The History of Horror Films

The aim of horror films is to scare people whilst also making the audience feel a state of fear and terror. This genre of film has existed for more than a century and can be presented in a number of ways such as magazines,TV shows,films and books.The first ever horror film made was only 2 minutes long and was made by a French film maker.It was named Le Manoir Du Diable (aka The Devils Castle).

Sub-genres of Horror

• Horror drama
• Psychological horror
• Zombie horror
• Supernatural horror 

1910-1929
In 1910,the first Frankenstein was produced by Edison Studios.It was slightly longer than the previous short films made, but Frankenstein was different. The film showcased a range of different camera angles and shots and editing.It was 16 minutes long and was a silent film.This short film was seen as an inspiration to other film

makers.

Throughout this time period,many European countries contributed to this genre.For example,the first ever vampire-themed film was made by German film maker F. W. Murnau. It was name Nosferatu and was released the 4th of March 1922 in Germany.This film was 94 minutes long and was also a silent movie.



1930-1949
During this time period,people picked up film making and it was becoming fast paced.Due to this remakes of other films were made these included 'Dracula' by Tod Browning and 'Frankenstein' by James Whale.These two remakes were a big step in the horror genre as both films has trailers.This had never been done before.
 
 1932 was a big year for the horror genre,the first ever horror film is colour was released.This was big for horror films but also the movie industry.The film was called Doctor X and was distributed by Warner Bros.



1950-1969
 There were many advances in technology during the 1950's. Due to this special effects were being introduced into horror films.This was a big development as films were limited before to the special effects they could add in.However during this time period horror films were downgraded to a lower status meaning that big Hollywood companies were not investing money into making horror films they were investing their money to make big blockbusters.

 On the 1st of October 1968, one of the most influential horror films was released. The 'Night of the Living Dead' cost $114,000 and took 6 months to produce.It contained good performances from its actors, make-up and special effects.



                                                                                          1970-1989

            During this era of horror films,some of the biggest and best horror films were made.Some of these films still scare people to this day with their intriguing story lines. The Exorcist has been voted the scariest film of all time,this film had incredible lighting,camera work,sound and editing.In the UK the film was banned until 1999 because the BFI thought the film was too much for people to watch.

Leading into the 80's,new technology was created to make films even more immersive due to the higher quality graphics. This technology allowed films such as The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser to be made.


1990's
By this period of time digital technology was dominating the film industry especially horror films. This meant that films could be made in a much higher definition to previous years for a much lower price. However, the monster type horror films had grown outdated and audiences were no longer scared by zombies or vampires, a new type of monster had swept across the horror genre and this was psychopaths. Therefore creating a new sub-genre of horror, psychological horror. These types of films had twisted storylines with brutal murders some of these films include Psycho (1998) and Raising Cain (1992).




2000- Present 
A new sub-genre of horror films was introduced during this era, teen horror, or it is also know as slasher horror.These types of films are based around teens/young adults and throughout the film each character is killed in a different way. One of the most popular films for this sub-genre is Final Destination. It is an American franchise composed of five different films. Each one of the films has a different theme to it, for example the first film was based around a plane and how it crashed. The final film from the franchise (Final Destination 5) was released in 2011.

From 2010 onward, remakes remained extremely popular as well as found footage style films such as Unfriended (2014) and the Paranormal Activity franchise (2007-2015)