History of Horror

History of Horror

Roots of the Horror Genre

As long as there have been stories, there have been stories to frighten and spook and terrify. Stories as early as creation-myths have been populated with demons and darkness, and also Egyptian and Abrahamic mythology feature spiritual themes focusing on the unknown. Monsters such as Cerebrus, the Minotaur, Medusa and the Hydra are part of Ancient Greek mythology, but share some traits with fearful creatures used which frightened many.

The Gothic Tradition claims that the term ‘Horror’ comes into play with Horace Warpole’s 1764 novel, The Castle of Otranto, meaning full of supernatural shocks and mysterious melodrama.

Nineteenth Century Masters

Classic literature was where most horror really came to life as it was so intricately written and explained, that ordinary people would be able to latch onto it and allow their own imagination to take it further, creating true terror. The first great horror classic was Frankenstein in 1818 written by Mary Shelley, and has remained still one of the most chilling novels ever written. It has been replicated numerous times, but never matched. The 19^th Century was when horror in literature really took off and many other writers tried their hand at it. Emily Bronte paid tribute to gothic tradition with her novel, Wuthering Heights. Whereas Charles Dickins wrote many ghost stories, focusing on the supernatural in that sense.

German Expressionism and Silent Film

The first visual form of horror was in silent horror films. This was closely linked to the form of German Expressionism which focused on the disturbing surreal images to put the audience on edge. This used the supernatural elements such as ghosts, spirits, vampires and monsters. Another form of German expressionism is Spirit Photography, in which layers of film are layered over each other to create experimental ‘ghostly’ images. It was also done by over-exposure and superimpositions, thus creating ghosts. The film era then followed, films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu are silent films based on the supernatural and unknown.

Nosferatu:

The film Nosferatu was created in 1922, and is a completely black and white film. In the absence of sound in the film, the scenes are accompanied by orchestral commentary. Due to this, the suspense and build-up of tension in the film becomes reliant on the music to create that atmosphere along with what is on screen.

The term ‘stereotypical’ can’t really be used when analysing such an early film as this is the era that created the classics. However, what has been established in this film later on identifies as stereotypical such as the form of suspense, the story based on a ‘legend’, and a memorable villain.

The legend this film focuses on, that of vampires, has been carried onto present day, and the legend has not changed. The plot is a rather basic and straightforward one and follows the assumed narrative structure of Izetan Todorov, established in the 1960s. The equilibrium in the beginning takes the shape of Harker and Nina living romantically and happily together in safety, however, this equilibrium is disturbed when Harker is asked to visit Count Dracula and consult him on whether he is moving closer or not. As this happens, that involves Harker himself and Nina, his wife. Supernatural things begin to happen to them as Nosferatu/Dracula gains power over their bodies. Mainly Nina, as this conforms to the stereotype of women being vulnerable and always the easier victim. There is then recognition from Harker that Dracula is in fact a vampire with ‘diabolical power’, and the fear then grows. Nosferatu is then on his way to Harker’s hometown, meaning that there was to be more disruption, and there is then Harker’s attempt to resolve it. Aside from narrative structure, there are numerous references to vampires and one of them is in a rather ironic sense. Midway through the film, there is a biologist who is explaining to the other gentlemen about dangerous plants and refers to them as the ‘vampires of the vegetable kingdom’. This shows irony in terms of them being unaware of Nosferatu coming that way on the ship, therefore unaware of the danger that awaits them. However, focusing more on Dracula himself, he is portrayed as a very powerful villain who is mysterious and frightening. His power to control other human beings from afar can terrify an audience as it is something they can’t control, and isn’t human. His appearance is different than that of a human; however he wears a disguise when in the presence of Harker on their first meeting. This could reinforce the idea of horror coming from the unknown and not quite normal/human as his appearance is slightly different due to his dark eyes, long, sharp face and large nose. It is obvious for the audience to see that he is different/a villain, but the hero (Harker) can’t see it as of yet. This gives the audience a different perspective on the film, as they know things the characters don’t. When Nosferatu is in his full prime, his appearance makes it obvious he is not human as his hands are much larger than usual, his fangs are on show, and his ears are shaped differently.

Throughout the film, fear is induced by the slow movement of Nosferatu himself as he preys upon his victims, and the shadowy effects used showing his long, non-human hands which could almost be monster-like.  

Music plays a huge part in creating suspense in this film as there is no other sound in the whole thing. Throughout the film, there are around 3 motifs replayed at different parts in the film. There is one for the more slow but creepy scenes, such as Harker looking around the empty castle. There is another which is more of a crescendo of violins which really creates suspense as Dracula is around the corner or if he is running with his coffin to find somewhere to hide.  However, there is another which is only the sound of the wind and whistling through windows, creating an eerie feeling as that is the only sound that can be heard by the audience. Also, given that the quality of picture is rather poor, the audience would have relied on the music a lot to indicate if it is a terrifying scene or not, as it would make the atmosphere that much scarier than just seeing it on a screen.

Therefore, given how old this film is, it uses the famous elements to create a good horror film including suspense, a mysterious and dangerous villain, and also leaving lots to the imagination such as the possession of Nina, as it isn’t explained within the text screens. Leaving it to the imagination of the audience is a key element to use within horror films as it heightens the terror of the unknown, as it serves no explanation.

The 1930s

The 1930s adopted the ideas and some of the stories from the era of silent film and German expressionism, and horror was reborn. The introduction of sound which enabled screams and actual dialogue had a huge impact on the horror genre. This was the age that ghostly figures and monsters silently floated around terrifying mortals on-screen and off, have been replaced with walking, talking monsters that grunted, moaned and roared. Sound adds an extra dimension to terror, whether it be music used to build suspense or signal the presence of a threat, or magnified footsteps echoing down a corridor. Horror, with its strong elements of the fantastic and the supernatural, provided an effective escape to audiences tiring of their Great Depression reality, and, despite the money spent on painstaking special effects, often provided a good return for their studio. This was also despite the struggle that many of the major players - such as director Tod Browning - had to adapt to the new medium. Making talking pictures was a very different process to producing silent movies and, watching today, some of the early efforts seem very awkward indeed.

Films in this era included Dracula (1931) directed by Tod Browning. In the days before Dracula was such a well-worn story, it could be dealt with with originality and panache, as Tod Browning does here. The concept of Dracula is taken from the stageplay as opposed to the novel, and the results are highly theatrical. Lugosi laughs evilly throughout; no wonder, his depiction of the Count-as-seducer is aeons removed from the feral creature represented in Nosferatu and is definitive - not until Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1994 were there any real variations on the theme. Although Lugosi is never less than watchable, his opera cloak billowing behind him as he stalks the innocent, the rest of the movie creaks to the modern viewer. The supporting cast use their stage training to ham it up (this was the very first talking horror film and no one, least of all the director, was sure how to pitch it) and come across as grimacing and grotesque. The mise-en-scene are fine however - the movie practically invented the concept of "Mittel-Europe", land of swirling mists, howling wolves, frightened peasants and crumbling castles owned by heavily accented individuals with strange eyes and an interesting taste in evening dress. It was very successful for Universal and paved the way for a series of high profile horror classics.

Horror films were from then on were the basis of nightmares in which the legacies have continued to this day. More films such as Frankenstein and The Wolfman shared similar traits in showing the supernatural and unhuman and inducing fear upon the audience this way, up until the 1960’s.

1960s

Approaching the 60s, the horror genre took a turn as it opened up the door to other horrors, rather than monsters and ghouls. This period introduced the first thought of murderers and psychopaths and things which haunt our minds today. The film ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most iconic and memorable horror films of all time. Hitchcock highlighted the power of the mind and the extent to which insanity should be a major cause for concern. However, what makes this film so important to the horror genre is that it implies that the real threat we should fear is the human mind itself.

‘Psycho’ was made in 1960 and was the genre-defining film for psychological horror rather than supernatural, and that is what makes the film more frightening. Hitchcock brought the horror genre forward and began the era of mass murderers and psychopaths who cannot be helped.

Looking closely to the techniques used in creating this iconic masterpiece, it is clear to see that Hitchcock left a lot of this film to the imagination of the audience, particularly as to who the killer was. This was a unique aspect to use in horror because it allows different members of the audience to interpret the villain in different ways, thus making it more personal and, to some extent, more real to them in terms of it is what their own minds have created. Hitchcock’s plot to reveal the killer at the end to be not who is expected, made the whole film that little bit more clever. All of the hints being given throughout the film pointing towards Bates’ Mother as being the killer made perfect sense, but were disproved but with good reason to back it up. That is what makes this film a true piece of art as it successfully leads the audience in a certain direction but challenges it in a plot twist at the end. Another point to raise would be the unexpectness of it all, in terms of Norman Bates being a humble motel owner who is friendly to his guests and gives the audience no obvious reason to be suspicious of him. The ordinary setting of a motel again doesn’t give any real reason to be alarmed as there would be when looking  upon the Bates mansion. This then leads to more shock and confusion when being shown that he is the villain behind it all. An alarm first rings out when Marion is shown Norman’s taxidermy models, which is rather strange. Which the audience would then assume he was the one who committed the murder, however he is then shown to find the body and be shocked, which would excuse him from being a suspect. This is because he had no one to act in front of when he found the body, which would lead the the assumption that his reaction to finding Marion dead is genuine. This creates the perfect story and helps prepare the audience to be shocked when they find out the truth that it’s Norman’s insanity and split personality disorder that committed the crime, thus relating the film back to the point that the power of the human mind is extraordinary and can lead to horrific endings.

The technologies in this film really help to create that mysterious atmosphere, and a particular point to address would be the famous shower scene. In this scene, the killer enters the room but it distorted by the shower curtain at first. However, even when the curtain is pulled back, the killer is still in the shadows, thus remaining anonymous. This works perfectly in building up this urge to know who the villain is, and continues through the rest of the film. Another interesting thing to look at could be the fact that the whole film is in black and white. Granted, it’s because of the time and colour hadn’t been perfected at this point. However, the lack of colour is significant and could signify the blurred lines and not boldly different colours between people. The blurred lines of evil and danger is perfectly disguised and hidden in this film as Norman Bates isn’t revealed as the villain until the end. That is when it is clear to the audience what has actually happened throughout the film. The choice and variety of camera angles in this film which help portray different atmospheres is extential. The establishing shots of the Bates mansion is always looking up at it from the road, which highlights it’s mysteriousness and darkness. The reserved nature of the house is portrayed in these shots as it looks up at it reinforcing the size of it. The curtains are all shut and doors and windows closed to, which could indeed intice the audience as to what is inside. Another moment of clever camera-work would be the shower scene and how the camera is looking down on the victim when the knife is high in the air. This angle indicated the vulnerability of the victim as it showed her being small and crouched and held together, in attempt at protecting herself. This could indicate the ruthlessness of the villain to the audience, and really did the scene justice. However, personally, the most significant camera angle was the final one at the end of the film with Bates in the prison cell. When he looks directly into the camera and smiles menacingly and the camera slowly zooms in with the over-voice of the policeman talking about him, it creates a very unnerving atmosphere. This is the most significant part as it shows real creepiness, rather than terror and horror. It is emotional discomfort at something which makes you feel not that safe, and to have that at the end of a film will leave the audience with that exact feeling. Thus making this film a true work of art.

1980s

From the 60s to the 80’s there was a gradual increase in in gore to scare the audience. Gore and blood became quite iconic as in the 80s, the horror genre became more graphic and visual. Playing on the previous conventions of leaving a lot to the imagination of the audience, the idea changed into actually SHOWING the audience what the director intends them to see.

A memorable series is that of the Evil Dead films which are full of gore and iconic horror elements. However, they are so saturated with blood and zombies and massacres, that it becomes somewhat comedic. Evil Dead 2 was the follow-on from the first Evil Dead film, but possessed the same general storyline. This film was very focused on the thought of the undead and what could happen after we die, and in this film, this ‘other world’ was addressed through the ‘book of the dead’ in which it was able to connect the real world and this world of the dead together.

An important thing to address in this film is the result of the rapid evolution of visual content than that of a few centuries ago. Evil Dead 2 is saturated with blood and gore with its action-packed storyline involving chainsaws and knives – as any good bloodbath should. However it is important to recognise that this has come a long way from the 60s in terms of blood and stabbings and other horrible content is actually being displayed to the audience in this film, and not much is left to the imagination.

Although, the element of surprise with the intent to scare or make the audience jump is still as much a factor as it was in the previous periods of horror. A good example of this would be when certain characters maybe jump out when least expected etc. This suspense and tension within the horror genre has been around since the silent era even, however was emphasised with the introduction of sound to reinforce the volume and therefore the scare.

Looking back on how far the horror genre has developed and changed to fit the standards of the time, more techniques have been established and applied to keep up with the generations of society. It is easy to notice that it is becoming harder to scare people by modern day standards, therefore more is being done to keep up with it – more visual gore etc. Therefore, the horror genre will continue to evolve in order to keep up with the new generations to come.