HORROR THROUGH THE AGES

The horror genre has been around for

many years but it has had a number of key changes...

THE 1920’sOne of the first ever horror films, Nosferatu was

released in 1922. Horror films in the 1920’s were dark, shadowy, gothic, vampiric and

featured scenes of mutilation and Nosfuratu is no exception. The horrors of this time reflected the fact that audiences were terrified of mystical monsters found in literature. In the 1920’s mise-en-scene

elements such as costume and setting were used to create a scary effect for the audience.

THE 1930’sHorrors in the 1930’s also featured monsters, they were gothic in style

for they often featured howling, wolves, vampires, mists and eerie castles set in far off lands. The 1930’s was when sound was

introduced to horror films. The Bride of Frankenstein was released in 1935 and seen to be one of the greatest horrors ever made, it was

also the first to feature a female monster. The Bride of Frankenstein, though the film was named after her, she was not the eponymous

hero as the title suggests. The narrative focuses around Frankenstein’s monster. She just appears at the end looking pretty and acting terrified of her husband. This reflects that women were

not equal to men in the 1930’s. The narrative focuses around Frankenstein’s monster. She just appears at the end looking pretty

and acting terrified of her husband. Another film released in the 1930’s was Dracula which starred Lugosi who was a horror star of

this decade. The film included a cape, fangs and blood-sucking, etc.

THE 1940’s

Horror films were banned in Britain in the 1940’s because of World War II so America took over. In this decade,

horrors featured characters that turned into animals or were half man/half beast. Cat People was released in 1942 and was one of the first to feature film methods

used today such as quick cuts and edits. The film featured a female character again but this time she

featured more prominently in the film. Though attractive, the ‘monster’ Irena stalked the streets in cat

form, terrorising and killing. This signals change in society as finally, a woman featured as the main

character and was actually feared.

THE 1950’s

In the 1950’s teenagers were the main audience for horror films. World War II made reality scarier than on-screen horrors however, audiences did

fear the effects of radiation, technological change and scientific experimentation cue, The

Fly. The Fly was released in 1958 and was typical of the era, with mutated creates affected by

radiation. The Blob was another film released in the 50’s it featured a amoeba-like creature that

petrified a town.

THE 1960’sHorror historian Andrew Tudor discussed how horror changed before and after 1960.

Before, horrors had ‘closed narratives’ where the ‘monster’ was destroyed,

however, post 1960, ‘open narratives’ were introduced where the monster was not always definitely destroyed. “The old horror was either dead or dying; a new

horror was about to be born”... – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)

THE 1960’sFears that had gripped the 1950’s were now gone and the

1960’s was a period of sexual liberation, drugs, fashion and freedom. It was a time where society changed forever because of these things. Monsters of the 1960’s were now

in human form and the murky darkness of the human mind was explored, audiences saw the monstrous

potential of man. Psycho was released in 1960, the Hitchcock classic featured a ‘monster’ that was a man!

The antagonist of the film, Norman Bates looked normal, but on the outset he was a psycho. Hitchcock has claimed

he chose the name Norman because it sounds like ‘normal’ yet Norman was no where near ‘normal’.

THE 1970’sThe 1970’s was the end of optimism that came from

the 1960’s, horrors grew in quality, while tackling society’s fears simultaneously. The 1970’s was

when the ‘slasher’ and ‘Final Girl’ were born. Now that the idyllic family of the 1950s had crumbled away, society’s fears at the time were to do with

children and childbirth because of the introduction of ‘the Pill’ and the birth defects caused by

Thalidomide. The idea that the enemy could be found in your own home was reflected in 1970’s

horror.

THE 1970’s

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in 1974 and is about five friends visiting one of their grandfather's house in the country. The teenagers are hunted and terrorised by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. The film is typical of it’s era because as mentioned, it was the era where ‘slasher’ films were born and Texas Chainsaw Masscre was one of the first ‘slashers’.

• The Exorcist was released in 1973, It features a child possessed by evil, reflecting the fear society had of disturbed children in the 1970’s.

THE 1980’s

The 1980’s was a time of technological change and there was an increased use of special effects. VCRs were introduced in homes so horrors could now be watched at home. Horrors of the 80s were all about

show, they included lots of colour, SFX, brighter lighting and a full view of gruesome killings. A

Nightmare on Elmstreet was released in 1984, it is typical of the 1980’s as it involves excessive gore and

brightly lit sets. The first victim, Tina, is slashed to pieces for having sex, this is a convention of horror.

THE 1990’s

In the 1990’s audiences became too clued up on horror conventions and found them too

predictable. They were becoming sick of guts and gore and wanted more intelligent horror. Cue

Silence of the Lambs, a disturbing psychological horror that features a serial killer and cannibal,

Hannibal Lector. Scream was another film released in the mid 90’s. Wes Craven acknowledged how

genre-savvy audiences were by having characters in the film who were aware of and mocked horror

conventions. They still died though...!

The 2000’s and Beyond

The tragedy of 9/11 changed our view of what is scary. Audiences feared the evil

that lurks in our world, especially terrorists. Audiences are now enjoying different kinds

of horror such as psychological and supernatural. Modern horrors often feature a game, a race against time (e.g. Saw) or a killing force that cannot be seen. Remakes and spoofs have also became popular in

our era. (e.g Scary Movie)

The 2000’s and Beyond Horror films shot in a ‘found footage’ style have also become popular, e.g.

Paranormal Activity and Grave Encounters. This makes the material on screen seem more ‘real’ for audiences

and therefore more terrifying. Possession and exorcism films have

also became popular in this era, such as ‘The Devil Inside’ and ‘The

Possession’.

Through studying horror through the ages I have learned how much horror has

changed over the years. Everything has changed and established including

costume, props, sound, use of camera and use of edits etc. I have also learned

how horrors always reflect society’s fears at the time. I now know I must reflect current fears in my narrative which I believe I have done as stalking and

kidnappings unfortunately do happen regularly in the real world.