2. The Haunted Castle (1896 film)
An orginal french film, with the intent to make people laugh
is creditted as one of the first horror films. Although only
three minutes long, the film has many horror sterotypes
such as a cauldron, demons, skeletons, ghosts and witches.
Even including Satan and vampires, this film is known under
many different names.
Lon Chaney, known as the ‘Man of many face’s’, played
countless horror films roles within the earliest days. Chaney
film count within 30 years is almost 200 films. His
breakthrough role in ‘The Miracle Man’, lead him to many
roles including many such as Indochinese animal tamer.
During the filming of his penultimate film ‘Thunder’ Chaney
One of the first notable horror films was ‘Nosferatu, eine devolved pneumonia. This led on to many health problems
Symphonie des Grauens’ (translated as Nosferatu: A and he eventually died seven weeks after his final film a
Symphony of Horror). This is the famous scene and the remake of ‘The Unholy Three’, Lon suffered a throat
iconic shadow of Count Orlok creeping up the stairs. Even in haemorrhage in 1930. Many tributes have been made to
the early films, you can see the classic horror conventions. Lon Chaney for his contribution to the horror genre.
Even early Hollywood dabbled slightly in horror films in the 1890s–1920s, including remakes of several films from The Hunchback of
Notre Dame, The lost World, The Phantom of Opera and and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These are some of the most classic horror
films and contain almost all of the conventions. Looking at the films today, you can see how limited they were with technology and
where all ideas from today are arrived from. Darkness and shadows, such important features of modern horror, were impossible to
show on the film stock available at the time, so the sequences, for example in Nosferatu, where we see a vampire leaping amongst
gravestones in what appears to be broad daylight, seem doubly surreal to us.
3. These decade’s has a lot of controversy surrounding it. It was almost as if people
were trying to push things to the very limit and as these events were new to the
world, people were determined to remove these from the public eye. For example,
up to 4 scenes were removed from Frankenstein until 1999 when they were
released. Also, the film ‘Freaks’ based on ‘Spurs by Ted Robinson’ was burned after
30 minutes and disowned by the studio. This film was about a controversial group of
circus freaks and this would have been the unknown to the public at this time. In
today’s film, there is not much which the public haven’t been revealed to. The idea
to shock and thrill the public during the 1930-19040’s was frowned upon.
Universal Pictures Co. was the The Wolf Man
lead horror film. They truly This was not the first werewolf
populuarized the genre, along film, but is definitely seen as the
most influential. The Wolf Man is
with Warner Bro’s and
one of three top-tier Universal
Paramount, who released Studios monsters without a direct
several small ones which literary source. Also, this is the only
played an important role such universal monster to be played by all Frankenstein is possibly one of the most
the same character during 1940’s recognisable names in horror history and
as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and
which is Lon Chaney Jr. (his father faces. Since the film release in 1931,
Mystery of the Wax Museum. Frankenstein has had a huge effect on
mentioned on previous slide)
horror. It is seen as one of the first gothic
horrors as well as blending science
The 1930-1940’s is definitely the era of classic horrors. fiction with horror. Much controversy
surrounded the film, with scenes of Fitz
Many trends and conventions were set in this time period.
torturing Frankenstein removed from the
Many historical famous horrors such as Dracula (as seen on movie until the 1980’s. These scenes, if
the right), Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. Whenever placed in a modern day horror, would be
monsters are created, these are all the staple models which seen as extremely mild proving how
creators refer to. much horror has actually made the
shocking transitions.
4. Many films picked up on theme of Friday the 13th (seen A slasher film is a film where a
left) and the thrill which it gave the audience. It used the psychopathic killer killing it’s
‘youth camp’ settings or teens camping in the forest. This victims in a sequence. The
uses typical conventions as they are vulnerable and in an murders are often quite graphic
isolated location. setting, films like The Burning (1981); and gruesome. A tool for the
Madmen (1982); Sleepaway Camp (1983) followed this. murder is often an apparent
object also whether this be a
knife or an axe of some sort.
Other films decided to follow the teen victim theme, and These films were popular
where else would they set this other then a among teens and even models
were made of the killers. For
school/college/university. Such as ‘Hell Night’, ‘Final
example, in ‘Friday the 13th’,
Exam’, ‘The Dorm That Dripped Blood’ and ‘The House of
the main character Jason who
Sorority Row’. These films continued to give more realistic was a brutal murder had
settings and teens were very much the target audience at several figures sold of him with
this time and would appeal to these the most. the mask and knife in toe.
Another theme we saw in the
early 1980’s were slasher films
The slasher films rarely see a conclusion. It seems they based around special days or
have endless amounts of sequels all with new stories holidays as their motif. Holidays
about how the slasher character comes back and such as Thanksgiving, Prom
continues to brutally murder characters. They are almost Night, Christmas day/eve,
seen as the anti-villain. This is unlike most conventions of birthdays were very popular
horror films where the victims normally win the fight with around these times. Even
the monster, yet the slasher villain carries on. valentines day saw ‘My Bloody
Valentine’.
5. In the modern day horrors, you Horror movies has also combined with comedy now.
Parodies of films are becoming popular particularly ‘Scary
can have a horror film about
Movie’ which has a combination of all famous scary movie
almost everything, and if you can with snippets of the films which has classic features. For
think of it, its probably already example , the Scream mask from the Scream films is an
been done. In the modern day apparent feature of the film. They are trying to broaden the
audience of horror films by making them funny to appeal to
they push all limits to the
people who don’t enjoy horror movies.
extreme with such gruesome
storylines such as The Human
Centipede and spine-chilling A recent remake is of ‘The
psychological films such as Amityville Horror’ (below). Re-
Paranormal Activity. With makes are becoming more and
technology being as advanced as more popular. Technology has
advanced more and more which
ever, films are becoming more
has allowed to remake the old
realistic and even more scary. classics in a more advanced way.
Producers have explored all areas They tend to have mixed views
of horrors from mild thrillers to and some people see the original Above is a shot from Paranormal Activity
ghost stories to serial killers. film as the better one. 1. The film is similar to ‘Blair Witch
Endless sequels were introduced Project’, shot by handheld cameras. This
such as ‘Final Destination’ and adds an element of realism to the film
‘Friday the 13th’ (which has seen which make it all the more creepy. This is a
its 7th sequel recently released). supernatural thriller, which means it is
something beyond a being, which is
Many remakes have also been unknown so you can’t see the being but it
considered and added to the is still apparent. This is probably one of the
limitless line of horrors in the scariest sub-genres of horror as the films
most recent days. leave the audience with so many
questions.
6. Although stories have changed over the years, the plot lines, the actors, the way people view horrors. It has
all changed. Apart from conventions. Whether the film has 70 years history or 1 year history, conventions are
the same and you will be able to tell in 5 minutes from conventions that the type of film is a horror film.
Typical conventions from a horror
movie includes:
• Dark, scary music
• Shadows, low lights
• The ‘Damsel in Distress’
• The monster (whether human
or a different being)
• Vulnerability of characters
• Panic or alarm
• Good/evil
• The unknown
• Defeat of the monster
• Isolated locations
All horror films will in some way of
form follow the codes and
conventions of horror. Whether
they are modern or ancient, a
horror film is a horror film.
Disruption of normality in all
shapes and sizes are stereotypical
signs of the horror genre.
