1. The History of Horror
Dracula
(1931)
Nosferatu
(1922)
Cat People
(1942)
The Fly
(1958)
Psycho
(1960)
The Exorsist
(1973)
Scream
(1996)
A Nightmare
on Elm Street
(1984)
By Betsi Burch
Saw (2004)

2. Introduction
Although the horror genre has been around
for many years, it has had many significant
changes as what people are scared of
differs as time goes on...

3. Nosferatu (1922)
-
This was one of the first horror
movies to be released
A dark, shadowy, gothic/vampiric
film
A silent film, atmosphere was
created in the cinemas thanks to a
live orchestra.
As shown by Nosferatu, the earliest horrors
were eerie, dark and featured scenes of
mutilation. They reflected the fact that
audiences tended to be scared of
mythical monsters, as these featured in the
horror literature that was popular at the
time.
GOTHIC HORROR
The 1920’s

4. Dracula (1931)
- Starred Bela Lugosi, a very famous actor of the time who
appeared in many a horror film
- Very traditional in style; cape, fangs and blood-sucking
were featured throughout the film
- Very gothic – howling wolves, mists, eerie castles
- First talking horror
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- Starred Boris Karloff, again a very famous horror actor of his
time and popular with audiences
- Considered as one of the greatest ever horrors
- The first horror to feature a female monster. This was not a
huge leap forward in terms of the representation of females
in horror, nonetheless, as she is pretty and repulsed by
Frankenstein‟s monster. She does not play a proactive role
in the narrative and only appears towards the end.
As shown by Dracula (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein
(1935), the horror films of the 1930‟s were still quite gothic in
style, and were set in far away mystical lands that the
audience could never frequent and therefore seemed alien
and strange. They featured monsters as the antagonist, and
were inspired by 19th century novels, which featured the kind
of mythical beasts that scared audiences. The 1930‟s also
saw the first use of sound
GOTHIC HORROR
The 1930’s

5. Cat People (1942)
- Featured a female character to be feared by the
audience
- Although she was beautiful, the „monster‟ Irena
prowled the streets in cat form, terrorising and killing
humans. In its representation of females, this film is
significant, as it was the first to feature a really
dangerous female.
- One of the first to use film methods which are still
popular today, such as a more subtle and
sophisticated approach in the use of camera, editing
and sound to create terror for audiences.
During the 1940‟s horror films were banned in Britain
due to World War 2. America started to take
over; playing it safe with many films recreating
the horrors of the 1930‟s. Horrors featuring
characters which turned into animals or were
half man/half beast became extremely popular.
Cat People is, in this respect, quite typical of its
time.
AMERICAN HORROR
The 1940’s

6. The Fly (1958)
- Typical of the era, as it demonstrates the devastating
effects of radiation and what can happen when
scientific experimentation goes wrong. Andre Delambre is
a scientist who is working on a matter transformation
device, but it all goes wrong when he becomes half man,
half fly.
- The film demonstrates how audiences started to fear the
effects scientific experiments and radiation would have
on the world
The Blob (1958)
- Featured a giant, amoeba-like creature who terrorised
a town
- Again, it is typical of the era; this is a sign that audiences
feared the effects of nuclear explosions and radiation on
the world and what this things could bring into our midst.
Post World War 2, Britain was mourning for the 40 million lives lost;
horrors of the past decades, such as Frankenstein and
mummies, no longer seemed scary in comparison to real-life
horrors. Audiences started to fear the effects of
radiation, nuclear war and scientific experimentation. In this
decade, teenagers became the main audience for horror
films. This trend has continued to this day.
EXPERIMENTAL HORROR
The 1950’s

8. Psycho (1960)
- Directed by well renowned director, Alfred Hitchcock
- Featured a „monster‟ which was a human and looked completely
normal.
- Chose the name „Norman‟ for the antagonist; it sounds like normal
- Norman Bates looks normal on the surface, but he is actually a
psycho with a twisted mind and serious psychological issues.
- The film was influenced by the crimes of a real-life psychopath, Ed
Gein, setting the trend to base horrors on true cases.
Roger Corman’s ‘B’ movies
- Featured lots of gore and buxom women
- Made with the sole intention of making a profit
- Complete opposite of intelligent horrors being made by the likes
of Hitchcock
By the 1960‟s arrived, audiences were relieved; there were no
nuclear explosions or destructions caused by radiation. Fears
which had gripped society in the 50‟s were now gone. The 60‟s
saw a period of massive social change, with drugs, sex and new
fashions becoming much more acceptable and embraced –
different attitudes were coming into play and morals were
loosened. It is no surprise, therefore, that audiences started
fearing the effects of this on the human mind and considering
the monstrous potential of humans and what a twisted mind
might lead them to do.
REALISTIC HORROR
The 1960’s

9. The 1970’s
“Some horror critics and historians have come to view
the 1970‟s as a „golden age‟ of horror production, as a
period in which the genre acquired some maturity and
artistic integrity...” – Peter Hutchings (The Horror Film)
The 1970‟s was an era of depression; the optimism of the
1960‟s had ended. But horrors started to grow rapidly in
quality, whilst still tackling society‟s fears. The introduction
of „the pill‟ and birth defects caused by Thalidomide had
led audiences to develop a fear of children and
childbirth. The once idyllic family of the 1950‟s crumbled
away, creating a loss of faith and security in the structure
of family life and leading to the idea that the enemy
could be in your family network. This was reflected
through 1970‟s horrors, for instance, The Shining and The
Exorcist. The slasher and the final girl were also born within
this era.
MATURE HORROR
The Exorcist (1973)
- Featured a child possessed by evil
- Typical of the era as it reflects the fear society had of
disturbed children
- One of the first possession-based films, creating a subcategory of the supernatural sub-genre that is incredibly
popular today.
The Shining (1980)
- Featured a murderous, violent father
- He gets controlled by a supernatural presence and tries to kill
his wife and son
- Although it was made in 1980, it is seen as an honorary 70‟s
horror due to it‟s mise-en-scene elements and narrative

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Excessive gore and a brightly lit set.
- Tina, the first victim, is slashed to pieces for having
sex (the slasher convention of „whoever is sexually
active gets killed‟ was continued and cemented).
- Advances in prosthetics, make up and SFX were
made use of in this film.
In the 1980‟s there was a lot of technological change –
special effects became much more advanced and
this was reflected in horror films. Society had become
more materialistic and the bigger/flashier the better.
Therefore, horrors in the 80‟s were all about show –
there was lots of colour, special effects, killers in full
view, gruesome killings, brighter lighting. Monsters still
remained human, though, as society still feared the evil
of fellow human beings. However, horrors could now
be watched at home due to VCR technology. This
heightened the fear-factor to some extent, as
audiences would have been on red-alert to and
watchful of possible horrors in their own homes, whilst
watching or just after watching these films.
SLASHER HORROR
The 1980’s

11. Scream (1996)
- Wes Craven acknowledged how genre-savvy
audiences were bored of the same narratives
cropping up again and again and of the
predictability of horror films. He made sure to
feature characters who were aware of and
mocked horror conventions within the film, just
as the audience were. Despite being clued up
on horror, however, they still died, a message
to the audience that knowledge will not keep
you safe.
Audiences had become bored of guts and gore
by the time the 1990‟s came around; they wanted
much more intelligent horror. They were too clued
up on horror conventions and had started to find
horror films really predictable. Scream (1996)
challenges the predictability of your typical
slasher, and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was
refreshing for audiences; a disturbing and
intelligent, psychological horror featuring serial
killer and cannibal, Hannibal Lecter.
CLEVER HORROR
The 1990’s

12. One Missed Call (2008)
- Featured a murderous force which couldn‟t be seen
- Typical of the era, as it features mobile phones as the
channel through which evil communicates, reflecting the
rise of technology within the world
The Saw Franchise
- Killing becomes a sick twisted game in which the victims
are forced to take part
- Victims ultimately kill themselves; an intellectual horror
which suits contemporary society, as they want to be
intellectually challenged.
The tragedy of 9/11 changed society‟s view of what is scary;
audiences started to fear the evil which lurks in the world, such as
terrorism. Modern horrors tend to feature a game which involves a
race against time or a killing force which can‟t be seen. Remakes
and spoofs also became very popular, with classic horrors like A
Nightmare on Elm Street and The Omen being re-created and
audiences became more open minded to variety when it came to
horror; psychological, supernatural and zombie horrors are all now
enjoyed, along with many others. Realism also became key; horrors
are now often „based on a true story‟ which ensures the audience
is scared on a whole new level, and this phrase is often featured in
horror movie promotional packages.
SPOOF HORROR
The 2000’s

13. Grave Encounters (2011)
- Shot in a „found footage‟ style in order to
create realism, and scare the audience
further
The Possession (2012)
- Scary possession and exorcism films are
more popular than ever, especially with
younger audiences, and are also cheap
to make. They have proven to be box
office hits!
Throughout this decade so far,
supernatural horrors have dominated. They
are popular with contemporary audiences
who fear the unknown and any kind of evil
that cannot be controlled. The „found
footage‟ style works wonderfully with these
films, as it heightens the idea that the
events covered in the films have
happened or could happen.
SUPERNATURAL HORROR
The 2010’s and beyond...

14. From studying the History of Horror, I have found that what happens in society at
that time, affects the kind of horrors being both made by media practitioners and
watched by audiences. For example, the 60‟s saw massive changes within society,
and horror films of the time also saw change; Psycho was like no other horror film
before, and it set the bar for horror films from then onwards. From the 70‟s, horror
films such as The Exorcist became popular due to society‟s fear of disturbed
children and the no longer „idyllic‟ family. Therefore, when it comes to my horror
movie, I have decided to reflect a modern day fear – stalking. Celebrity culture is
such a huge influence in peoples lives nowadays; famous people often have their
privacy invaded by not only the media, but by fans as well. Many celebrities are
stalked by their fans, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tyra Banks, Hilary Duff, Justin
Timberlake and Jennifer Aniston. We even watch shows such as „Celebrity Big
Brother‟ – we can see prominent figures within society just going about their daily
business. When a celebrity goes through a break up, it is splashed all over the news.
All of this begs the question as to when is it a fan goes too far? I personally believe
that many celebrities aren‟t given the privacy that a normal person would be given,
and that they are entitled to. If a normal, unfamous, person was treated in this way,
it would be extremely frightening and disturbing for the individual. Therefore, we
chose to reflect the fact we live in a society where we are constantly focusing on
individuals (and being watched ourselves via CCTV cameras and such) as we felt
this would be a horrific experience.