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Introduction (2)
The very first horror movie was created in 1896. Technically, it is more on the comical side but because of its use of the supernatural, it is classified as the first horror movie. That was over 100 years ago. Just with that information, you can probably guess that horror movies are very different now. Like everything else film evolves with the times and horror is no different.It is important to look at this evolution because it can show many things, including the way the brain adapts to change. -
Introduction (3)
One of the biggest patterns that was noticed was how horror films from during World War II were very gruesome, reflecting the war. However, there was an influx of comedies created during this time period. That is because people like to see things that are not real, and some of the horror films created during war were too realistic. All of these factors cause differences in the way people perceive horror. The purpose of this study was too look at these differences and distinguish why they happen. -
Introduction
It is well known that horror films have changed drastically overtime. With that being said, how does our perception of these films change with the times? Early horror movies tend to be on the less serious side. At the beginning of the industry, the films all had a comical side to them. This is not totally different from today, just less common. Many of the themes seen in these films correlate with the real-life problems during the time period they were produced. -
Introduction (4)
Change is seen everywhere at all times. From the roads you live on, to the foods that are served evolution is a part of every day life. Looking back on history, film as a whole has changed so much. Better video equipment, editing equipment, and actors had led to an industry where anything is possible in movies. This study will look at the way horror has advanced through the years. The question that will be answered is as follows: How has the way we view horror changed over the years? -
Introduction (5)
To answer the question at hand, this study dives into the way films themselves have evolved, and how the reactions to these films have changed. Looking at all of the examples given, even though the beginning of horror films was very different from what we see today, they all had intentions of inducing fear. Throughout the years, a variety of people have adapted to see horror and may have even grown a liking for it. Horror movies are now much more inclusive and one of the most popular genres. -
The House of the Devil
Internet Archive
This short video is actually the very first horror movie. It was created in 1896, and is actually much more comical than scary. The only reason it is called the first horror movie is because it was the first film to include the supernatural and even the first vampire. You can see in one clip that a man turns into a bat. -
The House of the Devil
It is hard to tell what exactly this movie was trying to achieve because of how short it is, and the quality of the video.For the time, many people responded positively towards the film as there was a remake of it just a year later. Overall, it all comes back to the fact that it was not fear-striking. If the writer intended to provoke fear, they fell short of their goal. The only thing is this movie had a much smaller target audience than horror movies have now, therefore not being as inclusive. -
The Student of Prague
TMDB
The picture that is shown is the object for this movie. It is a screen grab from the original film by Hanns Heinz Ewers. It is the first silent, German horror film. Because this movie was so captivating and showed a real sense of isolation and dissociation that existed in a society with the German Empire's impending demise, everyone rushed to see it. It took the German film industry to the next level. -
The Student of Prague
Hanns Heinz Ewers was a well-known horror writer. He became famous shortly after the release of the movie. This movie was a turning point in German history. This was also the first movie that included psychoanalysis. Because of this, crowds responded positively towards this movie. Afterwards, many films took in this one's footsteps and covered topics like the social changes from World War I. This movie particularly was taken much better by the crowds than the very early films. -
Dracula
Internet Archive
The video attached is the trailer for the first Dracula movie in 1931. Dracula is one of the most popular horror movies in the world. It is a rendition of the original novel by Bram Stoker. There are some noted differences, some of which make this film so iconic. Dracula is portrayed as a handsome charming man, whereas in the book he was a repulsive imbecile. This could mean the producers were trying to open the audience. -
Dracula
This newfound audience would be women. The way they portray Dracula makes the movie more appealing to a woman's eye. Obviously, many people loved this movie as there was many different versions created, including a play on Broadway. The only big differences between this and previous films, is the audience is more broad and it started a huge fandom for vampire and supernatural lovers. This time period is when horror started to slow down and comedies picked up. -
The Evil Dead
Internet Archive
The next movie is The Evil Dead. Another iconic horror film. This one was created in 1981 by Sam Raimi. This was another popular franchise that came about from this movie. This one differs slightly from the others because the writer did not care how gruesome the end results were. This was met by lots of controversy from viewers. Originally this film was not taken very well. It was actually taken completely off video. -
The Evil Dead
The film was edited down by a few minutes and eventually given a certificate to re-release. Even with this it is still banned in some countries. This is very different from all of the other movies in the past. It is known as one of the most gory movies of all time, but in recent days there have been many movies to top it's high-level of grossness. This would be the first negatively rated horror film we have covered. Many did not take well to this version of horror. -
Scream
Internet Archive
Scream is a very well known movie franchise created by Kevin Williamson. This one takes a stroll down memory lane. It is more of a horror-comedy than a fear striking movie. The commercial is attached. It quickly became the highest grossing movie in 1996 and was even re-released in theaters in 1997. This movie received many high ratings because of the cross between witty and slasher. -
Scream
It was a big enough hit for them to release five more movies in the following years. This tapped into a new genre almost. After this came other movies like Scary Movie that were a twist of horror and comedy. Most people enjoyed these films, but there was some controversy. Apparently two boys killed someone because they were inspired by Scream. Regardless, it is still an iconic movie in horror history, showing a turning point that horror does not have to be extremely gruesome. -
Evil Dead
YouTube
This Evil Dead trailer is another one for The Evil Dead franchise. This is an example of one of the many remakes/sequels that was made from the original movie. This one specifically is supposed to be the original movie but re-imagined. This movie is even more gory and gruesome than the original, yet there did not seem to be much controversy. This may be because many people adapted to seeing such things in other movies and platforms. -
Bibliography
The bibliography for these objects are attached. -
Evil Dead
This movie is labeled as not too frightening, but extremely brutal in a gory sense. Many reviews say it might even top the original. There was not much backlash as this movie was released more recently than the first. The audience has now seen much more than what many films can offer, which makes it harder to create a good, fresh horror movie plot. This is because the way we look at things like this has evolved a lot in the last 20-50 years. It is not as disturbing as other things you may see.