This document summarizes the evolution of the horror genre from the 1920s to the 2000s. It discusses the origins of horror films in the silent era and how they reflected the fears of their time, such as mythical monsters. In the 1930s, horrors became more gothic and foreign-set, mirroring popular novels. Sound was introduced in Dracula. The 1940s saw an increase in werewolf and beast films in the US as Britain banned horrors during WWII. The 1950s addressed new fears of science and radiation through films like The Fly. The 1960s saw the monster become human with Psycho. The 1970s brought slashers as the family unit broke down. Gore and special effects increased in the 1980s

1. 1920s-2000s

2.  Nosferatu was the first ever horror film to be released
 It was released in 1922 when gothic horror was the most desired
genre among 1920s audiences
 The earliest horrors featured a mythical monster in eerie and dark
settings. They often featured scenes of mutilation. There was a
focus on costume, setting and lighting to create a scary effect as
the films featured no sound
 The killers in early horrors reflected the audience’s fear at the time
of mythical monsters that they read about in books written in the
nineteenth century by writers like Bram Stoker

4.  In the 1930’s, horrors remained of gothic style and were often set in foreign lands,
especially those that featured in the horror novels that were popular at the time,
like Transylvania.
 This was due to the fact that in the 30s, no one really travelled around, which lead
to them being afraid of foreign lands unfamiliar to them and an inaccurate
perception of them
 Dracula was the first horror film to use sound in the film, instead of a pianist in the
cinema
 Similar to the 1920s, the antagonist in horrors were monsters inspired by novels
 Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi starred regularly throughout this decade starring in
hit horrors such as Dracula and Frankenstein
 Another hit horror of the 1930’s, The Bride of Frankenstein, made horror history by
being the first film to feature a female monster. It is still known to this day as one
of the greatest horrors ever. Although the name of the film centred on the female
character, it didn’t provide a new representation of women as the Bride of
Frankenstein was presented as delicate, vulnerable and frightened and she had
very limited screen time. Despite the title, the film’s narrative focused upon the
monster of Frankenstein and his search for a partner.
 Dracula was a very clear example of the style of horror in the 1930s. It featured a
typical vampire with a cape and fangs. The film was very gothic with mist, howling
and wolves featuring throughout. It also featured eerie castles, a typical
convention of gothic horror.

6.  In the 1940s, horror films became banned in Britain due to the horrors
of WW11. It was seen as insensitive to create films focused around
innocent people being killed when it was a very real horror in Britain
 This allowed America to take over the creation of Horror films.
However, they still played it safe by recreating the style of horrors
made in the 30s rather than creating something new that may have had
a bad reaction
 A regular occurrence in the 40’s was horrors where characters turned
into animals or half men half beast and became the antagonist. This was
featured in films such as The Wolf Man and Cat People
 Cat People was another horror film to use a female monster. Although
beautiful, Irena was a character to be feared as she stalked the streets
killing and terrorising her victims. A technique this film used to scare the
audience was that Irena was never shown in full cat form, but the
audience were always made aware of her presence through diegetic
and non-diegetic sound. It was also one of the first horror films to use
methods still used today such as the emphasis of diegetic sound to
build up the tension, so even an innocent object can make the audience
jump as they expect something more.

7.  After WW11, the horrors experienced were still fresh in the minds of audiences.
 On-screen horrors of the past decades were no longer seen as scary compared the
real-life horrors of the war; mythical monsters were no longer terrifying to an
audience who had experienced something so horrible in the real world
 The horror genre had to change in order to appeal to a new fear the audience had
 Audience now feared nuclear war, radiation, technology and scientific
experiments going wrong
 The horror genre adapted to this fear creating films such as The Blob and The Fly,
which featured a protagonist that was a scientist working on mutation.
 The 1950’s saw the horror genre focusing its attention on the teenage audience,
something which is still common today with teenagers remaining the largest
audience of horror

8.  The Fly was a typical film of
the 1950s
 It was focused around a
scientist whose experiment
went wrong, creating a
mutated creature as he
turned into a man with the
head of a fly
 In the 50s audiences feared
what scientific experiments
and radiation would do to
the world they knew

9.  At the end of the 50s, there had been no
nuclear explosions and no horrors caused
by radiation.
 The fears that terrified audiences
throughout the 50s were gone, meaning
the horror genre needed to revamp itself
and adapt to new fears
 The 60s was a era of change where drugs
and sex became more socially acceptable,
fashion became more revealing. This led to
people become frightened of monster’s
closer to home; the human mind
 As society became more free, audiences
feared the ill-effects of this on the human
psyche and, as a result, this audience saw
the monstrous potential of man. This fear
was reflected in 1960s horror when for the
first time, the monster became human
with iconic films such as Psycho emerging
in the 60s

10.  Hitchcock’s Psycho featured a psychotic killer that looked as normal as
you could get, but had a monstrous twisted mind
 Hitchcock specifically chose to call the killer Norman Bates because it
sounds like the word ‘normal’
 The film also featured and somewhat instigated a common convention of
horror films today where ‘rule breakers’ are killed
 Marion, the leading female who is killed stole money from her boss and
had been sleeping with a man she wasn’t married to. This convention
may be used to suggest to the audience that, although things like sex are
now more socially acceptable, you will still be punished
Norman
Bates

12.  The 1970’s was the dawn of the Slasher era and is seen today as the ‘golden age’ of
horror, with many classics have been born in this decade
 While the 70s saw an end to the optimism of the 60s, horrors grew in quality due to
new technology and new ideas and, as before, they aimed to tackle societies newly
emerging fears
 The introduction of a morning sickness pill called Thalidomide led to a fear of children
and childbirth. This is because women who had taken the pill ended up with children
being born with serious physical abnormalities. This led to a growing fear of abnormal
children. The introduction of the contraceptive pill and subsequent uncertainties about
its long-term effects added to this
 The idyllic family of the 1950s crumbled as divorce became more common, females
became more liberated and children became more rebellious. This led to the idea that
the enemy could be found in your own home, which was clearly reflected in 70s horror
 This meant films set in the home or involving dangerous family members, such as The
Shining and The Exorcist, were born.
 The slasher sub-genre was also born with hit films such as Halloween and Texas
Chainsaw Massacre

13.  In the 1980s, there was a technological change and
upsurge in all film genres, not just horror. There was
an increased use in special effects to make horror
films scarier and more realistic
 Society in the 1980s was very materialistic which
meant everything was about show, being bigger and
better than others. This was reflected in the horror
genre as it became all about show using brightly lit
sets, lots of blood and gore and special effects
 The VCR was finally made available in the homes in
the 80s. This made slasher horrors based in the
home even scarier, as audiences would become
more sensitive to their surroundings as they
watched the film, terrified similar horrors could
occur in their own lives and in their home.

14.  An example of a typical 1980s
horror film was A Nightmare
on Elm Street.
 It used a brightly lit set to
emphasis the excessive blood
and gore used throughout the
film.
 The film made use of
advancements in special
effects and prosthetics.
 The first victim is a girl called
Tina, who is killed for having
sex. This is a convention used
throughout the horror genre
that was established in the
1970s

15.  Audiences were becoming
bored of the same guts and gore
and wanted a new type of
horror
 They were becoming very
familiar with the typical Slasher
conventions which made
horrors too predictable
 Wes Craven acknowledged how
aware of the conventions the
audience were so chose to
create characters who were as
clued up as the audience, but
still died anyway. This lead to
the iconic Scream franchise
being born, a series of films that
juxtaposed horror alongside
humour and mockery.

16.  Terrorists acts such as 9/11 led to the audience developing a
fear of the evil that lurks in our world
 Modern horrors continuously feature a race against time, a
game or a supernatural force that cannot be seen or controlled
 This has led to the creation of films such as The Conjuring
and the Saw and Final Destination franchises
 There are more sub-genres of horror available than ever,
allowing every taste to be satisfied with psychological, zombie
and supernatural films becoming more common

17.  A common style of horror films at the moment is the ‘found
footage’ style, seeing films such as Paranormal Activity and
Grave Encounters being popular among audiences
 This makes the film seem more real and ‘authentic’ which
makes it even more scary.
 Possession and exorcism films have become increasingly
popular and appear to be the top sub-genre currently with
films such as The Possession and The Devil Inside. These films
are often based upon a ‘true story’ again adding to the scare
factor.

18.  It has been necessary from the 1920’s to now for the
horror genre to remain current and updating itself
 This is due to the fact that audiences fears are
constantly changing. In order to remain current and
provide the crucial need of audience to be terrified, the
horror genre must adapt and keep audiences surprised
and on the edge of their seats.
 If horror films remained the same, they would nolonger
be able to scare audiences as they know what to
expect. The horror genre has also changed an adapted
with technology, to make the film as effective and
realistic as possible.

19.  Well done, Rachael. This is an excellent presentation that
demonstrates you knowledge of historical developments
within the horror genre.
 I have the appropriate additions, adding in points
throughout. Read through and you will see what I mean.
 Due to the additions made, you may need to play around a
little bit with the organisation of the slides, as I have had to
move things up/down/across occasionally.
 Add in some relevant quotes in appropriate places.
 Reflect, at the end, on why the genre has had to evolve so
much and at such regular intervals since the 1920s.