What a month! For better or worse, January is behind us. I thought it might be fun to share some recommendations from the films I watched this month. Inspired by a friend, I spent a lot of time exploring silent films this month, so a fair amount will appear in this list. That said, there were a few others from the non-silent era that I really enjoyed as well.
January 2026 Recs
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)- Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep. Technically, this was a rewatch for me, but I hadn’t watched it since college. Not only does this film still hold up, but it’s one of the earliest feature-length horror films. I really enjoyed revisiting this stunning film. [my most recent review]
- The Legend of Hell House (1973)- A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic, and the only survivor of a previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove or disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation and solve the mystery of the Hell House. The Legend of Hell House had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, so I decided to kick off the year with it. I wasn’t disappointed! It has some great performances and visuals!
- Blink Twice (2024)- When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. But despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne, and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s something sinister hiding beneath the island’s lush façade. I held off on this movie because of folks online saying it was like a modern giallo movie. As someone who isn’t a giallo fan, that didn’t appeal to me. Fortunately, I took a chance, and it didn’t feel like a giallo film at all! There are parts of the film that are admittedly tough to watch (due to subject matter), but overall, it’s a stylish film with great
casting and a ton of food! - Dante’s Inferno (1911)- The classic tale of Dante’s journey through hell, loosely adapted from the Divine Comedy and inspired by the illustrations of Gustav Doré. This historically important film stands as the first feature from Italy and the oldest fully-surviving feature in the world, and boasts beautiful sets and special effects that stand above other cinema of the era. Dante’s Inferno is another classic film that I was glad to have finally seen. It’s considered to be the first feature-length horror film and the first feature out of Italy. Terror Vision has a nice restoration that’s worth checking out.
- The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)- Convinced that his family is tainted by generations of evil, Roderick Usher is hellbent on stopping his sister Madeline’s wedding to prevent the cursed Usher bloodline from expanding. When her fiancé Allan arrives at the crumbling estate to claim his bride, Roderick goes to ruthless—even deadly—lengths to keep them apart. Yes, I understand that you might be sick of hearing me gush about silent horror films, but too bad! This film has an air of coziness to it despite its melancholic gothic vibes. I watched a version on YouTube that I preferred over the one on Tubi. [my full review on Letterboxd]
I hope y’all enjoy these recommendations! If so, I’ll do an article like this monthly to share what I’ve been watching! What did you check out in January? Let me know in the comments below so I can add things to my watchlist!