Investigating the history of the horror

genreDominik Janus

• I have researched the history of the genre to help plan my horror film opening as I will know the tends and conventions of past films. Also, my research will help me understand what changes there was in the horror genre and the reasons behind them. This means that I will understand current trends and be able to include them within my horror movie.

SubgenresThe horror genre has many different subgenres including:• Slasher• Gore• Psychological• Paranormal• Monster

Zombie Films• Films including zombies first came around in the 30s, and they were

portrayed completely differently than now. They weren’t chasing after humans but simply followed their master’s orders. In the 60s the zombie we know today was created by G. Romero and they were initially named ghouls. From the 80s onwards the zombie developed to be more of a danger to humans by being fast or stronger, and infecting humans right away to make films more exciting. Modern films such as 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead portray zombies like this.

Timeline• 1896 –First horror film to be releases is called

'The Devil's Castle', lasts only 3 minutes. • 1898 –An Englishman patented a device that

allowed 'ghosts' to be seen in films, urging more films to be released as it gives directors more options.• 1910 –Horror classic 'Frankenstein' is released.• 1911 –First full length film including a monster

is released, 'Notre Dame De Paris' opened the way for more full length horror films to be released. • 1912 – First full length pure horror is released,

'The Vengeance Of Egypt'.

Timeline• 1928 – 'The Man Who Laughs' is the first horror film to be

released with sound, creating a new era for the genre as a lot can be added to the quality of the film through just sound.

• 1935 –'The Bride Of Frankenstein' includes music suited fir the horror genre, creating norms used to this day in horror films.

• 1940s - The genre declined along with the whole film industry due to World War 2, but films like 'The House Of Dracula' and 'The House Of Frankenstein' were still released.

• 1950s - During the 1950s many films including mutants were released, creating a new subgenre, also varying the genre as most films were based on gothic themes until then.

• 1960s – This decade also introduced a new subgenre - Thriller. Films like 'Psycho' and 'The Night Of The Living Dead' were released.

Timeline• 1970s – A lot more films came out in the 70s including 'The

Exorcist', 'Jaws' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. This could be because they were being made to reflect that time, which was seen as depressing compared to the 60s.

• 1980s –The 80s saw an increase in technology being used to create the films, making them include much more realistic costumes, monsters and special effects. Films like 'Nightmare On Elm Street' and 'The Shining' were released.

• 1990s –The genre moved away from monster stories and focused more on humans. Many films followed a psychopath killing others, making films much more believable e.g. The Silence Of The Lambs.

• 2000s – A new subgenre was introduced called 'Teen Horror'. Theses films would follow a group of friends who eventually get killed by a monster. Films like 'Blair Witch Project', 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge' were released.

How this will help me with planning my own film opening• Researching the history of the horror genre will help me to have a

better understanding of the genre. I now know what the general conventions are and how they developed over time so I can choose to use old versions of certain themes within my own film. Understanding the history of the genre is important as some techniques that I would’ve chosen without the knowledge may be outdated and therefore my film would be ineffective and disliked by the audience.