöström's 1921 horror classic The Phantom Carriage, another film Scorsese has professed immense admiration for.

Martin Scorsese Helped Save Night of the Demon

Another film that made the cut of Scorsese's list of top horror film favorites of all time was Jacques Tourneur's Night of the Demon. It is, perhaps, a lesser-known horror film but is a stone-cold masterpiece, so it's great to see Scorsese representing it in such a powerful fashion. Tourneur spent the early '40s cranking out massively successful small-budget, high-concept horror films for RKO, such as Cat People and The Leopard Man, before moving on to other genres such as noir with classics like Out of the Past. However, in 1957, he returned to the horror genre in a startlingly focused fashion with Night of the Demon, delivering what many (including Scorsese) consider his best work. The film was marred by distribution conflicts upon theatrical release but has since been restored. And thanks in no small part to Scorsese's outspoken love for the film, it is now rightfully considered a genuine classic.

Martin Scorsese Praises John Carpenter's Entire Filmography

Scorsese has spoken at length about how much he adores the works of his contemporary, John Carpenter. As he said in his adoring review of They Live, Carpenter's "pictures always have a handmade quality -- every cut, every move, every choice of framing and camera movement, not to mention every note of music, feels like it has been composed or placed by the filmmaker himself." He goes on to name other films, such as Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, The Fog, The Thing and They Live, as some of Carpenter's most exemplary works. Carpenter is an absolutely masterful filmmaker, and it is absolutely delightful to see someone like Scorsese actively praising his prowess.