HORROR THROUGH THE AGES

The horror genre has been around for

many years but it has had a number of key changes...

THE 1920’sOne of the first ever horror films, Nosferatu was

released in 1922. Horror films in the 1920’s were dark, shadowy, gothic, vampiric and

featured scenes of mutilation and Nosfuratu is no exception. The horrors of this time reflected the fact that audiences were terrified of mystical monsters found in literature. In the 1920’s mise-en-scene

elements such as costume and setting were used to create a scary effect for the

audience.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k51eCnC8ucw&safe=active

THE 1930’sHorrors in the 1930’s also featured monsters, they

were gothic in style for they often featured howling, wolves, vampires, mists and eerie

castles set in far off lands. The 1930’s was when sound was introduced to horror films. The Bride of

Frankenstein was released in 1935 and seen to be one of the greatest horrors ever made, it was

also the first to feature a female monster. Dracula was released in 1931and starred Lugosi who was a horror star of this decade. The film included a

cape, fangs and blood-sucking, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nfmh178L98 – Dracula

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zhqCccFsGc&safe=active - The Bride of Frankenstein

THE 1940’sHorror films were banned in Britain in the 1940’s because of World War II so America took over. In this decade, horrors featured

characters that turned into animals or were half man/half beast. Cat People was

released in 1942 and was one of the first to feature film methods used today. It featured a female character that was feared, though attractive, the ‘monster’ Irena stalked the streets in cat form, terrorising and killing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrsymAhI0U&safe=active – Cat People

THE 1950’s

In the 1950’s teenagers were the main audience for horror films. World War II made

reality scarier than on-screen horrors however, audiences did fear the effects of

radiation, technological change and scientific experimentation cue, The Fly. The Fly was

released in 1958 and was typical of the era, with mutated creates affected by radiation. The Blob was another film released in the

50’s it featured a amoeba-like creature that petrified a town.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUsyXQ8Wrs – The Blob

THE 1960’sHorror historian Andrew Tudor discussed how horror changed before and after 1960.

Before, horrors had ‘closed narratives’ where the ‘monster’ was destroyed,

however, post 1960, ‘open narratives’ were introduced where the monster was not always definitely destroyed. “The old horror was either dead or dying; a new

horror was about to be born”... – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)

THE 1960’s

Fears that had gripped the 1950’s were now gone and the 1960’s was a period of sexual liberation, drugs, fashion

and freedom, it was a time where society changed forever. Monsters of the 1960’s were now in human

form and the murky darkness of the human mind was explored, audiences saw the monstrous potential of man. Psycho was released in 1960, the Hitchcock classic featured a ‘monster’ that was a man! The

antagonist of the film, Norman Bates looked normal, but on the outset he was a psycho. Hitchcock has

claimed he chose the name Norman because it sounds like ‘normal’ yet Norman was no where near ‘normal’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg - Psycho

THE 1970’sThe 1970’s was the end of optimism that came

from the 1960’s, horrors grew in quality, while tackling society’s fears simultaneously. The

1970’s was when the ‘slasher’ and ‘Final Girl’ were born. Now that the idyllic family of the 1950s had crumbled away, society’s fears at

the time were to do with children and childbirth because of the introduction of ‘the Pill’ and the birth defects caused by Thalidomide. The idea

that the enemy could be found in your own home was reflected in 1970’s horror.

THE 1970’s

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in 1974 and is about five friends visiting one of their grandfather's house in the country. The teenagers are hunted and terrorised by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3981DoINw

• The Exorcist was released in 1973, It features a child possessed by evil, reflecting the fear society had of disturbed children in the 1970’s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k&safe=active

THE 1980’s

The 1980’s was a time of technological change and there was an increased use of special effects.

VCRs were introduced in homes so horrors could now be watched at home. Horrors of the 80s were all about show, they included lots of colour, SFX,

brighter lighting and a full view of gruesome killings. A Nightmare on Elmstreet was released in

1984, it is typical of the 1980’s as it involves excessive gore and brightly lit sets. The first

victim, Tina, is slashed to pieces for having sex, this is a convention of horror.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MLLMASSXSg – A Night Mare on Elmstreet – Tina’s Death

THE 1990’s

In the 1990’s audiences became too clued up on horror conventions and found them too predictable.

They were becoming sick of guts and gore and wanted more intelligent horror. Cue Silence of the

Lambs, a disturbing psychological horror that features a serial killer and cannibal, Hannibal

Lector. Scream was another film released in the mid 90’s. Wes Craven acknowledged how genre-

savvy audiences were by having characters in the film who were aware of and mocked horror

conventions. They still died though...! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I – Silence of the Lambs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBgW5UwPVac - Scream

The 2000’s and Beyond

The tragedy of 9/11 changed our view of what is scary. Audiences feared the evil that lurks in

our world, especially terrorists. Audiences are now enjoying different kinds of horror such as

psychological and supernatural. Modern horrors often feature a game, a race against time (e.g. Saw) or a killing force that cannot

be seen. Remakes and spoofs have also became popular in our era. (e.g Scary Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsHCoKGxjLk&safe=active – Scary Moviehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8ZEK44gbYI&safe=active - Saw

The 2000’s and Beyond

Horror films shot in a ‘found footage’ style have also become popular, e.g. Paranormal Activity and Grave

Encounters. This makes the material on screen seem more ‘real’ for audiences

and therefore more terrifying. Possession and exorcism films have also became popular in this era, such as ‘The

Devil Inside’ and ‘The Possession’.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8FBRATbJoA - Grave Encounters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNf8GtSamGk&safe=active – The Possession