This document discusses trends and techniques in horror films over time. It notes that monsters and fears change with each generation to remain relevant. Some key techniques discussed include catching the audience off guard, using scary music, implying that sex leads to death, and ensuring the monster never truly dies. Psychological horror focusing on everyday people as the scariest killers is also examined. The document traces how fears of technology, religion, sexuality and more have influenced common horror film tropes. It analyzes the cultural impacts of influential films like Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and others.

1. By Amelia Stone

2. 1.
2.
3.
4.
JUMP – Catch the audience unprepared
CURIOSITY KILLS
SCARY MUSIC – e.g. Psycho
SEX = DEATH – e.g. Female characters are
punished more
5. THE MONSTER NEVER DIES

3. • Creatures of the night have been present since the beginning
of time.
• Fears change from generation to generation and so do our
monsters.
• They are almost human but not quite – animal features
• Strange appeal – the monster could be good looking.

4. • 1960’s America a time of civil unrest (Night of the Living Dead)
• If you have a group f people make each one Uniquely
Different.
• *Audience learn as much as the character learns.
• The Video Nasty – The Evil Dead
• VRA(1984) – Video Recordings Act
• More controversy and bad publicity meant the audience
wanted to watch it more.

5. • Universal studios didn't’t have colour and it
was British studios that brought colour to the
market.
(The was good for blood)
• Challenge young British kids/teenagers
- Can You Stand It?

6. • 1967 – Homosexuality legalized
• Shivers – people were disgusted by sexuality and
the association of disease.
• The idea of horror within you – your body turning
against you.
• 1980’s – The understanding of DNA and Cloning
(mad scientist movies became popular again)
• Atomic radiation led to fear of the world being
attacked or gone.

7. • Fear of technology – space race opened up new genre of monsters
• Frankenstein – Blasphemy against Christianity can still get your film
banned (idea of playing god)
• Had to wait for technology to catch up to make the aliens good!
• Alien(1979) – Its disgusting and we don’t like to think about disgusting
things in our mouths.
• The contrast between the sad desperate moment juxtaposed against a
scene of resolution and normality only to shock the audience with a third
scene.

8. *Catching the Audience off guard…
• Busing/ Luton Bus = The false scare e.g. Cat
people

9. • E.g. The Devil, Witches, etc.
• Anything against the ‘norm’ has to be destroyed in case
it turns on you.
• Fear of intelligent women.
WITCHCRAFT:
• The Wicker man – set in present day made it scary
• Religion plays an important role in isolation – Cultural
SATAN:
• The Exorcist – Based on a true story but the child was a
boy and in the film was changed to a little girl.
• Girls = Virginal and innocent – they become sexualized

10. “Unnerving to see something so innocent
change into something so evil” – Linda Blair
• Heart of the fear – if it can happen to a child it
can happen to anyone.
“It’s the purpose of the scary movie to attack
what we fundamentally hold dear” – Simon
Pegg

11. • The Devil has no boundaries.
• For the film to have work it had to shock
people
• The Omen – Damien is evil in himself so the
audience have no sympathy for him – so the
sequels were worse as they lost the story.

12. • Psychological territory
• The Shinning (1980) – Golden rule = isolation
and no sense of salvation
• A child in jeopardy cuts deep
• One person is always possessed - and takes
on animalistic tendencies.

13. • People = The Worst Killers + Scariest!
• They look like us and are just like us – ‘normal’ – this makes it scarier that
we wouldn't’t know who they are.
• Psycho(1960) – The film was about a woman trying to be with her
boyfriend by stealing – lulling the audience into a false state of security.
• Again SEX=DEATH
• Shower = Most vulnerable place
• Music – played a big part in scaring the audience as we never actually see
the knife go in.
• The killer – he was good looking and normal so the audience didn't’t
expect it.

14. •
•
•
•
•
Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Curiosity Kills
The audience creates the HORROR
Killer – not human but almost human – mask
Specific weapon = Chainsaw
The film maker is torturing the audience like the character is
being tortured.
“There’s nothing more scary than what you
make in your head” - Eli

15. • Halloween:
•
•
•
•
Teenagers – they don’t think it could happen to them – Naive
Girls = main characters = Geek
Other characters = Slut- gets killed first for having sex
Michael Myers – slowly stalks but Chainsaw – killing left right and
center
• Constant jumps
• The killer never dies – Halloween
• Nightmare on Elm Street:
•
•
•
•
•
4 high school friends
Child molester
If you die in your dream you die in real life
Killer can do anything he wants
Again the slut = victim

16. Films which had huge impact globally…
• Cannibal holocaust – Documentary style
• People thought it was a snuff film and it was real
lost footage
•
• Blair Witch Project – Documentary style
• Students – get lost in the woods
• High-street video cameras
• Improv – real reactions of the actors
• Genuine fear
• Imaginations have more control

17. “EACH GENERATIONS PERFECT SCARY MOVIE IS
UNIQUELY RELEVANT TO ITS TIME”