History of Horror

Roots in Classic Literature:
Horror films have deep roots based in classic literature written in the 19th century. The three main stories from this time period are; Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. These were then adapted and made into films which were released over the following century. Frankenstein had the biggest effect on society as it caused controversy in a few ways. People were first horrified that their children could see such gore and graphic scenes so easily. Following this, the film also received criticism from religious groups as it showed resurrection with a bolt of lightening and these groups believed only god could create and give life.

Monsters and Mad Scientists (1930):
During the 1930s, horror introduced monsters and mad scientists as the main antagonists in the genre. Universal Studios broke through into the horror industry with their films Dracula and Frankenstein. Other films include King Kong and The Mummy. The cinema in the era was seen to be a escape for some people from the depression and war. Statistics from the time tell us that around 80 million people visited the cinema on a weekly basis. During this era of film, Hitler came to power and the mad scientist side of the genre reached its peak, they began to increase their usage of mad scientists as it was a outlet to expresses the character of Hitler in their films

Primal Animals Within (1940)
The 1940s was the start of a new trend in the horror genre, animals within. Obvious examples of animals within are Werewolves and Catpeople which were both popular in this time period. The most iconic films from this decade are 'The Wolfman' and 'Catpeople'. The antagonist of a werewolf was said to have derived from Hitler and his love for the creatures. Adolf is said to mean 'noble wolf' in old German. This is also made clear as he forced his sister to change her name to Paula Wolf and he referred to his secretary as Joanne Wolf. So with Hitlers strong relationship with the wolf, the wolfman was commonly used to portray the Nazis. This was effective as it showed the Nazi as a condition, like getting bitten by the wolfman, and also how the wolfman dies in the films showing the death/defeat of Hitler.

Mutant Creatures and Alien Invaders (1950)
1950s was dominated by the popular goal of space exploration. This spilt over into the horror films of the decade and created a new type of horror films. Ones that used aliens form outer space and mutant creatures. Famous and iconic films from the decade are 'The Thing' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. Another famous film from the time was called 'The Blob'. This carried with it a deeper meaning than just a unknown red blob terrorising the world. The Blob was used to show the world about the creeping horrors of communism and is used to warn the American people of it's dangers.

Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Films were a production company in the 1900s that were involved in some of the biggest titles to be released in their era. They created works such as Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy and Dracula. These films took a different look on the generic horror film traditions. For example, the Curse of Frankenstein mainly focused on the victims rather than the creature/monster. It also portrayed Frankenstein on a search for knowledge rather than a creature on a murderous rampage. They enjoyed taking a previous Universal project/film, changed it up a little with a fresh script and if it did well and people enjoyed it they would make a squeal.  

Zombies, Ghosts, Satanism and Your Family (1960-70s)
This period of time was home to another new focus of mainstream horror, however this time it came with a much larger budget. They dealt with real psychological fears that people had at the time for example the fear of children/childbirth. Undoubtedly, the most famous film of this era was 'The Exorcist'. It was banned in the UK until 1999, which is 26 years after its release. This film had such a strong effect as it really put emphasis on the fear of children and how they aren't always wanted, using satanism (girl getting possessed by the devil) to put this across stronger. It was voted the scariest film of all time and was the first horror film to be nominated for best picture. 

Slasher Films and Body Horror
The next type of horror film to really take off were 'Slashers'. These films consisted of a usually psychopathic antagonist who would kill the other characters through the use of knives and other sharp objects. One of the main attraction of these films was the body horror aspect, the way you see the graphic gashes and cuts to a persons body. Famous movies of this type are; Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. They came around in the 70s and 80s due the technological advances in the movie industry allowing for more realistic effects so gore was easier to achieve. The main antagonists from Slashers films always received attention, mainly Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jason (Friday the 13th) as they had their own film made called Freddy v Jason. The popularity of the slasher films lead to the Scream films being produced. These were a set of films that challenged the normal conventions of a slasher and it became a parody of its own genre.

Video Nasties
These collection of films were never released on the big screen and were forced to go straight to VHS. They were labeled to be too gruesome and laws were passed to stop them being sold in Britain. They would usually have ridiculous names and graphic front covers. This did lead to the horror industry declining as people no longer went to the cinema to watch films as these films were on VHS and were incredible popular because they were banned. A few titles from the era are; Bloody Moon, The Burning and Axe. 

Torture Porn and Gorenography
These films first came around in the 2000s. They mainly focused on the ways in which people died and how graphic it could be over the main narrative and character depth. The 7 Saw films are the most famous of the genre with the victims having to free themselves from traps or 'games' and in doing so usually have to mutilate their own body. Despite Saw's popularity, the Hostel Trilogy contain some of the most graphic and gruesome death scenes. The films didn't have such a social impact, the got the attention they did because they offered a way to see such graphic things from the safety of being the other side of the screen. The films really pushed the boundaries of far horror and gore can go with the demanding special effects used.