The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel, or, Read the room, Nan

In the most recent episode of my new favorite series, Widow’s Bay, a couple of teens are watching an old black and white horror movie on TV. Thanks to the work of recap podcasters scouring the show for details, I learned that it’s a 1960 British movie called The City of the Dead, or Horror Hotel in its US release. Since it’s (currently) easy to watch for free online, I figured it was worth checking out as a curiosity, if nothing else. My condescendingly low expectations turned out to be unfounded, since not only is it fun and engaging, but genuinely atmospheric and artful. In retrospect, it wasn’t surprising to learn that it was an early collaboration between the producers who would go on to form Amicus Productions. They made a series of movies that American horror history novices like myself would just assume were Hammer Horror productions. I’ve only seen a few so far — including one of my all-time favorites, The Beast Must Die! — but they all have a similar vibe: something you’d…