Why Cape Fear Is Secretly Martin Scorsese's Best Horror Movie
Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear gets lost in the sea of his critically acclaimed filmography but is secretly the best horror film the acclaimed director has made. When talking about Scorsese's experience with the horror genre, his 2010 thriller Shutter Island inevitably dominates much of the discourse. Cape Fear, however, a remake of J. Lee Thompson's 1962 film of the same name, better accomplishes a perfect balance of operatic filmmaking and brutal psychological horror. Cape Fear is labeled a thriller, but its nihilistic tone and Robert De Niro's monstrous portrayal of villain Max Cady make this a hidden horror gem.
Scorsese's filmography is filled with a plethora of genres ranging from crime thrillers to family-friendly adventures, but he has rarely dipped his toes into the horror genre. His films have featured horrific imagery, like the final scenes of After Hours or Travis Bickle's descent into madness in Taxi Driver, but he has made only films that could be classified as horror. Shutter Island is outward horror; its cinematography is dark and atmospheric and its imagery and setting catered toward the horror crowd, whereas the more terrifying elements of Cape Fear creep into the film like Max himself.
Related: Cape Fear 1991: Biggest Differences To The Original Movie
Cape Fear reveals itself as Martin Scorsese's best horror movie because of the way that it disguises itself as a thriller that slowly unveils its horror elements. The themes of the film are undeniably terrifying; lawyer Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) is being harassed by his former client Max Cady, a criminal who was incarcerated for 14 years for the sexual assault of a minor. Max seeks revenge on Sam for the time he lost, vowing to make him "learn
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