History of Horror

Horror Films 

The 'Devils castle' in 1869 is regarded as the first horror film to be made. However, the most influential film came at a later date of 1922 with 'Nosferatu' and thus, the genre of horror was established. 

 

1920s

'Noferatu' was made during the German Expressionist Movement (a number of related creative movements that began in Germany before the First World War), using the techniques of shadows and lowlights to evoke fear and terror. It was not the first horror film to be developed - however has since come to be regarded as an 'influential masterpiece of cinema'. 

 

1930s

The late 20s/30s brought the development of sound in cinema, something that influenced the effectiveness of horror films on the audience - as it was now that sound could be used to horrify alongside the images. 'Frankenstein' 1931 can be used to mark the beginning of the horror genre in hollywood. A furthur example would be 'Werewolf of London' 1935, it was here that the conventions of monsters being drawn from literature were challeged. This however had somehow failed to captivate audiences quite like films before it. Yet, it had now created the idea of  lycanthropy being a transmissible disesase, and conseqently, the idea has since influenced many films - across all genres, not explicity horror.

1940s

During the 40s, there was the fasination of the perfect being/the evils of human nature that ran throughout horror films. This is perhaps due to the influences of society at the time, as it was of course at the time of when Hitler and the Nazis were stripping the Jews of their rights (Nuremberg Laws). An example of this in film would be the sci - fi horror 'Bride of Frankenstien' 1935 - reflecting fears of the time in society to create horror. 

1950s

After the idea of human evil as a threat, the 50s brought the fear of aliens. The fears of society were still a prominent influence, as it was the destruction of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that were still fresh in the minds of everyone. This consquently influenced the film 'Godzilla' 1954 that was concieved as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, as regardless of its portrayl as either antihero or monster - it still posed a threat to humanity. Additionally, this theme is also relected in films such as 'Day the World Ended' 1955 and the threat from outer space is being established in films such as 'The Blob' 1958.

1960s

Film in the 1960s was largely influenced by the sexual revolution - this is applicable to the horror genre. The idea behind many horror films was that the threat/enemy was what society created. Alfred Hitchcocks' masterpiece 'Psycho' 1960 is considered as the early establishment of the slasher sub - genre. Its controveral themes of its unprecedented depiction of sexuality and violence are displayed from the opening scene (Sam and Marion shown as lovers in the same bed, with Marion in a bra). This is so iconic as in the Production Code standards at the time, unmarried couples shown iun the same bed would be seen as highly inappropriate. 

1970s

After the treat of human evil, the threat of evil in ourselves was created during the 70s. This relates to the idea of demonic possession, portrayed in supernatural horror 'The Exocist' 1973. The idea of the devil came at the time when the world had just expericenced the end of the Vietnam War, and the film featured many nauseating special effects. This film led the way for the used of intense effects to horrify audiences. Other films produced with religious/satantic influences at the time are 'The Wicker Man' 1973,  'The Omen' 1976 and 'Carrie' 1976.

1980s

During the 80s, the horror film genre saw the rise of gore and violence - refered to as bloodbath films from the excessive use of special effects with blood. Examples of films are 'The Shining' 1980, 'Friday the 13th' 1980 and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' 1984. It was also during this time that the slasher sub-genre peaked, and this boom also created enough material for spoof films that mocked the excessive violence. Many of the low budget 'B-movies' gore fests made during the 80s became cult classics for their original plotlines and consequently inspired other films 

1990s

The horror genre was influenced during the 90s as technology was developing. The fear reflected in film then became the fear of the real. This amplified the effect of horror films, as they became more realistic. An example of an effective horror film that was made was 'The Blair Witch Project' 1999 - this psychological horror was marketed in a way that people were unsure if it was real (as they used fake police reports and interviews that sparked debate). This film also played on the idea of the unknown alongside its realistic theme, and this idea has since developed and is prominent in many other horror films. Additionally, the 1996 film 'Scream' created a turning point in the horror genre. This is due to the fact that its script mocked and embraced all the typical conventional clichés of films before it as the characters in it were openly aware of horror films. It also managed to revive the sub - genre of slasher and many original films from the 80s consequently were remade. 'Silence of the Lambs' 1991 is also significant in the history of horror as the psychological thriller caused controversy over accusations of homophobia, transphobia and sexism (portrayal of Buffalo Bill as bisexual and transsexual). The director responded that he wasn't a gay character, just wished to be as far away from himself as possible - so wishing he was women. He then added that there is "tremendous absences of positive gay characters in movies". It was also critiqued for its skinning alive of women.

 2000s

This era began relatively quietly for the horror genre. It began with the success of more psychological horrors than the previous popularity for the slasher sub - genre, and also brought the application of "less is more" in film. This is shown in the late 90s film 'The Blair Witch Project' that was filmed with much with the actors not aware of what was going to happen on set. It also brought back popularity for zombie/disease films with 'I am Legend' 2007, 'Quarantine' 2008 and 'Zombieland' 2009. Additionally, the era began the remaking old classics, that with the development in film technology caused them to somehow lose their edge. 

2010s

Remakes remained popular and found footage style videos became popular on YouTube, most notably 'Slender Man'. The horror genre has moved from the big screen to screens at home - many original films have been developed into television series. Examples include;  'Psycho' created 'Bates Motel', 'Silence of the Lambs' spawned 'Hannibal' and 'Scream' has since been developed. There has also been the original development of horror onto TV screens like 'American Horror Story' and 'The Walking Dead'.  Films such as 'Cabin in the Woods' 2012 led to the return of slasher, and consequently films like 'Girl House' 2014 subverted traditional horror tropes of sexuality and slasher films.