This document summarizes horror films from the 1920s-2000s based on their film certification, themes, characters, narrative conventions, and target audience appeal. Some key films mentioned include The Ghost Breaker (1922) about ghost detectives, Haunted Spooks (1920) a silent comedy, The Hands of Orlac (1924) involving a man who loses his hands, Psycho (1960) the thriller about a mentally ill killer, and more recent films like Orphan (2009) about an adopted child with a sinister secret and The Woman in Black (2012) featuring ghosts of dead children. The document provides an overview of how the horror genre developed over the decades and the common elements of films during each era.

1. The development of horror film genre
overtime!

2. Film Certific
ation
Themes Characters Narrative Conventions Audience
Appeal
The Ghost
Breaker
(1922 film)
PG haunted houses and
ghosts
-ghost breaker
-leader of
ghosts
-coloured
servant
-A ghost
-Based in a
haunted house.
-Ghosts
-Creepy house.
-Ghost detectives
and catchers
Because it’s a PG
film it is
targeted at older
people such a s
adults and not
suitable for
young people.
Haunted
Spooks
PG -Silent comedy film
-Romantic themes
-Suicide
-A lawyer & his
wife.
-Short Butler
-A girl (Layers
Niece)
-set in
the South "down
the Mississippi a
nd turn to the
right".
-Murder
-Problem solving
-Haunting
-Death
Also aimed at
older audience
due to the
certification as it
may be
inappropriate to
children.
The Hands
of Orlac
(1924 film)
PG -Character looses his
hand in railway
accident
-Guts and gores
-Crime
-Sci-Fi
-The man and
wife
-Surgeon that
provides new
hands.
-Railway
-Hospital
-Murder
-Knife
Older audience
due to knives
and weapons.
Horror Genre- 1920’s

3. 1920’S

4. FILM CERTIFICATION THEMES CHARACTERS NARRATIVE CONVEN
TIONS
AUDIENC
E APPEAL
The
Ape (1940
film)
PG -Ape breaks
into lab
-Doctor kills
ape (Murder)
for apes skin
-Hides murder
by plotting it.
-Dr. Adrian's
(Scientists)
-The Ape
- In a science lab -Knives
-Murder
-Mystery
-Crime
-Action
Older audience
will enjoy this
murder mystery
film.
Black
Friday (1940
film)
PG -Science fiction
-Horror
-Professor
-Doctor
-Gangster
-Set in the streets -Accidents
-Implanting of
brain
Aimed at older
audience as
there are gang
voilence and
complicated
storyline.
Frankenstein
Meets the
Wolf Man
- -Is a sequel
-combine of
monsters
-Warewolves
-Baroness Elsa
Frankenstein
-Inspector Owen
-Dr. Mannering
-Set in a town -Scary
characters such
as werewolves,
Frankenstein
and good/bad
characters.
-No sex or nudity
appeled to
teenagers and
over.
Horror Genre- 1940’s

5. 1940’S

6. FILM CERTIFICATION THEMES CHARACTER
S
NARRATIVE CONVEN
TIONS
AUDIENC
E APPEAL
Psycho (196
0 film)
Age 14 and up -Horror- thriller
film.
-Romantic
-Mystery
-Girl and boyfriend
-Policeman
-mentally ill
proprietor
-Detective
-Basement
-House
-Mental
(psycho)
-finding out
mysteries
-suitable for
young teens as
there is no
nudity.
The Witch's
Curse
- -an
interpretation of
mythological
the gothic
horror genre
-peplum-fantasy
film
-A witch is burned
in Scotland
-The sequences set
in the Hell were
entirely filmed in the
Castellana Caves,
-Death
-Fire
-Danger
-Suicide
- Aimed towards
older audience as
its about a witch
getting burned
so not suitable
for kids.
The Little
Shop of
Horrors
12 and up -American
comedy horror
-florist's assistant
who cultivates a
plant and feeds on
human flesh and
blood.
-Set in a florist shop. -Human flesh
-Blood
-Death
-nothing too
extreme so
aimed at younger
audience.
Horror Genre- 1960’s

7. 1960’S

8. FILM CERTIFICAT
ION
THEMES CHARACTER
S
NARRATIV
E
CONVENTI
ONS
AUDIENC
E APPEAL
The
Children (19
80 film)
-Age from 12 years
and upwards.
five children in a small
town who, thanks to a
yellow toxic cloud, who
got transformed into
bloodless zombies with
black fingernails who
microwave every living
thing they put their
hands on.
-Adults (help to put
things right)
-Children (bad)
-Set outside
-Near woods
-Roads
-Zombies -Not too
gruesome so
recommended
for 12 upwards
as it deals with
zombies.
Child's
Play (1988
film)
PG -Chucky the doll
-Little boy
-Mother
-Set in a shop
-Set in a house
-Outside (near
trains)
-Scary doll that
comes to life
-Kills/Murders
-Use of violence.
- Aimed at the
youth but not
too young as it
contains bad
violence and
death.
The Lost Boys Aged 13 upwards. -Horror
-Vampires
-Fighting
-Brothers
-Vampires
-Mother
-California -killing/fighting of
vampires/slaying
-Aimed at
teenage boys
and adults.
Horror Genre- 1980’s

9. 1980’S

10. FILM CERTIFICATION THEMES CHARACTERS NARRATI
VE
CONVENTIONS AUDIENC
E
APPEAL
Orphan film
-2009
15 and up -Horror
-Death
-Romance
-Violence
-Car accidents
-Stabbing
-Alcoholism
-Child horror
-Orphan child (Esther)
Russian girl who was
adopted by family
-Family of mum, dad,
young boy and girl.
-House
-Treehouse
-Hospital
-School
-Blood
-Weapons/knives
-Esther is originally from a
mental hospital.
-She has a condition of dwarfism.
Rated R for
disturbing
violent content,
some sexuality
and language
Case 39
film-2009
15 and up -Supernatural
horror.
-Violence
-Murder/Death
-Child horror
-Adopted young girl
(devil child)
-Social worker
-parents
-teachers
-School
-Home
-Jail
-Outside
-Devil child which acts as though
she's in trouble
-Gets revenge
-Kills/murders whoever she gets
close to.
-Sets fire to the house.
Contains allot
of swearing,
alcohol and
frightening
scenes.
The women
in black
12 and up -Child horror
-Death/murder
-Spirts/ ghosts
-Women in black
-Lawyer
-Children
-Set in a haunted
house
-In the forest
-Different
locations of a
village
-Conventions of haunted house
where scary things happen in
-Ghosts/ spirits of young
children.
-deaths of the children
-aimed at a
teenage and
adult
audience as
it deals with
ghosts and
death.
Horror Genre- 2000’s

11. 2000’S