Primal animal within; werewolves and cat people- 1940’s

HISTORY OF HORROR

FILMS FROM THE 1940’S

WORLD WAR II

• World war II - 1939-1945

• ‘Adolf’ means ‘noble wolf’ in old German

• Various Nazi party HQ’s were names after wolves eg. Werwolf (man wolf) Ukraine

• Made his sister change her name to Paula Wolf

• Hitler's favourite secretary was called Joanna Wolf- referred to as 'Wölfin' (she-wolf)

• These are all factors which the media industry used within their films to scare people in the 1940 era

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh20FjAYiXs

WHY USE WEREWOLVES IN MOVIES?

• Many people died in the 1940’s because

of the war.

• This was the main fear factor in peoples

lives so they used this within films.

• Werewolves could be seen as Nazi’s, an idea of this is that when a werewolf bites a human, they then transform and pass on the ‘condition’. This links to how Hitler was trying to take over the world by making people join his army – releasing prisoners etc.

• In Wolfman the werewolf dies, this could be seen as Hitler can be defeated. (Propaganda)

WHY USE CATS IN MOVIES?

• During world war II the men went away to

fight, where as the women were left behind

to do the men's jobs.

• When the men came back from the war, they reclaimed their jobs. The women then went back to doing housework.

• The women experienced ‘slight’ freedom which was then taken away when the men returned. They were unhappy about this and wanted rights resulting in films being released

• Eg. Cat people – A movie where the females dominate the males and hold the power (by seducing and killing them)

• The reason for cats being linked to women in films are that they can both thought to be sly and gracious which links into their key motive to kill in the movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsrFMBWRC1M – ‘The Wolf Man’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ADPSaybusM - ‘Cat People’