History of horror

                                          History of horror

Horror Films date back to the 1890's when films where black and white and special effects where non exsistant. Eventhough nowadays the films will seem ridiculous and non-scary , back in the day they where seen as terrifying. As audiences of the 1890's had never seen horror films and where not used to the bizarre story lines . It was not uncommon for audiences to faint in these movie theatres due to the suprise of horror.

1896-Le manoir du diable

The first known horror film appeared in the silent shorts created by the film pioneer Georges melies in the late 1890s. The best known of these films was Le manoir du diable which  is seen as the first ever horror film. The title in french means : The house of devil . The film is only two minutes long btu has been seen as the birth of horror films.
The plot of the film involves satan,skeletons ,bats ,ghosts and witches which shows the peoples fears in the 1890's .


Internationally film makers began to succesful and well knowncreate horror films , between the 1890's-1920's such as;
-The Hunchback (1909)
-The Love of a Hunchback (1910)
- Notre-Dame de Paris (1911)
^- The Golemn(1920)
-Dr.Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1920)
-Nosferatu (1922)
-The monster (1923)
-Waxworks (1924)
-The Lost World (1925),
-The Phantom of the opera (1925)
-After Midnight (1927)

 

Universal pictures had a big impact on horror film in the 1930's when they released a dark horror film series which became successful. This began a film spiral releasing one after the other. Popular films such as Frankenstein and Dracula . After this ,different ideas where introduced like The mummy (1932) introduced Egyptology , this added fear towards mummification. Another ,The wolf man (1941) introduced werewolf's into the horror genres. This has influenced more recent films such as The Mummy Returns and Dog soldiers(2002)



 

 

 Towards the 1950's , horror films began to include more non-fictional and creative characters , like aliens , deadly mutations ,plants and insects. The creatures became more ridiculous and unknown , such as Godzilla . Films began to become more supernatural . Eventually films started to turn into the gore-shock zombie films similar to the ones we see today. One of the first "Night of the living dead" which frightened people in everyday life.

 

 

In the 1970's films such as the Exorcist (1973) involved possession and evil children that then became more popular . Storylines began to involve the devil possessing the most innocent of people. The 1960's counterculture influenced film which led to The Texas chainsaw massacre (1974) and The hills have eyes (1977).

 

The 1980's and 1990's had a huge impact on horror films as slasher films were released involving deadly phychos and vicious deaths . Popular slasher films that are popular today where made in the 1980's  like A nightmare on elm street (1984), Halloween (1978) and Candyman (1992). Up until present today films have become more realistic with special effects.

 

Throughout the years horror films have adapted to the viewers beliefs and the changes on the recent effects on society. In the past horror films  where based on the fantasies  and the creative minds of people . Whereas in present day there has been films based on true stories and disturbing ideas of many writers . Todays audience have made a higher demand for blood and sex and setting is mostly in towns and homes to make everyday scary. Sinister is one of the more disturbing resent films which involves a hanging scene in the first few seconds.