The History of Horror

By Betsi Burch

Dracula (1931)

Nosferatu (1922)

The Fly (1958)

Cat People (1942)

Psycho (1960)

The Exorsist (1973)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Scream (1996)

Saw (2004)

Although the horror genre has been around for many years, it has had many significant changes as what people are scared of differs as time goes on...

“...(horror) exists in process, in incessant change” – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)

“One of the most

influential models

of the history of

horror cinema sees

it in terms of

distinct periods

of development”

– Peter Hutchings

(The Horror Film)

Introduction

The 1920’sNosferatu (1922)- This was one of the first horror

movies to be released- A dark, shadowy, gothic/vampiric

film- A silent film, atmosphere was

created in the cinemas thanks to a live orchestra.

As shown by Nosferatu, the earliest horrors were eerie, dark and featured scenes of mutilation. They reflected the fact that audiences tended to be scared of mythical monsters, as these featured in the horror literature that was popular at the time.

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The 1930’sG

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RDracula (1931)- Starred Bela Lugosi, a very famous actor of the time who appeared in many a horror film- Very traditional in style; cape, fangs and blood-sucking were featured throughout the film- Very gothic – howling wolves, mists, eerie castles- First talking horrorThe Bride of Frankenstein (1935)- Starred Boris Karloff, again a very famous horror actor of his time and popular with audiences- Considered as one of the greatest ever horrors - The first horror to feature a female monster. This was not a huge leap forward in terms of the representation of females in horror, nonetheless, as she is pretty and repulsed by Frankenstein’s monster. She does not play a proactive role in the narrative and only appears towards the end.

As shown by Dracula (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), the horror films of the 1930’s were still quite gothic in style, and were set in far away mystical lands that the audience could never frequent and therefore seemed alien and strange. They featured monsters as the antagonist, and were inspired by 19th century novels, which featured the kind of mythical beasts that scared audiences. The 1930’s also saw the first use of sound

The 1940’s

During the 1940’s horror films were banned in Britain due to World War 2. America started to

take over; playing it safe with many films recreating the horrors of the 1930’s. Horrors

featuring characters which turned into animals or were half man/half beast became extremely

popular. Cat People is, in this respect, quite typical of its time.

Cat People (1942)- Featured a female character to be feared by the audience- Although she was beautiful, the ‘monster’ Irena prowled the streets in cat form, terrorising and killing humans. In its representation of females, this film is significant, as it was the first to feature a really dangerous female.- One of the first to use film methods which are still popular today, such as a more subtle and sophisticated approach in the use of camera, editing and sound to create terror for audiences.

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The 1950’s

Post World War 2, Britain was mourning for the 40 million lives lost; horrors of the past decades, such as Frankenstein and

mummies, no longer seemed scary in comparison to real-life horrors. Audiences started to fear the effects of radiation, nuclear war and scientific experimentation. In this decade, teenagers became the main audience for horror films. This

trend has continued to this day.

The Fly (1958)- Typical of the era, as it demonstrates the devastating effects of radiation and what can happen when scientific experimentation goes wrong. Andre Delambre is a scientist who is working on a matter transformation device, but it all goes wrong when he becomes half man, half fly.- The film demonstrates how audiences started to fear the effects scientific experiments and radiation would have on the world The Blob (1958)- Featured a giant, amoeba-like creature who terrorised a town- Again, it is typical of the era; this is a sign that audiences feared the effects of nuclear explosions and radiation on the world and what this things could bring into our midst.

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Andrew Tudor states that horror

changed after the 1960’s – before

the 1960’s, horrors had ‘closed

narratives’ where the monster was

always destroyed. However, post

1960, there were ‘open

narratives’, where the monster

was not always definitely

destroyed (leaving an air of

mystery and room for a sequel!)“The old horror was either dead or dying; a new horror was about to be born...” – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)

The 1960’s

By the 1960’s arrived, audiences were relieved; there were no nuclear explosions or destructions caused by radiation. Fears

which had gripped society in the 50’s were now gone. The 60’s saw a period of massive social change, with drugs, sex

and new fashions becoming much more acceptable and embraced – different attitudes were coming into play and

morals were loosened. It is no surprise, therefore, that audiences started fearing the effects of this on the human mind and considering the monstrous potential of humans

and what a twisted mind might lead them to do.

Psycho (1960)- Directed by well renowned director, Alfred Hitchcock- Featured a ‘monster’ which was a human and looked completely normal.- Chose the name ‘Norman’ for the antagonist; it sounds like normal - Norman Bates looks normal on the surface, but he is actually a psycho with a twisted mind and serious psychological issues.- The film was influenced by the crimes of a real-life psychopath, Ed Gein, setting the trend to base horrors on true cases.Roger Corman’s ‘B’ movies - Featured lots of gore and buxom women- Made with the sole intention of making a profit- Complete opposite of intelligent horrors being made by the likes of Hitchcock

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The 1970’s

The 1970’s was an era of depression; the optimism of the 1960’s had ended. But horrors started to grow rapidly

in quality, whilst still tackling society’s fears. The introduction of ‘the pill’ and birth defects caused by Thalidomide had led audiences to develop a fear of children and childbirth. The once idyllic family of the 1950’s crumbled away, creating a loss of faith and

security in the structure of family life and leading to the idea that the enemy could be in your family network.

This was reflected through 1970’s horrors, for instance, The Shining and The Exorcist. The slasher and the final

girl were also born within this era.

“Some horror critics and historians have come to view the 1970’s as a ‘golden age’ of horror production, as a period in which the genre acquired some maturity and artistic integrity...” – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)

The Exorcist (1973)- Featured a child possessed by evil - Typical of the era as it reflects the fear society had of disturbed children- One of the first possession-based films, creating a sub-category of the supernatural sub-genre that is incredibly popular today.The Shining (1980)- Featured a murderous, violent father- He gets controlled by a supernatural presence and tries to kill his wife and son- Although it was made in 1980, it is seen as an honorary 70’s horror due to it’s mise-en-scene elements and narrative

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The 1980’sA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- Excessive gore and a brightly lit set.- Tina, the first victim, is slashed to pieces for

having sex (the slasher convention of ‘whoever is sexually active gets killed’ was continued and cemented).

- Advances in prosthetics, make up and SFX were made use of in this film.

In the 1980’s there was a lot of technological change – special effects became much more advanced and this was reflected in horror films. Society had become more materialistic and the bigger/flashier the better. Therefore, horrors in the 80’s were all about show – there was lots of colour, special effects, killers in full view, gruesome killings, brighter lighting. Monsters still remained human, though, as society still feared the evil of fellow human beings. However, horrors could now be watched at home due to VCR technology. This heightened the fear-factor to some extent, as audiences would have been on red-alert to and watchful of possible horrors in their own homes, whilst watching or just after watching these films.

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The 1990’sScream (1996)- Wes Craven acknowledged how genre-savvy

audiences were bored of the same narratives cropping up again and again and of the predictability of horror films. He made sure to feature characters who were aware of and mocked horror conventions within the film, just as the audience were. Despite being clued up on horror, however, they still died, a message to the audience that knowledge will not keep you safe.

Audiences had become bored of guts and gore by the time the 1990’s came around; they wanted much more intelligent horror. They were too clued up on horror conventions and had started to find horror films really predictable. Scream (1996) challenges the predictability of your typical slasher, and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was refreshing for audiences; a disturbing and intelligent, psychological horror featuring serial killer and cannibal, Hannibal Lecter.

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The 2000’sOne Missed Call (2008)- Featured a murderous force which couldn’t be seen- Typical of the era, as it features mobile phones as the

channel through which evil communicates, reflecting the rise of technology within the world

The Saw Franchise- Killing becomes a sick twisted game in which the

victims are forced to take part- Victims ultimately kill themselves; an intellectual horror

which suits contemporary society, as they want to be intellectually challenged.

The tragedy of 9/11 changed society’s view of what is scary; audiences started to fear the evil which lurks in the world, such as terrorism. Modern horrors tend to feature a game which involves a race against time or a killing force which can’t be seen. Remakes and spoofs also became very popular, with classic horrors like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Omen being re-created and audiences became more open minded to variety when it came to horror; psychological, supernatural and zombie horrors are all now enjoyed, along with many others. Realism also became key; horrors are now often ‘based on a true story’ which ensures the audience is scared on a whole new level, and this phrase is often featured in horror movie promotional packages.

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The 2010’s and beyond...Grave Encounters (2011)- Shot in a ‘found footage’ style in order to

create realism, and scare the audience further

The Possession (2012)- Scary possession and exorcism films are

more popular than ever, especially with younger audiences, and are also cheap to make. They have proven to be box office hits!

Throughout this decade so far, supernatural horrors have dominated. They are popular with contemporary audiences who fear the unknown and any kind of evil that cannot be controlled. The ‘found footage’ style works wonderfully with these films, as it heightens the idea that the events covered in the films have happened or could happen.

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From studying the History of Horror, I have found that what happens in society at that time, affects the kind of horrors being both made by media practitioners and

watched by audiences. For example, the 60’s saw massive changes within society, and horror films of the time also saw change; Psycho was like no other

horror film before, and it set the bar for horror films from then onwards. From the 70’s, horror films such as The Exorcist became popular due to society’s fear of

disturbed children and the no longer ‘idyllic’ family. Therefore, when it comes to my horror movie, I have decided to reflect a modern day fear – stalking.

Celebrity culture is such a huge influence in peoples lives nowadays; famous people often have their privacy invaded by not only the media, but by fans as well. Many celebrities are stalked by their fans, including Leonardo DiCaprio,

Tyra Banks, Hilary Duff, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Aniston. We even watch shows such as ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ – we can see prominent figures within

society just going about their daily business. When a celebrity goes through a break up, it is splashed all over the news. All of this begs the question as to

when is it a fan goes too far? I personally believe that many celebrities aren’t given the privacy that a normal person would be given, and that they are

entitled to. If a normal, unfamous, person was treated in this way, it would be extremely frightening and disturbing for the individual. Therefore, we chose to

reflect the fact we live in a society where we are constantly focusing on individuals (and being watched ourselves via CCTV cameras and such) as we felt

this would be a horrific experience.