It’s spooky season! The time for fuzzy sweaters, pumpkin spice, and a lovely horror movie. Personally, I love them. There’s an odd pleasure in being scared in the comfort of your own home. Regardless of your opinion on the genre, the history is fascinating.
“Le Manor de Diable” was released in 1896 and is widely known as one of, if not the first, horror movies. Directly translating to “The House of the Devil”, the film is only three minutes long and is chock-full of Halloween staples. Skeletons, bats, ghosts, and even the Devil reincarnated make an appearance. While it was originally meant to make people laugh rather than scream, its creepy aesthetics and characters kick-started the genre.
From 1900-1920, a few movies were released that followed a more paranormal plotline. The Werewolf is a good example of one of these films. Then, we moved into what is called the “golden age of horror.” The 1920s and 30s produced many classics such as Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which got its color adaptation in 1931. Around this time, the word “horror” became the widespread name of the genre. Freaks disgusted and unnerved so many people that it was banned for thirty years. The original hour-and-a-half cut can’t be found anymore, and it was cut down to a little over an hour. From the 40’s to the 50’s nuclear radiation became a bigger deal, which led to Godzilla and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
The next twenty years marked the start of the more intense movies that included more gore and religious villains. The Exorcist and Carrie were smash hits. The 1980s birthed the iconic slasher films. Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Shining brought a new kind of terror to people everywhere.
Once CGI became mainstream, the horror genre lost a lot of its magic. While there have been some hits from the 90s onwards, like Scream, Saw, and Terrifier, there hasn’t been a huge groundbreaking horror movie in a while, at least not in my humble opinion. With new creative minds, there is hope that another iconic blockbuster will be born.
To conclude, horror movies have been around for a long time, and will continue to evolve and grow as long as people do. Whether the classics, the slashers, or even the psychological thrillers, the horror genre will always be an iconic genre, responsible for much joy and progression. I leave you with one question, the same one Ghostface asked Sidney Prescott: “Do you like scary movies?”
Sources:
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-horror-movies-have-changed-since-their-beginning/
