The document traces the history of horror films from the late 19th century to the 2000s. Some of the earliest horror films were short, silent films produced in France and adapted from popular horror literature of the time. In the 1920s, successful adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula established these stories and characters in the public consciousness. The 1930s saw a rise in films featuring monsters, mad scientists, vampires and werewolves. The 1950s brought a combination of science fiction and horror. Iconic films of later decades included Psycho (1960s), The Exorcist and Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1970s), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1980s), Scream

1. History of horror

2. • The very first horror film ever made was in
1896 by George Melies, a French made film
called “Le Manoir du Diable” which translates
to The Devil’s Manor. A short film based on a
vampire/devil who is also played by Melies.

3. 1900’s
• This was the era in which horror films were
being made. They were not filmed as they are
today; the movies were silent and simple.
Melies adapted several more short films with
the horror genre which appeared throughout
the 1900s such as Bluebeard in 1901.

4. 1910
• The first adaption of Frankenstein appeared in
1910 which was directed and written by J.
Searle Dawley. The duration of the film was
only sixteen minutes and it was silent movie.
• Other silent horror movies released were Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde first adapted in 1912.
• All of the things have one thing in common,
they are portrayed through literature.

5. 1920’s
• The 1920 release of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was
the first successful screen adaption of the
novel which was followed by the very
successful adaption of Dracula which was
from the novel by Bram Stoker, first entitled
‘Nosferatu’ released in 1922.

6. 1930’s
• Monsters and Mad Scientists-
• Vampires, Werewolves, Egyptian Mummies and
various Monsters, particularly Frankenstien, all
made numerous appearances during this era,
establishing them all as classic horror characters
that are still referred to in numerous films and
novels to this day.
• There were a lot of debates with Christians who
were angry at Frankenstein- slamming the film as
they believe only God can create lives.

7. 1940’s
• Werewolf and cat people
• Cat People is a 1942 horror film produced by
Val Lewton and directed by Jacques Tourneur.
It’s the story about a Serbian woman named
Irena who believes herself to be a descendant
of a race of people who turn into cats when
sexually aroused.
• These films were produced during the war and
portrayed men to being the biggest enemy.

8. 1950’s
The 1950’s saw the introduction of science
fiction horror pictures. The rising demand of
science fiction saw a few dedicated horror
movies being released. The earliest sci-fi/horror
combination came in 1951 called “The Thing
from another world” about a group of people
who discover an alien body.

9. 1960’s
• Hammer films populairty rose echoing the
success of Universal Pictures in the 30’s and
40’s. Alfred Hitchcock and George Romero
took the spot light in this era with their films
‘Psycho’ being the most influential horror film
of all time in 1960 and Romeros “Night of the
living dead” in 1968 which was another major
influential horror film based on zombies.

10. 1970s
• The hammer horror phase. Some of the top films
of the decade included;
• Sean Cunninghams low budget “Last house on
the left” in 1972.
• The Exorcist in 1973 by William Freidkin based on
the novel by William Peter Blatty.
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper in
1974.
• All classic horror hammer movies which have
been remade today.

11. 1980s
• The 80s focus on their advance in special
effects, which have led to movies including;
• Friday the 13th
• The Evil Dead
• A nightmare on Elm Street
• All of which show more gore and better use of
special effects, given the advance in
technology.

12. 1990s
• The 90s was a time for serial killer horror
movies which was a new topic in horror films.
• Films such as Child’s Play, Scream and The
Crow were films which focused on vilian’s who
are those of serial killers and tend to torture
their victims. These films are more realistic
and brutal as technology has advanced.

13. 2000’s
• The 2000’s films focused more on torture and
porn as well as gore elements. Some of the
top horror films released with these
attentions are Hostel, the Saw movies and
Captivity. The way the acts in the films are
being displayed is more real to the audience
watching them, therefor has a much stronger
effect.