2. The term ‘Horror’
The term 'horror' first comes into play with Horace
Walpole's 1764 novel, The Castle of Otranto, full of
supernatural shocks and mysterious melodrama. The
first great horror classic (Frankenstein 1818) was
written by a Romantic at the heart of the movement -
Mary Shelley.
3. The first horror movies..
Early horror films were surreal, dark
pieces, owing their visual appearance. Darkness
and shadows, such important features of
modern horror, were impossible to show on the
film stock available at the time so the sequences
seem doubly surreal to our generation now.
4. Development of horror
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. Sound adds
an extra dimension to terror, whether it be music used to
build suspense or signal the presence of a threat, or magnified
footsteps echoing down a corridor. Horror, with its strong
elements of the fantastic and the supernatural, provided an
effective escape to audiences tiring of their Great Depression
reality. Audiences seemed even more enthusiastic about the
horror genre than in the 1920s, and flocked into cinemas to be
scared by largely supernatural monsters wreaking havoc on
largely fantastical worlds, events far removed from the
everyday realities of Depression and approaching war.
Horror, then as now, represented the best escapism available.
5. Horror in the 50’s and 60’s
Many of the films in the horror genre from the mid-1930s
to the late 1950s were B-grade movies. In the atomic age of
the 1950s, much was made of the modern effects of
radioactivity exposure, toxic chemical spills, or other
scientific accidents - such as the development of giant
mutant monsters or carnivorous insects. During that
time, most of the monster horror films were cheaply made
and teenage-oriented. Horror films branched out in all
different directions in the 1960s and after, especially as the
Production Code disappeared and film censorship was on
the decline.
6. Key Films
Hollywood dramas used horror themes, including
versions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
and The Monster (1925) both starring Lon Chaney, the
first American horror movie star. Other films of the
1920s include Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1920), The
Phantom Carriage (Sweden, 1920), The Lost
World (1925), The Phantom Of The
Opera (1925),Waxworks (Germany 1924), and Tod
Browning's (lost) London After Midnight (1927) with
Chaney.
7. Key Directors
• George Romero This is the horror movie director behind “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the
Dead.” He is known for his tendency to mix political commentary in his horror films along with a penchant
for extreme gore.
• Mario Bava This horror movie director was a key figure in the development of the Italian horror style and
he’s known for having beautiful visuals in his films. He made classics like “Planet of the Vampires” and
“Lisa and the Devil.”
• Terence Fisher This is the man who helped establish the filmmaking style for the British Hammer horror
studio. He was known for an elegant style and this can be seen in classic films like “Horror of Dracula.”
• Wes Craven This is the man behind “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream.” His films vary quite a bit
stylistically, but he has a knack for making his films very commercially successful.
• John Carpenter This is the director of movies like the original “Halloween” and “Prince of Darkness.” His
films often have a very slow, creepy atmosphere and he does his own music.
• Lucio Fulci This is another Italian horror icon who’s known for extremely crazy and gory films. He made
“The Beyond” and “House by the Cemetery.”
• Dario Argento This Italian horror director has a lot of visual pizzazz and he is known for writing smart
screenplays. Some of his best films include “Suspiria” and “Phenomenon.”
• Tobe Hooper This director is primarily known for one movie: “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Many
people don’t realize that he also made the classic “Poltergeist.”
• Todd Browning He was one of the icons of 1930s horror filmmaking. He made the original “Dracula” film
with Bela Lugosi and he also made the classic “Freaks.”
• Sam Raimi This director has worked in many genres, but he is mostly identified for his incredible skill as a
horror director. He made the “Evil Dead” films and, more recently, he made the excellent “Drag Me to
Hell.”
8. Key Actors
• Sigourney Weaver: Aliens 1986
• Peter Crushing : Curse of Frankenstein, The
(1957)
• Christopher Lee : Wicker man 1973
• Boris Carloff : Frankenstein 1931
