The History of Horror Movies
For centuries, stories originating from folklore and religious beliefs have sought to channel the power of fear and disgust to provide entertainment.
But it wasn’t until the 1890s that the first horror movie appeared. Since then the genre has evolved, with many different sub-genres of horror, and films that meld horror with different genres.
Some horror films are sheer entertainment, while others aim to serve as commentaries on important social themes.
The nature of horror movies means that they’re often subject to censorship and controversy, and the horror film genre has often found itself pushed away from the mainstream. They rarely receive critical acclaim - only six have ever been nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. However, many horror films and franchises have seen enormous commercial success.
Take a look at the murky history of horror movies… if you dare.
How Did Horror Movies Begin?
The earliest horror movies drew their themes and imagery from literature stretching back centuries.
Many everpresent horror features such as ghosts, demons, zombies, monsters, madness, and apocalyptic events were already well established in ancient folklore and texts from around the world. Sources include Ancient Greek and Roman texts and even the Bible.
In the 1890s, advances in cinematography coincided with the publication of many classically dark works of fiction, such as "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Dracula", and "The Picture of Dorian Gray".
The combination of these developments influenced what is widely regarded as the first horror film.
What was the First Horror Movie Ever Made?
The film in question was a 3-minute-long silent movie produced in 1896 by French film producer Georges Méliès. It was called "Le Manoir du Diable (The House of the Devil)", and released in the US as "The Haunted Castle".
It began with a bat flying around a medieval castle before turning into the Devil. The Devil and his assistants then play tricks on the two men involving horror staples such as skeletons and mysteriously moving furniture.
While it’s technically the first horror film, audiences apparently reacted with amusement more than terror.
What Is the History of Horror: A Terrifying Timeline
The early 1900s saw an explosion in horror film production. These drew on recent horror literature, with many adaptions of "Frankenstein" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" appearing on screens.
The 1910s and 20s saw Germany arise as a big influence on the horror genre, with German Expressionist art evident in the aesthetic of many films. Paul Wegener’s "The Student of Prague" and "Golem" films were notable, while films such as "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and the Dracula adaption "Nosferatu are regarded as masterpieces and greatly influenced future American horror films.
The 1930s saw the advent of the ‘talkies’, the first movies with synced voices. This led to several seminal horror films and allowed some actors to establish themselves as genuine horror stars for the first time. The most notable of these were Bela Lugosi for his performances as Dracula, and Boris Karloff for his roles in "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy".
Both starred together in many films throughout the decade, and big studios began to develop a cycle of films that followed a similar pattern. However, horror film production did stall due to censorship issues.
The 1940s saw a slight resurgence thanks to the success of the sequel, "Son of Frankenstein", again starring Karloff. However, interest in horror had once again slumped by 1950.
Fears of nuclear war and interest in space during the 1950s saw several movies featuring aliens and radioactive mutants. Following the success of 1951’s "The Thing From Another World", many horror movies over the next few years, such as "Godzilla", featured these science-fiction elements.
The late 50s saw the Hammer production company enter the horror scene with several Gothic horrors. These included some of the first color horror films such as "The Curse of Frankenstein" and "Dracula" later in the decade.
The 1960s brought the unforgettable thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. Psycho signaled a new era of increased psychological elements and violence in horror films. Later in the decade, George A. Romero’s "Night of the Living Dead" broke boundaries and paved the way for a new wave of variety in horror movies in the 1970s and 80s, when the horror genre diversified and many classic films were produced.
"Rosemary’s Baby" was the first film to introduce satanic themes, and paved the way for further occult films such as "The Omen" and "The Exorcist, without doubt; one of the most famous horror films of all time.
"Jaws" redefined horror with its suspenseful score and more realistic threat, while "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and John Carpenter’s "Halloween" were the first ‘slasher’ movies. This genre introduced a new batch of fearsome characters that began to replace traditional figures such as Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster in viewers’ nightmares. Serial killers such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street’s" Freddie Kruger and "Halloween’s" Michael Myers.
Studios continued to plunder literature for their source material, with many Stephen King books adapted for film, most notably "Carrie", "The Shining", and "Pet Sematary".
An oversaturation of slasher movies meant audiences’ appetites for horror had been bled dry, and the 1990s saw a decline in the popularity of the horror genre. However, there were a few big hits towards the end of the decade, with Wes Craven’s "Scream" achieving commercial and cult success, and the found-footage film "The Blair Witch Project" introducing a new horror format.
The new millennium saw a reinvigoration, with an invasion of zombie movies including a remake of "Dawn of the Dead", "28 Days Later", and the "Resident Evil" series.
Shockingly violent films involving mutilation and torture hit the screens during this time. Movies such as "Saw", "Hostel", and "Wolf Creek" were commercially successful but sometimes derided by critics as ‘torture porn’.
The current state of the horror genre is mixed. Some critics lambasted the lack of originality demonstrated by the production of so many remakes.
However, many successful recent films have latched onto greater public awareness of sociopolitical issues and have used horror as a means to explore them. A notable example is 2017’s "Get Out", which explores racial themes and was the most recent horror film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar as of 2022.
What Are the Different Types of Horror Movies?
There are many ways to shock, scare and disgust people, so the horror genre is broad and varied. Movies are often described as belonging to one of many sub-genres.
Body Horror
These movies disturb by subjecting human bodies to grotesque transformations by such means as mutation, mutilation, or invasion. Often this involves some kind of creature or disease, such as in the 1986 hit "The Fly" or 2014's "Tusk".
Comedy Horror
The ability to laugh at one’s fears is a powerful draw for those who prefer some relief from tension and gore. British zombie film "Shaun of the Dead" fuses fear and laughter brilliantly.
Gothic Horror
Rather than a technical genre, Gothic horror perhaps refers more to the aesthetics of films of this description. Films often borrow from European Medieval imagery, with such settings as ruined castles and decaying mansions commonplace. Gothic horror had its heyday in the 1930s, with brief resurgences in the 1950s and then the 1990s following the release of "Bram Stoker’s Dracula" in 1992.
Monster Movies
The monster in these films is often a non-human entity that’s not responsible for its creation and actions - which usually involve the destruction of the human race.
Aliens
Few scenes in all of cinema are as iconic as when that serpent-like creature bursts from the chest of John Hurt’s astronaut in 1979’s "Alien".
Creatures
Sometimes, there’s no need to create fantastical grotesque beasts. In the right hands, the natural world is scary enough, as Alfred Hitchcock demonstrated in "The Birds".
Vampires
"Dracula", the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker, has spawned over 170 film adaptions. The infamous bloodsucker has stalked the big screen for well over a hundred years.
Zombies
While George A. Romero’s "Night of the Living Dead" revolutionized the horror genre, perhaps his 1978 sequel "Dawn of the Dead" is the better film. Avoiding hordes of undead of course brings plenty of nail-biting intensity, but it also seems to provide a blank canvas for character studies, topical satire, and tales of adventure.
Postmodern Horror
Postmodernist movies aim to break down conventions. These films often subvert the audience’s expectations by employing unusual narrative structures or blending different genres or themes in unexpected ways.
2012’s "The Cabin in the Woods" is an example of postmodern horror. The film is almost a satire of several classic horror tropes and cliches, with plenty of scares and laughs along the way.
Psychological Horror
Rather than fearsome monsters or brutal gore, these films create fear by delving into the darker corners of the mind. They often involve characters losing their grip on reality, emotional manipulation, or even mental disorders. The power of these films lies in the fact that they play on real fears and emotions - it could happen to us.
Perhaps "The Shining", a 1980 adaption of the Stephen King novel, is the most notable example of psychological horror, as it depicts Jack Nicholson’s character descending into madness.
Slasher Films
These formulaic films became incredibly popular in the 1980s. Typically, an unknown villain would pursue a group (usually teens) and kill them one by one with a bladed weapon. Often, an event from the past would link them all together. Popular slashers include "Friday the 13", "Scream", and "I Know What You Did Last Summer".
Splatter Horror (Gore)
A term first used by George A. Romero in reference to "Dawn of the Dead", it’s since been used to describe any film that contains graphic mutilations of the human body. While the genre has been around since the 1960s, it saw its greatest popularity in the 2000s with films like "Saw" and "Hostel".
Supernatural or Paranormal Horror
Ghosts, demons, possession, satanic rituals. These are all part of the supernatural sub-genre, which spooks us with things beyond our physical laws.
Demonic Possession
Even though it was released in 1973, "The Exorcist" still has the power to shock viewers today with its depiction of a young girl whose body is inhabited by a demon.
Ghosts and Spirits
Often these films create fear and suspense without actually showing audiences much - noises in the dark, objects moving without explanation, strange symbols appearing, and so on. ‘Found-footage’ films do this particularly well. "The Blair Witch Project" was hugely successful in 1999 and paved the way for the later success of "Paranormal Activity".
Witchcraft
Mysterious women who deal in the occult have been a staple of horror movies for decades. The witch from 2013’s "The Conjuring" was an especially wicked creation.
What’s Next in the World of Horror?
Hollywood can always be relied upon to bring old classics back from the dead, and reboots of "Hellraiser", "Salem’s Lot", and "Evil Dead" will be hitting screens in late 2022 and 2023.
Horror films often feature current sociopolitical issues, and new releases are likely to exploit elements of our ever-changing world, such as our growing reliance on technology. One such film is "M3gan", which arrives on screens in January 2022 and involves a babysitting robot that goes horrifyingly wrong.
Consider yourself a horror fan? Read these frightfully famous horror quotes or see how many horror quotes you know.
About the author
Trending
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
