1. "He-e-e-e-re's Johnnie!"
The Shining (1980)
Is this your wife? What a lovely throat.
Nosferatu (1922)
GENRE RESEARCH
HORROR
“I know that you’ve been following me”
Disturbia (2007)
“This is Robert Neville. If somebody can hear me, answer me.”
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
2. NOSFERATU (1922)
Is this your wife? What a lovely throat.
Nosferatu (vampire) is one of the first full feature-
length horror films. It is also the first film about
vampires as it is based on Dracula.
Immediately, films are portraying vampires as dangerous creatures who
suck blood from peoples necks, killing them as a result. That stereotype
is present in this film. Although the legend of Dracula is arguably the
thing that started the stereotypes, Nosferatu defined the modern film
industries portrayal of vampires.
3. THE FLY(1958)
"Help me! Help meeeee!]"
The Fly is a science-fiction horror, where a scientist has a
terrible accident using his newly-invented teleportation
machine, creating a half-man half-fly.
The Fly is a film that’s stereotypes mirrors in modern sci-fi
horrors; something supernatural occurs and devastation
follows. The supernatural event also has a scientific
and complex background, much like movies today . 28 Days Later is a
prime example of this, as people are infected with a virus and gain
zombie/monster-like features rather than gaining them out of nowhere.
4. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
(1964)
“This is Robert Neville. If somebody can hear
me, answer me.”
This is another example of a sci-fi horror. As
an adaptation of the book “I Am Legend” The
Last Man On Earth sees a sole survivor forced
to become a hunter of vampires when he finds
himself alone in a city where everyone there has
been infected with a virus that gives them vampire-like features.
Again, this film has a background story rather than the people just
magically turning into monsters. There have been a few adaptations
of the novel: The Last Man On Earth (1964), Omega Man (1971) and
I Am Legend (2007).
5. THE SHINING (1980)
"He-e-e-e-re's Johnnie!"
The Shining is an adaptation of Steven King’s best
selling Novel “The Shining.” It involves a man and his
family going to live in a hotel for the winter, and an evil
presence turns the father psychotic, influencing him to
try and kill all of his family with an axe.
This, I think, influences all modern horror as it has many
modern day stereotypes:
-Denial that anything bad will happen.
-The person (child in this case) who has a special gift.
-The Woman who screams a lot.
6. FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
"Welcome to Fright Night. For real."
Fright Night, essentially, is a true modern
depiction of a Vampire film. The
stereotypes of Vampires that are in the
media are included throughout:
-Killed by daylight.
-Feed on human blood.
-Can’t enter a household/room without permission.
-Weakness is holy water.
The only stereotype that is twisted is that a holy cross does not
affect the vampires in this movie, but you could argue that this
is a common example of a modern vampire film/even a major
influence on vampire films today.
7. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
"I see dead people."
The Sixth Sense is an iconic horror film about
a boy that has contact with the dead. It really
introduces the twist ending to horror films
that has influenced films after it. Identity
(2003) reiterates a twist ending that involves
the mental state of the main character, just
like The Sixth Sense. The Others (2001) High
Tension (2005) and The Orphanage (2007)
also have twist endings like this, showing that
The Sixth Sense is a major influence.
8. DISTURBIA (2007)
“I know that you’ve
been following me”
Disturbia is a horror that is centred around a
murderer living on the same neighbourhood
as the main character. I chose this film as I
feel it is a prime example of what horrors
centred around a murderer are stereotyped to be like today:
-Starts as a joke.
-Witnesses/has proof of the murder.
-Must save a close one/relative from the murderer all the while saving
themselves.
9. THE STRANGERS (2008)
"You’re gonna die."
The Strangers is a horror where a man and a woman
are abducted from there home by strangers, and are
tormented. The sheer randomness of the event is
what seemed to have scared the viewers, and the
sadistic nature of the film takes that of a common
modern horror film.
10. T H E PA R A N O R M A L AC T I V I T Y
FRANCHISE(2007-2012)
Paranormal Activity has had 4 sequels now, and each of the films give
the effect of a home video displaying paranormal happenings. The
modern horror film craze seems to be centred around the
paranormal, and this franchise really kick started that phase in horror
films. The Blair Witch Project (1999) seems to be an apparent
influence to this film, as the home videos of supernatural events is
reiterated in the Paranormal franchise.
11. M.SHAYMALAN
Devil (2010)
The Happening (2008)
Lady in the Water (2006)
The Village (2004)
Signs (2002)
Unbreakable (2000)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
12. COMEDY HORRORS
Vamp (1986)
Scary Movie Franchise (2000-2013 –5th is being made)
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
These are films that bring in
Slither (2006) a twist to horror films,
making light of a bad
Black Sheep (2006) situation with jokes or
simply stupidity.
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)
Zombie Land (2009)
13. NOT QUITE A HORROR
Final Destination (2000 – 2012) -Death is the villain, it is not
jumpy or meant to be particularly scary, but the feeling that death is
inevitable once you cheat it is shocking and it what makes it at least a
half-horror. It is defined as a Slasher Movie.