The document provides a history of the horror genre in film from 1896 to present day. It describes how horror began as campfire stories and evolved with the rise of cinema in the late 19th century. Key developments and influential films are highlighted for each decade, such as Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931), The War of the Worlds (1953), The Exorcist (1973), and The Shining (1980). Trends in the genre are discussed, from the introduction of sound and color to evolving styles like creature features, serial killers, and psychological horror.

1. HORROR HISTORY
By James Brewer

2. MORBID BEGINNINGS
 Like every idea Horror had its beginnings in spooky stories told to
each other, over a camp fire if your into creepy things ;)
 And told as stories to children to keep them in line, just like Santa
Clause giving coal if parents didn’t want to frighten children, like the
famous doctor’s apple story.
 However the true rise of horror can only be when Mary shely

3. BACK TO THE BEGINING
 The first horror movie was released in 1896 and was called Le
Manoir Du Diable, which translates toakaTheDevil'sCastle.
 The movie was only about 2 minutes long
 It was written by a man named George Melies, a french film
maker.

4. 1900-30’S
 World war begins and ends, and the rise of the German worker front, (later
renamed Nazi Party)
 Films of this era were very generic with stock characters, a good guy, bad
guy, damsel in distress and never an anti hero. And the characters were all clearly
recognizable.
 Possibly the most famous Horror movie of all time Nosferatu (based on
Dracula by Bran Stoker) is released in 1922 by German director F. W. Murnau.
 Albin Grau (head of parna studeos) had the idea to shoot a vampire film; the
inspiration arose from Grau's war experience: in the winter of 1916, a Serbian
farmer told him that his father was a vampire, and so hired F. W. Murnau to direct.

5. 1925
 The phantom of the opera 1925 movie directed by Rupert Julian
 Staring Lon Chaney in the key role of Erik the phantom.
 This movie was credited as the scariest movie ever, as up till this point the
general idea was that a monster is the enemy, because it is much scarier to imagine a
man being responsible for horrors.
 So as not to scare the audience too much the director had the man horribly
deformed outside to show what was wrong with his soul.
 People were given smelling salts upon entering in case someone fainted (many
women did)

6. 30’S-40’S
 Hitting the 30s we have sound as well as film for movies
 Dracula 1931 was the first true horror movie to incorporate sound
 Ripped off the stage play rather than the book so many aspect of the
book were dropped, and in doing so angered many audience members.
 Rather than just sticking to horror the film took on a romance/gothic
view rather than just horror.
 This film truly opened the future to vampires 

7. SOUND
 With the introduction of audio and sound it made the characters much more
terrifying, effectively bringing theatre to the poor as well as the upper class, and as
such it was very popular.
 The fear factor intensified with both sound and speech. The characters tone
helped set the scene and added much more to the character. Heavy breathing and
creaking noises were used extensively in Dracula. The film is also famous for
zooming in on whatever creaked to explain to the audience this is what was making
the noise, and it needed to as it was the first horror film to sue sound this way.

8. TECHNICOLOR AND COLOR
 In 1932 colour was used rather than just 2 strip Technicolor and
truly brought terror to the screen.
 Blood was sued more and more as the excitement grew and slasher
films made there big entrance.
 Doctor X was the first horror film to use colour.

9. 50’S-60’S
 The 50’s was the age of sci-fi and creature features.
 People were used to mad men and killers, and directors recognised
that to move onwards they needed to be shown something
new, exciting, and possible.
 The answer was of course aliens and ancient unknown terrors.

10. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
1953
 The earth is invaded by aliens who want our minerals and want to eviscerate all
mankind to get it, and were not beaten by us, and were only destroyed by a fluke of
them being allergic to our air.
 This movie is infamous and scaring almost everyone into supporting the military
and showing that there could be a genuine threat from the stars.
 The movie relied heavily on special effects, something not used very often to
this point.
 This movie pushed forward the plan to put a man on the moon by years.

11. CREATURE FROM THE
BLACK LAGOON 1954
 Directed by jack Arnold
 The first horror to be released in 3d
 An instant classic and holds its place alongside the liked of
Dracula and the mummy.
 Spawned 2 sequels, both of which were considered failures.
 However despite the praise it has a truly weak ending with the
creature being shot.

12. 70’S-80’S
 The age of broken families and serial killers.
 1973 the excorsist. A movie about the death of innocence and how
everyone is a potential threat from satan, and how because children have
been given too much free reign they are open to demonic influence.
 Uses special effects heavily and makeup that scared the daylights out
of audiences. Especially the infamous head twist scene.
 This movie was an act out against the hippy movement and a call for
stricter rules.

13. THE SHINING 1980
 A move back to the good old hack and slash, with a psychopathic
twist.
 The movie acts mainly on showing a mans slip into insanity after being
isolated with only his family for a long stretch of time.
 The film shows that everyone is able to slip if they don’t keep
themselves in check.
 The movie was a call against children spending too much time
inside, away from real people.

14. 90’S-NOW
 The modern era
 This era called for something with more but less story.
 The answer was simple, killers who simply enjoyed killing. No
reason behind the impulse. A famous example is Hannibal the
cannibal from silence of the lambs 1990.
 And stories that progressed and showed characterization rather
than just an endless gore bath or senseless killings.