History of Horror Films

1920s - 1930s

This was when the horror films became popular to the audience as the film gave them a satisfying adrenaline rush. Remakes of old classic horror films such as Dracula were made. Bram Stoker first made a novel in 1897 and he was popular for making many others such as 'The Mummy'

1940S

Due to the outbreak of World War II there was a steep decline in the success of the horror film industry. However, even during the war, some films were still made such as, 'Wolf Man', 'House of Dracula' and 'Cat People'

1950s

At the end of the WWII, colour in films was introduced which caused the horror film industry had a rapid increase. This was due to the colour being able make the horror film more frightening as the real colours of elements can be shown. For example; the colour of blood can be shown. In this decade, Great Britain became a main producer of horror films. After the war, rather than returning back to the classic gothic horror, films about 'outside' threats were introduced.These are films such as aliens, mutations and bugs.

- The Wasp Woman

- It came from Beneath the sea

- The Beast from 20,000 fathoms 

Durig the late 50s, the film company 'Hammer' focused of this genre and had great success from films involoving classic gothic horror characters in colour for the first time.

       

1960s

This decade brought a new genre of horror and the word 'thriller' was first used for a film. Alfred Hitchcock's film 'Psyco'(1960) was the first slasher film. He also made the horror film 'The Birds' in 1963. Some other horrors made at this time were:

- Night of the Living Dead

- Blood feast

- Carnival of souls

'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)  was a huge success as it brought horror into real life as it involved events that could happen in real life.

1970s

More films were released with the occult theme, starting with 'The Exocist' in 1973 which was then followed up by other films involving the devil. This decade also included gore and sexual overtones. Some of these films focus of family members such as the film 'Halloween' (1978) which is about a six year old boy murdering his sister and the is sent to sanatorium. Body horror was also introduced by the film 'Shivers' in 1975. Other films made during this time were:

- Jaws 

- Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

- Carrie

- The Omen

- Alien

1980s

During this time period, the horror film industry took a positive turn and the quality of the films got better. This was due to the new technologies, special effects, sounds, better graphics and costumes. This improvement then made the gory slasher films more detailed and scary for viewers. The 'Sam Raimi Evil Dead' films are a good example of the outcome. Other films made were:

- The Fly

- Nightmare on Elm Street

- The Thing

- The Shining 

- Hellraiser 

1990s

Due to the many slasher films being made in the 1980s, the horror industry declined. This decline was also due to the amount of vampire and zombie movies made which left the audience less scared. To bring the horror genre back up, the topic of psychopaths were introduced. This would lead to films about brutal murderers such as the one in 'Scream'. However, this would mock the original conventions of ordinary slasher films that have been made in the past decades. Some films from the 90s are:

- Se7en

- Silence of the lambs 

- Candyman 

- Sixth Sense

- Misery

2000

This was a quiet era for the genre as most horror films were remakes and extended versions of the classics such as 'The Exorcist' whereas in this era, the extended version was made. Zombie films returned with films such as '28 Days later' and 'Resident Evil'. Gore also became very popular so torture films like 'Saw' were well known. Other films made are:

- The Ring

- The Grunge 

- The Descent

- Final Destination Saga