History of Horror

Horror Roots in Classic Literature 
three great 19th century

Key films:

• Frankenstein 
• Dracula
• Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde 

How They Originated: 

• Frankenstein was written Mary Shelley in 1818 it first came to her when her, her husband Percy Shelley who was a famous English writer and his friend Lord Byron decided to see who could come up with the best ghost/horror story
• Dracula was produced in 1931 and directed by Tod Browning 
• Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde was originally a novel written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson it was first published in 1886

The Impact They Had: 

• Frankenstein is responsible for the beginning of the science fiction genre and has been the inspiration. Parents complained to the makers of the film, because they were unhappy about the obscenities depicted in 1910 classic, they were outraged that such graphic scenes of horror could be seen by their children
• Dracula was first seen as a book so people used to use their imaginations to picture what it was like, when Dracula became a film it caused shock because people could then see their imaginations being brought to life. There was a controversial issue as Dracula was playing God, so religious groups would have strong opinions on this issue. 
• The phase 'Jekyl and Hyde' has become part of our language and has come to mean someone who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next 

Monsters and Mad Scientists
1930s and Universal Studios

Key Films:

• Frankenstein
• Dracula 
• King Kong
• Freaks
• The Mummy
• Bride of Frankenstein

How They Originated:

• They were recycled but this time sound was brought in as it was a new way to scare people, and it was a new technology. 

The Impact They Had:

• The impact was that it was a whole new way to be scared, by doing this brought in loads of money at cinemas and made the films very popular and by this triggered other films to be made and sequels to be made. 

The Primal Animal Within: Werewolves and Cat People
1940s

Key Films:

• The Wolfman
• Cat People

How They Originated: 

• The Wolfman was the first single werewolf story
• Resulting from men coming back from the war, and women were seen as powerless

The Impact They Had:

• People would see the wolf as the Nazi and was trying to take over but then it got defeated so this could be seen as a propaganda film 
• The impact was that women were seen as dangerous and powerful because of what they were able to do in the film 

Mutant Creatures and Alien Invaders
1950s

Key Films:

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers 
• The Blob

How They Originated: 

• End of world war 2 left 40 million dead
• People were more aware of the inhuman acts of man
• People lived in fear of war
• 1950s films show new technology and science

The Impact They Had: 

• America was under constant threat of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union
• Sightings of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico scared Americans causing a new trend of horror/scifi films

Ghosts,Zombies, Satanism and Your Family
1960s-70s

Key Films:

• Night of the Living Dead  
• 13 Ghosts 
• Rosemary's Baby 

How They Originated: 

• Changed in technology
• Lead up to the war
• Dealt with contemporary societal issues, and mainly addressed genuine psychological fears
• One of the recurring fears was children and the fear of child birth

The Impact They Had: 

• Plays on audiences fears and nightmares (terror of the unknown)
• Triggers inventors to bring out new technology 
• Gives directors new ideas
• Women were seen as victims

Hammer Horror 
a british success

Key Films: 

• The Woman in Black (2012)
• 8 Dracula Films

How They Originated:

• It is a universal project
• Make copies 

The Impact They Had:

• It was in colour, not black and white which was new to some people
• Focuses on victim not creature so we can see their point of view
• Success led to more different films

Slasher Movies and Body Horror and Their Descent into Postmodern Parody

Key Films: 

• Scream
• Halloween
• A Nightmare on Elm Street  
• Friday 13th 
• Psycho  
• Child's Play 
• Prom Night 

How They Originated:

• Advances in technology allowing special effects 

The Impact They Had:

• Audiences loved these films especially ones with Psychopath killers in them, this then led to spin offs, parodies and sequels which we see today 

Format Fears and Moral Panics (Video Nasties) 
1980s

Key Films: 

• Axe 
• Zombie Flesh Eaters 
• Cannibal Apocalypse 
• The Burning 
• The Evil Dead 

How They Originated: 

• The release of the cassette saw films go 'straight to video' rather than be in the cinema
• Popularity of horror films was at a new high
• The invention of the VHS meant people could watch films in their own home

The Impact They Had:

• Headlines saw that these gory films were being watched by kids and argued that it was warping children's minds
• Government took action by banning certain videos which were called 'video nasties' 

Gore Returns with a Vengeance-"gore-nography" or "torture porn"
2000s

Key Films:

• Hostel  
• Wolf Creek 

How They Originated:

• DON'T KNOW

The Impact They Had:

• People liked it because people like thinking 'what if?' this is shown within the film as it is fiction allowing sick films to be deemed as 'ok'
• To get a thrill out of them (fear factor)
• People like to see how far horror and gore can be pushed
• People like to feel the satisfaction of being out of their comfort zone