AS Media Secondary Research (Horror Films)

By Danny Newell

History Of Horror Films

• Horror films have been around only for about 200 years. • They began at the end of the 18th century and has been a

hit genre ever since. • The term ‘Horror’ was first used by Horace Walpole's 1764

novel, ‘The Castle of Otranto’, and ever since has triggered off the style of writing we now call Gothic Horror.

• German Vampire films were the first type of horror film to be made.

• Phantom of the Opera was another early horror film, designed to scare the viewer/audience.

1930’s Horror

• Universal Studios created Count Dracula and Frankenstein horror films.

• The film Dracula was the first Horror film that had sound in it.

• Warner brothers produced the first gangster movie and waxwork horror films.

• Son of Frankenstein was made.

1940’s Horror

• Wartime horror movies were purely an American product.

• Banned in Britain.• Horror movies were released by Hollywood

purely to amuse the domestic audience.• Horror movies were deemed as light hearted

and almost comical in the 1940’s – 1950’s.

1950’s Horror

• Frankenstein was first released in colour. • In 1958 the first Dracula film was released

where Dracula actually had fangs. Some sexual content was involved in the film.

• There was lots of blood and gore in this decade and the light hearted horror soon turned into a distressing watch.

1960’s Horror

• Very popular from British Film Studios.• Hollywood started to produce supernatural

horror and horror that messed with your head as opposed to just blood and gore.

• Budgets were tight so films had to be made cheaply and resourcefully.

1970’s Horror

• They renamed this decade, “The Nightmare Decade” because this was apparently the decade that gave children nightmares because the film industry began to feel more realistic.

• Because society was bad at these times, horror films began to get better and so the films were reflecting the grim moods of the decade.

• The Exorcist, 1973, was voted the worlds most scariest film of all time.

• Although it is now a classic film, The Exorcist was banned from being published on video in from 1973 until 1999 because it was deemed as the most shocking, sick-making and soul destroying work ever to emerge from filmland.”

1990’s Horror

• During the 1990’s horror began to lose its attributes. It wasn’t able to scare the viewers and more than 75% of them found horror films more amusing than scary. (Official survey of Daily Mail 1991).

• The boogeyman (Serial Killer) was first introduced in the 90’s and this was a big shock to the viewers because this frightened them.

• Serial Killers were used in many of the films in the 1990’s such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silence of The Lambs and numerous others.

2000’s Horror

• There were calls to ban horror movies in the name of world peace!

• In 2005 horror films were constantly topping the box office and were becoming more and more popular.

• Films like “Saw” and “Final Destination” were released in which groups of people were getting killed off one by one. This was scary for the viewers because it portrayed the “Am I Next?” feelings.

Thank You