History of Horror

• Technology has been the major impact of the level of

quality horror films have today. If technology hadn’t

changed then horror films would still have the same

techniques and use the same special effects for 100 years.

Fake blood has developed over the years from a comical

effect to being passable as real blood.

1900s

• Horror films created in this time period would be basis of

all the horror films that would follow. These films

contained obvious endings and ways to kill the monster

(e.g garlic and vampires). There was only good and evil

in these films there was never a character in the middle.

1910s

• Silent films were the craze in this era, films like

“Frankenstein” & “The Werewolf” were the first of their

kind. “Frankenstein” had a running time of only 16

minutes, run time isn’t like the 2 hour films we get today.

• “The Werewolf” was the first ever film that contained

werewolf, films in this era were based off the book,

nowadays films are made first then they’re turned into

books

1920s

• Waxworks was created in 1924 and directed by Paul Leni.

The film was about a writer who was hired to create back

story’s for the waxworks in order to boost business. This

ran for 63 minutes.

• Hands of Orlac is another famous silent movie created in

1924. It was so popular it was re-made twice. Most old

horror films are recreated with the better technology.

1930s

• The first horror film ever to have sound was made in

1931 called “Dracula”. “Dracula” was based on a stage

play, not a novel.

• Sound added a completely new perspective to horror

films and succeeded in making them all the more

terrifying.

• Doctor X two years later was the first horror film to be in

full colour.

1940s

• I walked with a zombie was a combination of horror,

drama, thriller and romance, created in 1943. The plots

for horror films were getting more in depth. The plot for

this film is that A nurse has to take care of a man’s wife,

She tries voodoo to help heal the wife but people start

claiming that she is a zombie because she doesn’t bleed.

Then people start trying to kill the wife and there is

rumours that they were going to run away together (The

man and wife)

1950s

• This era focused more on creatures, as well as the more

sci-fi aspect.

• For an example the film Creature Of The Black Lagoon

was released in 1954 about an aquatic beast that lives in

the Black Lagoon and kills a camp of scientists. The

creature is attracted to a female scientist, it doesn’t kill

her but it takes her back to it’s cave. The film doesn’t end

well for the creature.

1960s

• The horror’s of the 1960s seem to be more sexually aware

than past generations.

• Psycho, released in 1960, is about a woman who is

murdered by a man with a split personality.

1970s

• The 1970s horror films focused on broken families.

• One of the most famous horror films came out in this era,

which is called “The Exorcist” (1973). A girl is possessed

by the Devil but her mother thinks she is just growing up,

but she is wrong.

1980s

• These horrors have been focused on the fact that special

effects have been improved (only slightly). The fashion

and music are what makes these horrors a classic.

• Gremlins, released in 1984, was intended to be a horror

film but most see it nowadays as a family film. But it was

very popular so there was a sequel created.

1990s

• The 90s was the era of serial killer horror movies, they needed a new topic, something that adds story to the film rather than just grossing out the audience.

• Se7en (1995) An American horror that focuses on a serial killer, each murder corresponds with one of the seven deadly sins.

• As you can tell the story is more in depth, but I think that the stories of horror films started getting in more depth in the 1940s.

2000s

• Horror films have started becoming more obscure, there

are nearly every subgenre of horror you can think of like

Romance Horror and Sci-fi Horror.

• Famous films like – Drag me to hell (2009)

• Zombieland (2009)

• Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

• 28 Days Later (2002)

• This research could help with my opening of a film

because I could choose an era to use for my project. I

could use the 1940s era then specify it and make the

opening with the characteristics of a real film from that

time.