2. Horror film beginning.
While the first moving pictures tended to be action and
comedy, early filmmakers also used photographic
trickery to explore darker stories with psychological and
supernatural themes, recognizable as the first horror
films.
The very first horror films found were from the 19th
Century. The horror genre was not actually categorized
till 1930. The following films were referred too as ‘spook
tales’ to begin with:
Le Squelette joyeux - Created by the Lumière brothers in
1895.
Le Manoir du Diable – Created by Georges Méliès in
1896.
3. 1980’s – 1920’s.
The first horror film came in several of the silent shorts created by the
film pioneer Georges Mélièa in the late 1890s, the main popular one
known is Le Manoir du diable. Many people cedited this as the first
horror film.
Another one of Georges Mélièa’s short horror films is La Caverne
maudite. This was created in 1898.
The first produced Frankenstein, was by Edison Studies in 1910, which
was believed to have been lost for many years.
The second monster appeared was Quasimode in the hunchback of
Notre-Dame.
The first ever vampire based film was made in 1922 called Nosferatu by
F.W. Murnau.
4. 1930’s – 1940’s.
In 1931, the beginning of an successful gothic series called
Dracula began by the American Movie Studio Universal
Pictures. This was then shortly followed by James Whales
Frankenstein in 1931 and The Old Dark House in 1932.
Many studio followed the American Movie Studio Universal
Pictures in their paths, like Tod Browning who created the
film ‘Freaks’ in 1932. This remained unreleased in the UK
for thirty years after it’s creation.
Michael Curtiz’s ‘Mystery of the wax museum’ made in 1933
and ‘Island of lost souls’ made in 1932 were always seen to
be important films.
5. 1950’s – 1960’s
When the advances in technology came along, the type of
horror films shifted from Gothic towards contemporary
concerns. Two sub-genres began to emerge: the Horror of
Armageddon film and The Horror Of The Demonic film.
A stream of usually low-budgeted productions featured
humanity overcoming threats from ‘outside’. These would be
the Alien invasions and deadly mutations of humans, insects
and plants.
Ghosts and monsters remained a frequent feature in horror, but
many films decided to use the supernatural premise to express
demonic horror. ‘The Innocents’ created in 1961 by Jack
Clayton and The Haunting created in 1963 by Robert Wise was
the beginning of demonic horror films that started in the early
1960’s. Meanwhile this happened, Japanese horror continued
to still focus on ghosts.
6. 1970’s – 1980’s
After the popular success of ‘Rose mary’s babies’ and the money increase
of low budget filming, there was a rise in more gory films with cult relations
during the 1970’s.
‘Evil children’ and ‘Reincarnation’ become popular subjects. Examples of
this would be 1. Robert Wise’s film Audrey Rose made in 1977, deals with
a man who claims that his daughter is the reincarnation of another dead
person. 2. Alice sweet Alice made in 1977 was another Catholic themed
horror slasher about a little girl’s murder and her sister being the prime
suspect. 3. A really popular satanic horror film was ‘The Omen’ made in
1976 was about a man who realizes that his 5 year old adopted son is the
Anti-Christ.
The Cycle of slasher film were made during the 1970’s and early 1980’s.
The film Halloween made in 1978 by Sean Cunningham and Friday the
13th made in 1980 was among these. Halloween became a successful
independent film.
7. 1990’s
In the 1990’s there was two main problems. These problems pushed horror backwards
during this period. The first problem was the nonstop slasher and gore films in the
eighties become worn out. The second provlem was the adolescent audience who
feasted on the blood and morbidity of films grew up and become un-interested. The
replacement audience for films were captured more by the explosions of Sci-Fi’s and
fantasy films of the special effects with the more advance computer generated imagery.
The examples of these CGI’s were Deep rising made in 1998, Blade made in 1998 and
The Haunting remade in 1999.
To draw the audience back into horror, Horror itself become more self-mocking and
ironic. This especially happened in the later half of the 1990’s. Examples are: Scream
movies made in 1996 which featured teenagers who were fully aware of and often made
reference to the history of horror movies but mixed in with ironic humor and the shocks.
Braindead made in 1992 by Peter Jackson took the splatter film to ridiculous excesses
for comic effect.
8. The main characteristics
The main goal in any horror film, is to create fear against a sudden range of emotions. The most
common are:
•
A chill in the air. – The atmosphere is a must need to cause tension. These can be created
through: Gloomy weather, shadowed locations, noises in the distance. This creates the feeling
that something is coming to the audiences way.
•
Not for the timid. – Graphic violence, strong language and sexual situations cause tension, fear
and anger. Either a few or all of these are implied or explicit in all horrors.
•
He can’t be stopped. – A antagonist is always used either in human or supernatural form. This
causes extreme fear amongst the audience as they feel on-edge that the villain will never be
stopped.
•
‘The End’ or is it? – Horror works are usually left unsolved/ unresolved. Even though critics can
look at this as more opening sequels, it is actually used to keep he audience believing that
anything can be waiting around the corner.
•
Watch out. – Popping out objects, loud sudden noises and falling objects are all used to keep
the audience on their toes but also create a sudden fright so they become unease for what lies
ahead.
•
No problem telling the bad guy the truth. - Antagonist have exaggerated personalities with their
evilness and they will go to any extreme to find out the truth from the victim. This keeps the
audience screaming to not say a word as it draws them in to watching and waiting for what will
happen next to the group/ single victim after the truth has been told.
