Horror is a film genre seeking to draw out and get the audience to respond to the film. It gives off a negative, emotional reaction. Most horror films feature scenes that are meant to startle the audience and give them a sense of fear. They tend to involve fantasy, supernatural and thriller genres. Horrors mostly involve the audiences nightmares, fears and terror of the unknown. Evil is a key word within the horror genre and is mainly used in an event or mixed into the everyday world. They normally involve ghosts,aliens, werewolves, zombies, vicious animals and mainly serial killers.

The first horror films were in the 1920ʼs and 1930ʼs and they mainly were remarks of the classic ʻDraculaʼ by Bram Stroker. Also in the same decades Frankenstein, The Mummy and many more.

In the 1940ʼs the amount of horror films decreased because World War 2 took place. However Wolf Man, House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein were released.

The 1970ʼs had an increase of horror films and The Exorcist, Jaws, The Omen, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were released. People believe that the increase in horror films were because the decade between 1960ʼs and the 70ʼs was ʻdepressingʼ.

This History of Horror

Finally in 2000ʼs we were introduced to a new genre of horror movies called “teen horror” or otherwise known as “slasher”. This consist of the actors being picked off one by one by either monsters or killers. Such films as The Grudge, The Ring, Final Destination Saga and The Descent.

This History of Horror