Timeline of the horror genre

1. THE TIMELINE OF
HORROR
By Rebecca Harris

2. WHAT IS A HORROR FILM?
 Horror films are made to create fear and panic whilst also captivating the audience.
 In the early stages of horror, the genre caused panic to the viewers as the
supernatural was a feared subject which many people frowned upon.
 In comparison to early horror, the genre has improved greatly today. This is
because special effects have developed over the years.
 Horror films have existed for more than a century.

3. HORROR SUB-GENRES
 Body horror
 Comedy
 Gothic
 Psychological
 Sci-fi
 Slasher
 Supernatural
 Zombie
 Action

4. THE FIRST HORROR FILM
 The first horror film on record is Le Manoir du Diable (1896) (also known as The
Haunted Castle), which was created by one of film's earliest visionaries, Georges Méliès.
 The technical specs used within Le Manoir du Diable (1896) were: the running time
being only three minutes; there was no use of sound; and the colour was black and white.
 The country where it was filmed was France.

5. THE FIRST HORROR FILM
Plot
 A bat flies into an ancient castle and transforms itself into
Mephistopheles himself. Producing a cauldron, Mephistopheles
conjures up a young girl and various supernatural creatures, one of
which brandishes a crucifix in an effort to force the devil-vampire to
vanish.

6. UNIVERSAL GOTHIC
HORROR CYCLE
 Dracula (1931) by Tod Browning was the first film made by Universal Pictures
and was a fantasy/horror hybrid genre. The budget for this film was $355,000.
The run time was 85 minutes (which is much longer than Le Manoir du Diable
(1896)), with a mono sound mix and it was in black and white.

7. UNIVERSAL GOTHIC
HORROR CYCLE
 Another example of a film made is Frankenstein (1931) which was a
horror/drama/sci-fi genre. This type of horror was also more of a humorous
horror due to the audience recovering from the war and trying to avoid their
own devastating horror stories.

8. HORROR MOVIES IN THE
1970’S
 In the 1970’s, films that we saw in the 1960’s became more
enhanced. Themes of sex, war, religion and violence were
starting to show as it started to become a convention of the
horror genre.
 Zombie and cannibal movies were also explored in the
horror era.
 Films such as the Exorcist and Jaws became the highest
voted horror films made. They included the shock factor
among the audience which made them so successful.

9. SLASHER HORROR IN
THE 1980’S
 Slasher horror is a sub-genre of horror film typically involving a
psychopathic killer (stereotypically wearing a mask) who stalks and
graphically murders a series of adolescent victims in a typically random,
unprovoked fashion, killing many within a short period of time.
 Friday the 13th (1980), directed by Sean S. Cunningham, is a example
of a slasher horror film.
Plot
 One summer at Camp Crystal Lake, a group of young counselors
begin to get ready to lead campers. Unfortunately for the former,
someone isn't happy about what's going on in the camp and enjoys
playing kill the counselor. As bodies fall to the ground in the camp, no
one is safe.

10. BODY HORROR
 Body horror is horror fiction in which the horror is principally
derived from the graphic destruction or degeneration of the body. Such
works may deal with decay, disease, parasitism, mutation, or mutilation.
 The Thing (1982) is an example of a body horror film.
Plot:
 A US research station finds the remains of a strange creature the
Norwegians burned. The Americans take it to their base and deduce that
it an alien life form. After a while it is apparent that the alien can take
over and assimilate into other life forms, including humans, and can
spread like a virus. This means that anyone at the base could be inhabited
by The Thing, and tensions escalate.

11. COMEDY HORROR
 Comedy horror is a film genre that combines elements of comedy
and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be
categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof."
 Scary Movie (2000), directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, is an
example of a comedy horror.
Plot
A group of teenagers including Cindy Campbell and Bobby Prinze,
accidentally hit a man when driving, and dispose of the body, but now
they are being stalked by a very recognizable masked killer. The victim
count increases, whilst Cindy must survive the carnage that has she
has seen in so many films before.

12. MODERN DAY HORROR IN
THE 21ST CENTURY
 The US horror blockbusters were remakes of previous
films with a modern twist, in order to reuse storylines and
incorporate new target audiences as well as previous. These
were such as Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. They also
incorporated foreign films like The Ring.
 Saw is a ‘torture porn’ horror genre, with 7 sequels,
making it one of the most popular horror films of all time.
 Horror films today are the most popular genre in itself as
they attribute the highest grossing’s and a mass for the
growing target audience.

13. EXTRA INFORMATION
 While horror as a category may be the seventh highest grossing genre in the movie
business, the films of the horror genre are sometimes the most profitable.
 Horror films made over $413 million in the United States in 2012, while comedy
films ranked as the biggest grossers with $1.64 billion the same year. But horror films
often cost a fraction of what competing movies in the comedy genre cost, which
makes the genre ideal for small risks with huge rewards.
 For example, Paranormal Activity 4 cost $5 million and made $54 million
domestically as well as another $86 million overseas. That's a $135 million profit, not
including marketing expenses, on a single film.

14. CONCLUSION
 Overall, my film is a Slasher Horror genre due to my plot including a murderer
and victims. Also the mise-en-scene of a weapon which the murderer will be
carrying at all times.
 I will include conventions of the Slasher Horror genre by including blood; many
shot-reverse-shots and close ups. Also the use of the diegetic screaming of the
characters to connote fear.
 My target audience are horror/ thriller fans, which is ideal for my film due to it
being a suitable audience. For example, a horror film is not ideal for an audience
whom prefer romance as none of the conventions are shown, which will then make
the film unsuccessful.