Essay on Horror Movies and Their History

Throughout the years, film has become one of the most iconic forms of entertainment. With so many different genres arising, people across the world can view films of their preference. Horror movies have been around for decades and we have seen the genre emerge as one of the most popular categories in film. Since the late 1800’s till now present day, horror movies have developed and transformed in many ways. In my experience, horror films were the most intriguing because they kept me attentive thru the fears in which they instilled. With this, it is easy to say that some of the most iconic films in history have been horror itself.

The importance of horror films being made is for viewers to evoke a sense of fear. Within horror films, genres such as thrillers, fantasy and supernatural are easily intertwined. Horror is used to elicit viewers, as the genres aim is for fear, terror, nightmares, etc. Though these types of films are created to frighten their audience, I always found that they kept me intensely attentive through their cinematic structure. Such films often reflect the cultural phenomena related to their era of production. Thereby, cultivating more interest and buzz for audiences.

In 1898, famous French director Georges Melies created what is said to be the first ever horror film. This was a short film called ‘The House of the Devil’. At first, Melies’ motive behind this movie was to make it unique and eye-opening. Unlike any other cinema and genre out there at the time, Melies included the first works of ghosts, bats, skeletons and even an incarnation of the devil. Including the supernatural was not intended to scare audiences and this is what basically created the whole genre of horror. Over time, the genre of horror began to arise all across the world. Germany’s expressionist movement had a great impact on American works. Famous German films such as ‘Nosferatu’, which came out in 1922, and ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ in 1920, set the tone for American filmmaking. These movies were game changers and really paved the way for the 1930’s.

Some of the most iconic horror films till this day were created in the 1920-1930’s. In 1923, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ was released. This was a silent movie that included some elements of horror. Lon Chaney was a famous actor who was popular in American cinema. Chaney played a major role in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, while also starring in the 1925 classic, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. Lon Chaney was a huge star that attracted audiences for his marvelous works as an actor. Some say that he carried American cinema on his own throughout the 1920’s. However, these films in the 1920’s were not technically considered ‘horror’. Romantic melodramas including a dark aspect were the way these films were being categorized. It was not until the 1930’s when ‘horror’ became an actual named genre.

In the 1930’s, horror films took off with the momentum of the previous 1920’s movies. This era of film was considered the ‘Golden Age of Horror’. With so many iconic blockbuster horror films throughout the decade, it is a no brainer on why it is called the Golden Age. Films such as ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The Mummy’ and ‘King Kong’ make up the genres most notorious films. ‘Frankenstein’ was released to the public in 1931 and was directed by James Whale. It is a story about a young scientist who makes a creature out of deceased body parts. Dr. Frankenstein inputs a brain into his creation and sees it come alive. The issue with this, which creates a downhill spiral for the film, is that his assistant, Fritz finds a brain that belonged to a criminal. With this creature ends up becoming a monster loose around the town. Dr. Frankenstein’s amazing creation became his responsibility, as the creature breaks out and kills a young girl. After this, the whole village is on the hunt to find the monster and kill him. Frankenstein finally catches the monster and stops him from causing any more chaos. After this film was released, there were a lot of positive reviews. Audiences were raving about the uniqueness of the movie and how it was filmed. This was a game changer for many people from a fan and director’s standpoint.

‘The Mummy’ was a classic romance/horror movie that came out in 1932. It was directed by Karl W. Freund and was another Universal Pictures film. In this movie, a crew of British archaeologists come across a mummy. This is the mummy of Imhotep, a former Egyptian priest who was said to be 3700 years old. Inside the tomb with Imhotep was the scroll of Thoth. This woke Imhotep and brought him back to life after all those years. Imhotep ends up escaping from the group of archaeologists and takes the scroll of Thoth with him. With Imhotep on the loose, he goes around Cairo, looking for his former lover, Ankhesenamon. Over time, he comes across a woman that resembles Ankhesenamon. Imhotep believes that he must kill her, mummify her and then resurrect her. This is all in order for him to make her his bride once again. In the end, Ankhesenamon is saved by the goddess of Isis. The statue of Isis lifts its arm, which then released a ray of light that demolished the scroll of Thoth. With this, Imhotep was killed as he turned into nothing but dust. While this film does not have a true ‘monster’, it is still considered horror due to the existence of a deceased person coming back to life. The notion of the mummy trying to kill his former princess is a sign of a dark tone. This film was definitely one of the most unique during its time because mummies itself were not included anywhere else. The reincarnation and reviving of mummies in this film might have been influenced by silent films prior.

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While the 1930’s had major success for horror films, it was indeed intended that it would keep rolling for the next decade. However, this was technically not the case when the 1940’s began. ‘The Wolf Man’ was a film that came out in 1941 and was highly anticipated because of star actor, Lon Chaney. This was a very iconic movie and till this day it is greatly appreciated across the film industry. The typical monster storyline is in tact during this film. The main character, Larry (Lon Chaney), heads back to his hometown in Wales to meet with his father after mourning the death of his brother. Larry buys a silver walking cane in hopes to get the employee’s attention. Later that night, Larry encountered a wolf and killed it with his new cane. Over some time, Larry finds out that he actually murdered a man. The werewolf that he killed was the son of a gypsy and Larry ended up turning into a wolf himself. You can see that this storyline is indeed another monster themed movie. The whole man turning into werewolf theme is a signifier of horror in itself. After this film, it was hard for the monster theme to carry on significantly. Through the rest of the 1940’s, there was a decline in blockbuster horror films and the genre began to become dry. The industry turned to sequels such as ‘The Ghost of Frankenstein’ and ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’ in hopes to make a strong come back. However, these films did not do nearly as well as the originals. It is safe to say that there was a lack of iconic, game-changing films in the 1940’s.

As we entered the 1950’s, we saw a revolutionary list of films that helped the genre of horror take a step forward. The decade of the 50’s was taken over by cultural films all across the world. Cultural forces emerged and began to try out different aspects of fear entertainment. The Cold War had an impact on the industry as a whole, as countries and directors sought out new styles of horror. For example, new ideas from the war such as invasions and mutated forces struck the genre. The idea of horror tied in heavily with science fiction. Director Don Siegel came out with ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ in 1956 and it was an instant horror/thriller. This particular film was unlike previous horror films before its time because it did not include deaths or monsters. The slow-building tension was a huge twist for people to watch. With this type of film, audiences were exposed to a fresh film style that still included fear and had people on the edge of their seats.

There was heavy competition around the film industry during the decade. There were gimmicks surrounding the film world, as some people tried to make movies relatable. A hands-on experience was implemented into movie theaters so that fans could interact on a whole new level. 3-D glasses began during the 1950’s and was considered groundbreaking to many. One of the most popular films of all time is ‘Godzilla’, which came out in 1954. The nuclear increase after the war had been a theme for Godzilla because of the mutations that went crazy. In ‘Godzilla’, we see a mutation theme as a fire breathing dragon takes over the population of Japan. This was very important to the film industry because of the foreign aspect. The director of the film, Ishiro Honda, created something that was grand and game changing. Japanese filmmaking had taken a big step forward with this movie and drew attention to people all across the world. In this film, an atomic bomb is what awakens the beast of Godzilla. This ties into the theme of horror because there is another monster who begins to take over humanity. Godzilla would later on have remakes and remains as one of the most influential films of all time. Awakening from the depths of the sea, the monster Godzilla was indeed a nuclear challenge.

As we reached the 1960-1970’s, we see a turn in the themes of horror itself. Directors across the globe became edgier and more educated with filmmaking. The constant them during this time seemed to include less of a monster approach and have a more realistic nightmare for audiences. Some notable directors of the 1960’s were Alfred Hitchcock, George Romero and Vincent Price. Hitchcock was famous for his unique style of film. He directed ‘Psycho’ in 1960 and ‘The Birds’ in 1963. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most iconic directors ever, as he was amongst many other greats during this time. In the 1970’s, big blockbuster films such as ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Jaws’, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ and ‘The Omen’. Personally, this was the most iconic decade as these were the biggest names in horror films that I can recall. It is safe to say that the 1970’s rode the momentum of the 1960’s and transformed cinema as a whole.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, elements of the earlier 1960’s films were taken and reused for the most part. Horror films became more violent and had higher production levels. Growing up, I watched a lot of scary movies that were created in the 80’s and 90’s. Such films include ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Child’s Play’ and ‘Ghostbusters’. Many films were heavily influenced by the previous decades. From monsters to serial killers, we see a trend that has been set over the years. Directors became more reliable on the history and the different types of horror that were created in the past, with different twists.

The twenty-first century of horror films was not really considered to be original. This decade saw a lot of remakes from prior movies. You can’t blame them, as the history of horror films was unlike any other genre. For the most part, both foreign and American movies were dealing with remakes and audiences knew that the classics were past time. However, there were some births of new American horror. An odd new trend of torture porn was created in the country. Some notable films during this era include ‘Final Destination’, ‘The Ring’, ‘I Am Legend’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’. I remember as a kid going to the movie theaters and watching these films. It is definitely a different experience that I prefer, opposed to watching reruns at home. With this, I do realize that the best horror films came back in the early stages of cinema. The creativity, trendsetting and uniqueness of the horror genre is never forgotten.

One might ask, what makes a great horror film? In my opinion, a horror movie should be heavily anticipated throughout and give viewers a flip in the script from what they expected. The constant battle of closing my eyes and opening them during the movie, while jumping out of my seat at times is what creates this notion of an outstanding film. The way that horror movies are filmed take high level creativity and attention to detail, which I admire very much. All in all, horror films are some of the most iconic throughout the years of cinema. I believe that the genre of horror is underrated in the industry. Since the beginning, the bar has been set at a high level for these types of films. As time continues to go on, I expect to see a lot of scary movies that are game-changing and original.