History of Genre HORROR:By Rumana Begum

The first horror film – 19th Century

• The Lumiere Brothers demonstrated an eerie interest in the macabre although the term ‘horror’ was not introduced until the 1930s. They produced a horror film called ‘Spook Tales’ which involved a dancing skeleton.

• The fragment of the dancing skeleton shows that the skeleton was seen as a horror element and convention as it symbolised death.

• Death had also become a convention in a horror movie due to this.

• That’s why death is occurred a lot in horror films even today because it is very significant, from the very start.

1900s – 1920s• During these decades, the elements of a horror film

would be the eerie atmosphere.• Also, Madmen and evil doctors were introduced.• With the players moving as symbols through the

surreal landscape, their stark make up adding to the dreamlike sensation.

• This juxtaposed dramatically with the documentary style of film making it very dominant in Europe at the time. A lot was written on the politics of ‘The Cabinet’, representing as it does puppet humans controlled by a sadistic madmen.

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• It related very much with the German audience of the time, since they were suffering from the economic consequences of war reparations, helpless in the face of spiralling inflation.

• Nosferatu as introduced in the 1920s • It was also the first ever vampire film. The

introduced vampires into the horror genre.

1930s • This decade was when they began to add

background music to create suspense and to create the perfect ‘eerie atmosphere’.

• This was the decade where ‘horror’ was very popular, as horror from the 1900s to 1920s was all about the war and the depression. When it came to the 1930s, people used horror as a form of escapism where they could get lost into the story and be more attracted to it. Also cinema tickets weren’t that expensive as they were affordable. It was a ‘National Obsession’.

• 80 million people attended the cinema on a weekly basis and 65% of the total US population.

Continued…• In 1931, the film ‘Dracula’ was introduced.

The famous ‘evil laugh’ was introduced and sounds of screams were used more often. The sounds of screaming and evil laughs had built up that horror/evil character image.

• Movies were also coming out in colour which created great effects and imagery.

• Another great film ‘Frankenstein’ was introduced.

• ‘The Mummy’ was also introduced a year after. The three different types of villains (vampires, monsters and mummies) were the face of horror films. To this day, these three figures are seen as a convention in a horror movie.

1940s• Horror movies were very popular in America as most

were banned in the UK. The horror movies of the 1930s had distributed well-established fictional monsters, looking back towards the nineteenth century for inspiration, the 1940s reflected the internalisation of the horror market.

• Werewolves were introduced in the 1940s. Hitler himself liked the idea of wolves. The name 'Adolf' means "noble wolf" in Old German. Various Nazi party HQ were named for wolves - Wolfsschulcht (Wolf's Gulch) in France, Werewolf (Manwolf) in the Ukraine and Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) in East Prussia. He made his sister change her name to 'Paula Wolf' and his favourite secretary was one Johanna Wolf (he referred to her as 'Wölfin' (she-wolf). This shows that werewolves were seen as a bad image and scary image to the audience, so it reflects Hitler’s personality and imagery.

1950s• This was when creatures were introduced like ‘It

Came From Beneath The Sea’. • The idea of lost souls and ghoulish themes were

still used in the 1950s. The film ‘House on Haunted Hill’ was a popular film a it involved paranormal activities happening around the house.

• ‘The Tingler’, Grossing over $2million off a $400,000 budget, The Tingler was another success, and is an object lesson in marketing hype. The story is, in the main, misogynistic melodrama, and the solitary insectoid monster that seems onscreen is just over a foot long.

• Also, aliens and science fiction based monsters was introduced into the horror genre. At this time people were claiming to see strange objects flying in the sky. So, Alien based movies were made like ‘Invasion of the body snatchers (1956)’

1960s• This was when they showed animals as

monsters. • Films were released were normal animals

had become the monstrous image like ‘Cat people (1942)’ and ‘The Birds’.

• ‘Psycho’ showed the monstrous side of humans as the film is about a man who becomes a psycho.

• This was the decade were there were a lot of horror/thriller collaborations.

• Movies were beginning to have more gore and strong language so they were required to have certificate ratings.

• Zombies were used a lot in horror movies at this time. The spirits and death aroma, the spine-chilling scenes and suspense created great thriller/horror movies.

1970s• Some of the greatest horror movies came out

in the 1970’s. • The idea of spirits had led to exorcism, ‘to the

scariest movie of all time’, ‘The Exorcist’. • At the time people started to let go of religion

and stop going to church. This film was to influence people to start going to church again so that evil spirits and demons won’t enter their body.

• The writer’s purpose in writing the novel was to shock and provoke people into questioning their faith, as major theologians have been saying for years, it is easier to make people believe in the Devil than believe in God.

• Another great movie ‘The Omen’ was out in 1976.

1980s• ‘The Shining’ was out during this decade. • In the 1980s, they focused on everyday life

and created these things into scary creatures.

• Nightmare On Elm Street is about Freddy Krueger that appears in yours nightmares. This was very effective as everyone has to sleep at some point, this scared the audience very much.

• Toys are used by all children. Childs Play manipulates this and makes it seem as if the toys are actually demonic and life-like.

• The theme of werewolves and aliens were still used.

1990s • New technology was introduced and

everything was developing – fast. • In this decade, it concentrated on serial

killers. Some movies concentrated on previous aspects like monsters, vampires and ghoulish themes.

• Since there was more crime and murder, serial killers was the hot horror topic of the decade.

• ‘Scream (1996)’ was about a serial killer leaving clues and murdering people. The film created suspense and kept the audience interested as they were curious to find out who’s the killer(s) of the story.

2000s- Present• The main topic of this decade to this day

is usually about apocalypse and doomsday.

• We went back to the idea of aliens, vampires, werewolves, monsters, spirits, demons and serial killers.

• In this decade, we are still continuing from the old classics but adding new themes into the horror genre.

• Most movies are being remade from the old movies e.g. Fright Night.

• Doomsday and 2012 was made because most people had a theory that the world would end in 2012. also other apocalyptic movies were because of this.