history of horror

History Of Horror

The horror genre has many ancient origins and roots in religious traditions and folklores, these tend to be focusing on death, the afterlife
Lumière brothers in 1895 created le squelette joyeux . Both audiences and filmmakers demonstrated an early interest in the macabre, although the term 'horror' wasn't used to describe a film genre until the 1930s. These early horror films were referred to at the time as 'Spook tales

Roots To Classic Literature

   

 Frankenstein (written in 1818)

The film Frankenstein was produced by Carl Laemmle, Jr. and directed by James Whale, Frankenstein is a film that was derived from classic literature and widely recognised around the world. The film is about a scientist and his assistant who dig up corpses to build a man animated by electricity, but the assistant accidentally gives the creature an abnormal, murderer's brain.

Dracula (1931)
The film Dracula was produced and directed by Tod Browning, Dracula is a film that was also derived from classic literature, it is well known throughout the world. The film is about the ancient vampire count Dracula and his arrival in England and follows his victim, mina.

The Horror Of The Silent Era 

Silent Films are the films of the early era that were without synchronized sound, from the earliest film (1891)

Horror movies were reborn in the 1930s. The advent of sound, as well as changing the whole nature of cinema forever, had a huge impact on the horror genre.

Monsters And Mad Scientists 

      During the 1930s horror was reborn and featured monsters and mad scientists as the main characters, for example Frankenstein

sound was an important role in these movies as the use of dramatic music built up suspense.

      19th century literary classics were dominating this era still, the films were often set in far off places and the characters would be dressed in period costumes.  

     universal studios  emerged during this decade, finding fame with their horrors, Frankenstein and Dracula. Other famous films from this era include King Kong, The Mummy, Freaks and Bride of Frankenstein 

The Primal Animal Within; Werewolves And Cat People (1940s) 

      This was during world war 2, werewolves could be a representation of the nazis, the idea that when a werewolf bites a human they can transform into this monster and pass on the disease. this has possible links with Hitlers dictatorships and spread of his propaganda.

      The werewolf in Wolfman dies this could be a connotation of Hitlers defeat. Around the time of the 1940s the film industry was an American product and even combined popular themes of the prior two decades with Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943) - a sequel to the original Frankenstein film.

 

    Mutant creatures and alien invaders 

II The horror genre changed massively in the 1950s, the antagonists in horror films took a plunge into the unknown with science fiction alien and mutant lifeforms. Films such as The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and The Tingler (1959) exhibited the differences and comparisons to films from the past decade. The 1950s marked the start of the Cold War, "the iron curtain that fell upon Europe", the threat Russia possessed and the fear of communism had a big effect on communities and the film industry. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) was a reflection of the fear of communism. 

Gore returns with a vengeance 

At the turn of the 2000s horror films were heavily condemned and many even called for the banning of horror movies in the name of "world peace". 9/11 changed the world's perception of what is considered frightening and set the cultural agenda for the following years. Come the mid 2000s the horror genre was as popular as ever with the rise of 'torture porn'. Audiences preferred to watch films about people being tortured and death was inevitable in the ultimate end. Final Destination (2000) was one of the first 'torture porn' films, with films such as the Saw and Hostel franchises defining the era.