History of Horror

The horror genre is a very forward thinking form of media and has progressed over the past 25 years. Starting from the 1900’s, horror films around the start of the 1900’s included all things related to concepts surrounding monsters and ghouls. The first adaptation of Frankenstein was in 1910, although it was a short quarter-of-an-hour film it was notable due to the fact Thomas Edison produced it. 1910 also saw several adaptations of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Supporting my point on the fictional ‘villains,’ in 1913 The Werewolf was released, which was directed by Henry Macrae.




In 1920 the release of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, was the first successful screen adaption of the novel. This was followed by the controversial adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, (which caused Stoker’s family to sue the film-makers over copyright issues) which was titled Nosferatu and was released in 1922.




Between the 1900 to 1930’s films were known as the ‘silent fear’ due to the lack of sound/ dialogue in most films. During the silent era, Universal Studios were responsible for the few achievements in American horror most notably the Lon Cheney Sr. films: The Phantom of the Opera and Hunchback of Notre Dame.


Onwards from the 1930’s where talking pictures were now the norm, films still continued to be filled with vampires, monsters and mummies. These were called the ‘classic creations’. Universal Studios really got involved with the horror genre and pioneered Dracula (1931). James Whale then produced the Invisable Man in 1933, Stuart Walker’s Werewolf in London (1935) and Hambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter in 1936.



This Universal Gothic Horror Cycle started to lose its steam and fell into a pit of self parody with film titles like The Invisible Man Returns, The Mummy’s Hand and Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man in 1943. The period between the post World War II years and the 1950’s were likely to be the most difficult time in Hollywood. From Supreme Court rulings splitting apart the studio system to a death match against television for patrons, this time period saw an increasingly protective Hollywood trying desperately to stay relevant. The horror genre still stayed popular with teens, looking for a thrill out of the narratives. Horror films began to illustrate this Cold War fear of invasion blending into a Pulp Science Fiction cycle with films like The Thing From Another World and The Day The Earth Stood Still, both from 1951.





By the mid 50’s the sci-fi cycle wore down and this sprung the ‘Psychology, Sex and Gore’ explosion in the 1960’s. Different styles and cycles in the horror genre gained popularity, prestige and freedom, due to the censorship of the Production Code being abandoned in 1964. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) helped mark the change between monsters to reality fears. Norman Bates was an everyday human on the outside but a psychological monster in the mind. Hitchcock then delivered another ground-breaking horror called The Birds in 1963. Back in the United Kingdom, Hammer Films Productions rebooted Universals Gothic Monsters but added sex and gore in films such as Terence Fisher’s The Curse of Frankenstein.



Horror was starting to be taken seriously both at the highest craft of film production and at the lowest: setting the stage for important horror sub-genres that come in the following decades. Films about Satan and Supernatural forces (the occult) became popular, big budget subjects. The Exorcist (1973) claimed to be the greatest entry in the Occult cycle.





Moving to the 1980’s The Shining, which in true Kubrick fashion defies any category or imitation. Friday the 13^th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) were both studio stacked slasher films that were a great success with numerous sequels.



The slasher films came to a halt and psychological and thriller horrors carried on running through the 1990’s and into the early 2000’s, including films like The Ring, Sixth Sense and The Silence of The Lambs.


In the early 2000’s a new era exaggeratedly called “Torture Porn,” this emphasised extreme gore, grunge and often tortuous violence. The Saw franchise, was the most successful series of films to cover the torture porn genre, starting from 2004. The monster villains also returned in 2004 with Shaun of The Dead, (the parody of 2004’s Dawn of the Dead). This was also followed by The Walking Dead television series, whose popularity has continued to grow so much that it regularly gets more than 12 million viewers per week in the USA.



Horror films have continued to push boundaries using body horror and other deep narrative methods, using Evil Dead (2013) as an extremist blood bath film, but also still shocking audiences with psychological thrillers like Oculus (2013) and The Possession (2012).

Creep- film review

Director: Christopher Smith
Genre/s: Horror/ Thriller/ Mystery

Brief Plot Outline:
A women who fell asleep while waiting for the last train of the day, gets locked in overnight in the London Underground. She later discovers a deformed killer lives in the sewers below and she fights for her survival.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?
The torture scene of Mandy impressed me because I feel the scene was set up really well, to make the audience feel uncomfortable. This was through the grubbiness and eeriness of the room it was set in. The low-key lighting and green tone to the room contributed to this feel and also the actions of Creep/ Craig is very unsettling. For example how he pretends to be a doctor; washing his hands, putting a surgeons coats on and gloves. The lack of conversation and music within the scene builds the tension and highlights the cries of Mandy and her desperation to live.

The scene where the people are trapped in the underwater cages also impressed me because the scene uses music and sound fx well to scare the audience and illustrated the convention of an enclosed location. The theme of being trapped and isolated is also displayed.



How has watching the film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How? The convention of body horror is used throughout the film, this includes the scene of Mandys torture, although restricted narration is used, the imagery of the huge knife cutting out Mandys’ unborn child is accompanied by her blood then spraying onto his face.



Body horrors are also seen in the attack of Guy, the death of Craig/ Creep and in the dungeons where hostages were stabbed with a sharp pole like weapon to check if the were still alive. The majority of the film is shot beneath the London Underground, which supports the convention of horrors being set in creepy and enclosed locations.



The theme of threat to self is applicable for Kate, Jimmy, Mandy and George as they strive to escape the killings of Creep. The theme of loneliness is also portrayed in the film as Creep lives alone and is isolated from the real world. This is because Creep was a ‘test tube baby’, he was aborted and then jarred for the first part of his life which is why he is deformed. The ideology of sadism is exhibited in the scene of Mandy’s’ torture and throughout his killing spree, as he shows no remorse or mercy at all. The film has an unhappy ending as everyone dies except Kate and the next day the world goes on, in the underground as if nothing happened. This makes Kate the final girl, Kate contradicts conventions of a final girl as she is blonde and quite whiny and self-centred, however she was clever enough to survive. George is the archetypal male hero as he is strong, big and kind and protects Kate when she meets him. This is shown in a scene towards the end of the film where they have just ran away from Creep but George is freaking out and reveals where they are. Creep then kills George in the underground room while Kate escapes.



Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Why?
In my trailer I would like to duplicate the use of limited main characters.  I liked the restricted number of main characters within the film because it therefore allows the audience to get to know them and understand the personalities of the characters and their part in the film.

Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?
I would avoid the classic ‘blood trail’ in my trailer. This is a convention seen in many horror films and I would like to follow some conventions but not so much that it becomes repetitive and boring for horror film fans. This is seen in Creep when Mandy was taken, the blood trail hints that she has been injured/hurt in some way by Creep and then dragged away leaving the trail of blood.



What was the best aspect/ most enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How? I enjoyed the various scenes where Kate was exploring the underground because the use darker and low key lighting along with the overall colours of dark green, brown and red create an unsettling mood. Throughout her exploration she comes across some of Craig’s crimes but the scenes don’t overuse gore but still manage to disturb the audience. I could recreate this in my trailer with the torture scene end that is planned. By using a lack of body horror and restricted lighting I could emulate the scenes and the emotions of the audience.



How does the film reflect its institutional or historical context? Analyse two scenes/events that reflect the time, which the film was made. The scene where Creep cuts out Mandy’s unborn child connects to the current news debate in 2004. The ‘pro choice’ for abortion or ‘pro life’ against abortion debate. The news were complaining about abortion and this scene of the film portrays negative views towards abortion as Creep was a ‘test tube baby’ and is expressing his rage on others for being aborted.