History Of The GenreBy Abid Ahmed

IntroductionI have chosen to study two genres; Horror and Thriller. Horror movies have a variety of different jump scares and maybe even gory scenes. Horror movies are generally about demonic possession, ghosts, zombies and serial killers etc. However, Thriller movies have an aspect of mystery, creating suspensions and there is usually a build up of anticipation for something to occur. Thriller movies typically involve violence, mysteries, puzzles etc. This research will aid me when planning the opening of my film because it will allow me to understand what I should include within it.

1920’sThe 1920’s were the silent era with books used as entertainment and the base of films.

• The first horror film was called The House of the Devil directed by Georges Méliès in 1896. The short film featured many conventions of Horror films such as witches and ghosts.

• Alfred Hitchcock had directed the first Thriller film called The Lodger (1927) which was based around Jack The Ripper. He also directed a few more Thriller films such as Blackmail (1929) which was actually the first sound film in Britain.

1930’s - 1940’sIn this decade, new technology was invented. Films were now able to produce diegetic and nondiegetic sound.

• Hit Horror films such as Dracula (1931) had been produced by Ted Browning as well as Frankenstein (1931) by James Whale.

• Alfred Hitchcock had continued to direct more suspense Thriller films, one of which won an Oscar. The movie was Rebecca (1940). He created the most commonly used conventions in Thriller such as suspense and mystery.

1950’s During this decade, people were still recovering from the wars that had been occurring previously. There were also major actors/actresses that were being used in films. Moreover, ‘Technicolor’ was introduced into the film industry.

• The Fly (1958) was a horror film that was directed by Kurt Neumann. This was one of the first films to explore the use of CGI effects within films, which allowed conventions such as monsters look more realistic.

• Thriller films started to feature new famous actress Marilyn Monroe, increasing the genre’s popularity. An example of a Thriller film in this decade was Niagara (1953).

1960’sCGI was becoming increasingly popular within Horror films. Society’s views on sex, violence and general behaviour within society were being challenged.• Alfred Hitchcock directed a Horror film called

Psycho (1960), one of his most popular films to this day.

• There were new Thriller films being created. One of which was Peeping Tom (1960) directed by Michael Powell.

1970’s - 1980’sHorror films were being produced with a theme of childbirth or children born with defects. This was due to the issues that were occurring because of Thalidomide, a drug that caused birth defects. Thriller films had become more violent and bloody.

• Alfred Sole released the Horror film Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) and this featured heavy aspects of the catholic religion. The technology advanced and it allowed filmmakers to use close ups that were extremely detailed and realistic. The Horror films were popular for creating gory scenes that showed a lot of bloody content.

• Stephen Spielberg is the most influential director in terms of Thriller movies. In this decade, he had directed Duel (1971). R-Rated films were also more commonly produced, showing explicit scenes.

1990’s - 2000’sThese 2 decades showed more Psychological/Thriller, Horror and Slasher films. Thriller movies implemented more action and psychological aspects. There were also more trilogies being created for the Thriller genre. An example of a Thriller trilogy is The Bourne Trilogy.

• Child’s Play 2 (1990) was directed by Don Mancini and was a part of the Child’s Play movie series. It was a Horror/Slasher film.

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was directed by Jonathan Demme.

2010’s - PresentMany Horror and Thriller classics have been remade making them popular once again. More sequels have been created as well as prequels. Horror films are mainly based around demons and spirits. Thriller films have some action and a high aspect of mystery.

• The Conjuring (2013) is a Supernatural Horror film directed by James Wan which is a true story about a family being haunted by a demonic spirit. This involved demons and spirits as mentioned above.

• Shutter Island (2010) is a Psychological Thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese which is about a U.S. Marshal who investigates the disappearance of a murderer who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. This was a movie which definitely had a high aspect of mystery within it.