Technology has significantly impacted the quality and special effects used in horror films over the past century. Early silent films from the 1900s based on novels like Frankenstein had short runtimes of only 15 minutes compared to modern 2 hour films. The 1920s saw the rise of films incorporating wax figure exhibits and medical experiments gone wrong. The first horror film with sound was 1931's Dracula, adding a new terrifying dimension, while the 1940s saw plots become more intricate like I Walked With A Zombie involving murder accusations and planned elopement. By the 1950s, the genre focused more on sci-fi creatures attacking humans as seen in Creature From The Black Lagoon.

1. History of Horror

2. • Technology has been the major impact of the level of
quality horror films have today. If technology hadn’t
changed then horror films would still be the same old
stuff for 100 years. Fake blood has developed over the
years from a comical effect to being passable as real
blood.

3. • Horror films created in this time period would be basis of
all the horror films that would follow. These films
contained obvious endings and ways to kill the monster
(e.g garlic and vampires). There was only good and evil
in these films there was never a character in the middle.
1900s

4. • Silent films were the craze in this era, films like
“Frankenstein” & “The Werewolf” were the first of their
kind. “Frankenstein” had a running time of only 16
minutes, run time isn’t like the 2 hour films we get today.
• “The Werewolf” was the first ever film that contained
werewolf, films in this era were based off the book,
nowadays films are made first then they’re turned into
books
1910s

5. • Waxworks was created in 1924 and directed by Paul Leni.
The film was about a writer who was hired to create back
story’s for the waxworks in order to boost business. This
ran for 63 minutes.
• Hands of Orlac is another famous silent movie created in
1924. It was so popular it was re-made twice. Most old
horror films are recreated with the better technology.
1920s

6. • The first horror film ever to have sound was made in
1931 called “Dracula”. “Dracula” was based on a stage
play, not a novel.
• Sound added a completely new perspective to horror
films and succeeded in making them all the more
terrifying.
• Doctor X two years later was the first horror film to be in
full colour.
1930s

7. • I walked with a zombie was a combination of horror,
drama, thriller and romance, created in 1943. The plots
for horror films were getting more in depth. The plot for
this film is that A nurse has to take care of a man’s wife,
She tries voodoo to help heal the wife but people start
claiming that she is a zombie because she doesn’t bleed.
Then people start trying to kill the wife and there is
rumours that they were going to run away together (The
man and wife)
1940s

8. • This era focused more on creatures, as well as the more
sci-fi aspect.
• For an example the film Creature Of The Black Lagoon
was released in 1954 about an aquatic beast that lives in
the Black Lagoon and kills a camp of scientists. The
creature is attracted to a female scientist, it doesn’t kill
her but it takes her back to it’s cave. The film doesn’t end
well for the creature.
1950s

9. • The horror’s of the 1960s seem to be more sexually aware
than past generations.
• Psycho, released in 1960, is about a woman who is
murdered by a man with a split personality.
1960s

10. • The 1970s horror films focused on broken families.
• One of the most famous horror films came out in this era,
which is called “The Exorcist” (1973). A girl is possessed
by the Devil but her mother thinks she is just growing up,
but she is wrong.
1970s

11. • These horrors have been focused on the fact that special
effects have been improved (only slightly). The fashion
and music are what makes these horrors a classic.
• Gremlins, released in 1984, was intended to be a horror
film but most see it nowadays as a family film. But it was
very popular so there was a sequel created.
1980s

12. • The 90s was the era of serial killer horror movies, they needed
a new topic, something that adds story to the film rather than
just grossing out the audience.
• Se7en (1995) An American horror that focuses on a serial
killer, each murder corresponds with one of the seven deadly
sins.
• As you can tell the story is more in depth, but I think that the
stories of horror films started getting in more depth in the
1940s.
1990s

13. • Horror films have started becoming more obscure, there
are nearly every subgenre of horror you can think of like
Romance Horror and Sci-fi Horror.
• Famous films like – Drag me to hell (2009)
• Zombieland (2009)
• Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
• 28 Days Later (2002)
2000s

14. • This research could help with my opening of a film
because I could choose an era to use for my project. I
could use the 1940s era then specify it and make the
opening with the characteristics of a real film from that
time.