British horror cinema of the 1940s often blurred the boundaries between supernatural drama, Gothic mystery, psychological thriller, and dark comedy. Ghost stories and haunted houses remained prominent, while films such as Dead of Night (1945) explored darker and more psychologically unsettling approaches to the supernatural. Literary adaptations and macabre mysteries further shaped a varied decade that anticipated the more explicitly Gothic horror that would emerge during the 1950s.
This page brings together selected British horror films from the 1940s, providing an overview of the decade’s diverse approaches to horror and related genre filmmaking.
British horror films released during the 1940s
Explore selected British horror films released between 1940 and 1949, spanning supernatural tales, Gothic mysteries, ghost stories, psychological thrillers, and other variations of the genre.
- **** indicates available on 4K UHD
- *** indicates available on Blu-ray
- ** indicates available on DVD
- * indicates No disc
| Title |
|---|
| 1940 |
| ** The Case of the Frightened Lady |
| ** Crimes at the Dark House |
| *** The Door with Seven Locks |
| 1941 |
| ** The Ghost of St. Michael’s |
| ** The Ghost Train |
| * Old Mother Riley’s Ghosts |
| * Spellbound |
| *** Tower of Terror |
| 1942 |
| ** Back-Room Boy |
| *** The Night Has Eyes |
| 1943 |
| ** My Learned Friend |
| 1944 |
| * Candles at Nine |
| *** The Halfway House |
| 1945 |
| *** Blithe Spirit |
| **** Dead of Night |
| * Latin Quarter |
| * A Place of One’s Own |
| 1946 |
| ** The Curse of the Wraydons |
| 1947 |
| * Uncle Silas |
| 1948 |
| ** Castle Sinister |
| ** Daughter of Darkness |
| ** The Fall of the House of Usher |
| * The Fatal Night |
| ** The Greed of William Hart |
| ** House of Darkness |
| ** The Monkey’s Paw |
| * Night Comes Too Soon |
| ** Things Happen at Night |
| * The Three Weird Sisters |
| 1949 |
| * Melody in the Dark |
| *** The Queen of Spades |
| 31 titles |