Classic roots in literature were witnessed throughout the 19th century and include Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde. These gothic novels grew in popularity rapidly during this time after romantic poets discovered fear and awe were sensations not so far apart.
The silent era occurred mainly through the 20s and films from Germany were highly popular. Films at this time include The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu. This era allowed for musical experiment for tension building due to the 'silent' nature of the films. This also led to much more expressionist styled settings, exaggerated very much to give the sense of mysteriousness.
The 1930s introduced the era of monsters and mad scientists, and also the first horror films to feature sound. This is when Frankenstein hit the big screen which resulted in a lot of criticism, primarily the scene when the monster chucks a young girl in a river and kills her. Also during this time came King Kong and Dracula.
The 1940s led us into an era of animal-based horrors with films such as The Wolfman and Cat People. Hitler's first name, Adolf, means Noble Wolf so it is believed there are links between this and the wolf-related horror films.
Mutant creatures and Alien invasions were the main focus during the 50s with films such as The Wasp Woman, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Plan 9 from Outer Space. The era's obsession with these monster movies had likely come from the fears generated by the co-existence of atom bombs. Films such as The Blob also use the fear of communism as a source of inspiration, in order to scare the population into the producer's way of thinking.
The 60s and 70s brought ghosts, zombies and possession to the table with films such as Psycho, Carnival of Souls, The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Some time after the war, external threats were less relevant which is likely why horror films began creating villains who were closer to home seeing as the audience's weren't as vulnerable as in the previous decade.
Hammer Horror was a successful British production company making many films such as The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Brides of Dracula.
The 80s came with slasher films and body horror, with hits such as Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Large developments in what was capable in terms of special fx made possible the gruesome scenes that this era brought to the screens. Also during this time came video nasties, criticized widely for their explicitly violent scenes.
Video Nasties also became popular in the early 80s. These were a collection of films that were too gruesome for the big screen and had to, by law, go straight to VHS rather than have any screenings. This led to a decline for horror movies in cinemas as more people were intrigued due to these titles being banned. These films would usually have explicit front covers, with some examples of video nasties being Bloody Moon, 'Burning and Axe.
The 2000s brought use gore like we had never seen it before with films such as Saw and Final Destination creating scenes that were shockingly realistic to viewers.
The 1940s led us into an era of animal-based horrors with films such as The Wolfman and Cat People. Hitler's first name, Adolf, means Noble Wolf so it is believed there are links between this and the wolf-related horror films.
Mutant creatures and Alien invasions were the main focus during the 50s with films such as The Wasp Woman, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Plan 9 from Outer Space. The era's obsession with these monster movies had likely come from the fears generated by the co-existence of atom bombs. Films such as The Blob also use the fear of communism as a source of inspiration, in order to scare the population into the producer's way of thinking.
The 60s and 70s brought ghosts, zombies and possession to the table with films such as Psycho, Carnival of Souls, The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Some time after the war, external threats were less relevant which is likely why horror films began creating villains who were closer to home seeing as the audience's weren't as vulnerable as in the previous decade.
Hammer Horror was a successful British production company making many films such as The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Brides of Dracula.
The 80s came with slasher films and body horror, with hits such as Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Large developments in what was capable in terms of special fx made possible the gruesome scenes that this era brought to the screens. Also during this time came video nasties, criticized widely for their explicitly violent scenes.
Video Nasties also became popular in the early 80s. These were a collection of films that were too gruesome for the big screen and had to, by law, go straight to VHS rather than have any screenings. This led to a decline for horror movies in cinemas as more people were intrigued due to these titles being banned. These films would usually have explicit front covers, with some examples of video nasties being Bloody Moon, 'Burning and Axe.
The 2000s brought use gore like we had never seen it before with films such as Saw and Final Destination creating scenes that were shockingly realistic to viewers.
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