This document provides a historical overview of the horror film genre from the early 1900s to recent years. It describes how horror films evolved from the silent films of the early 20th century focused on monsters and mad scientists to psychological thrillers in the 1960s-1970s and slasher films in the 1980s. More recently, horror has incorporated found footage styles and reboots of classic films while continuing to explore themes of occult rituals, paranormal activity, and graphic violence. Trends in the genre are influenced by audience reception and preferences.

1. Horror Film Research
Gianluca Kulczycki

2. Horror History
1900-1929
• 1919- The Cabinet Of Dr Cagliari , struck a chord
with German audiences of the time.
• 1922 – Vampire films are released by Germans
• Nosferatu commonly known as Dracula shocked
audiences in 1922 this was directed by F.W.
Murnau.
• 1925- The Phantom of the Opera, the audience is
lured into looking at a hideous creature.
• 1929- many movies made to be put on hold
because of the wall street crash.

3. Horror History
Early 30s
• In the 1930s universal studios created ‘gothic horror’
films.
• Dracula was the first movie to include sound.
• 1931- A film called ‘Frankenstein’ is made and is known
to have the greatest make-up for monsters.
• 1931- ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ used the Marnoulian
irritation filter for the first time.
• Gangster movies and Waxworks horror begin by
Warner brothers.
• King Kong (1933) was hugely successful and has
remained a favourite with film makers and audiences
ever since its release.

4. Horror History
Late 30s
• The start of sadistic films began filming
• Frankenstein's wife is produced by James
Whale and he also directed ‘The old dark
house’
• The German film to contain real circus
performers ‘Freaks’
• The 3rd instalment of the Frankenstein series is
made (Frankenstein's son)

5. 1940’s- 1950’s
• The 1940s saw the releases of sequels to
popular horror films that were made earlier.
• The film ‘Cat People’ is made, this movie used
a build up of tension to scare audiences.
• The uses of creatures began to appear in
horror films.
• 1950s was the start of Alien invasion movies.

6. Mid 50’s
• Horror came to Britain (hammer horror)
• Bray film studios were used by many films
• The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
encouraged the studios to invest in further
monster pictures.
• The Quatermass Experiment was made in
1954

7. Late 50s
• The first film to contain violence and gore was
‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ (1957)
• Supernatural and physiological film came also
in 1957 with Night of the Demon
• A re-boot of ‘Dracula’ was filmed in 1958, this
was one of the first films to contain sexual
elements and props. This version contained
dramatic scenes.

8. 60s
• The British hammer films continued to be popular.
• The start of Psychological horror began in Hollywood. These were
made by Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell.
• Great tension was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's ‘Psycho’ This lead
Hitchcock to direct films like ‘The Birds’ in 1963.
• Powell directed ‘Peeping Tom in 1960.
• 1960 The Wasp Woman successfully manages to gratify the drive-in
crowd.
• The Haunting directed by Robert Wise delivered a soundtrack that
contrasts silence and sound to make fear through suggestion. This
gave it a good effect as this gives the audience a sound and picture.
• In 1964 ‘The Tomb of Ligeia’ used real footage.

9. 60s PartII
• Horror films had to be made cheaply.
• In 1968 ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ was considered one
of the scariest movies. The plot is about a
young couple you move into a New York flat,
not knowing their neighbour are Satanists.
• Occult horror began and continued into the
70’s.

10. 70’s
• Occult horror became very popular.
• The Wicker man was set on a remote island in Scotland in 1973.
• The Exorcist was voted the scariest movie of all time in 1999. The special
effects seem dazzling even by today's standards.
• Jaws in 1975 gave us a monster that was, uniquely, neither human nor
supernatural nor the result of mutation. It gave the audience the fear that
sharks are out there, that they are real and could be attacking swimmers
at this very moment.
• In 1976 The omen is written and were so popular that they were made
into several sequels.
• 1979, The Amityville Horror was made and this was about a haunted
house that one family had to escape from, this was supposedly based on a
true story- scaring audiences further.
• Gore fests featured in the 70’s for example ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
• Leather face became the most iconic monster. (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
• Halloween in 1978 was tension filled to have an impact on the audience.

11. 70’s Part II
• Zombie movies were created in the late 70’s.
• Zombie movies were made into the early 80’s
• The producer of the film ‘Lust for a Vampire’
gave advice on what a good horror should
include e.g. A lot of murders, a lot of blood, a
good villian, a good hero, curtain the amount
of sex, lots of action and lots of pretty girls.

12. 80’s – 90’s
• Nightmare on elm street and Scream were
produced in a modern self awareness horror.
• In a typical modern horror ‘no-one gets
mobile signal and the killer never dies’.
• In 1999 a new genre of mockumentary started
with ‘The Blair witch project’ this was made
cheaply and made the sense of reality and
fiction unclear.

13. 90’s- 2000+
• Japanese horror began (The Ring- 1998).
• After this came re-boots of Japanese horrors.
• 2000 + re-booting of classic horrors such as
‘Halloween’ were created.
• Final Destination created a new sense of fear,
there was no physical villian on these films just
death. This grim premise is actually a very
effective crowd pleaser when properly handled,
and has effectively sustained five entries in the
franchise.

14. 2009-2012
• Mockumentary has become quite popular now ranging
from paranormal and demoniac films. E.g. Paranormal
Activity 1-4 and The Last Exorcism – The Devil Inside.
• Films based around gore and futuristic circumstances.
‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2011) this gave audiences a
more computer generated experience.
• Films have now gone back to old roots and started
demoniac films again. ‘Sinister’ (2012) and ‘Apartment
143’.
• Sequels to earlier films have been made also. ‘Resident
Evil’, ‘Paranormal Activity’.

15. Why Horror Changed the way it did…
• The genre of Horror changed the way it did because, Horror is now
fed on the audiences favouritism, how well the spectators enjoyed
the film and how well they responded to it. For example
‘Paranormal Activity’ was very popular in 2009 because of its
originality and realistic environment, therefore producers saw that
it could be made into many sequels hence PA 2, 3 and 4 it was also
a good money making project.
• Since 2009 most film companies and producers have now started to
use ‘Found footage’ in their horror films starting a sort of found
footage trend.
• Most films rely on Demons, Cults, ghosts or paranormal beings and
things that cannot be seen, whereas before in the 1930s a physical
being like Frankenstein was referred to as ‘scary’.