Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The History Of Horror Movies

By Adriana Noton


The history of horror movies spans more than a century. Designed to provoke feelings of fear, they often startle audiences with combinations of supernatural and macabre forces. These films provide safe methods for viewers to examine their inner fears.

The plots are often focused on evil events, people or forces. The central components often incorporate the supernatural. Disease outbreaks, vampires, serial killers, haunted houses, ghosts, zombies, curses and werewolves are among the common elements found in the films.

In the late 1890s, Georges Melies pioneered the release of thrillers, they were short silent films. His 1896 film, The House of the Devil, is widely considered to be first thriller ever released. He followed it up with a 1898 release of Cave of the Unholy One.

Gothic literature provided the themes for the early thrillers. The Phantom of the Opera, Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, Frankenstein and Dracula were among the earliest releases. A spine-tingling version of Frankenstein was released in 1910.

Studios in Hollywood began to release thrillers during the early 1920s. The 1923 release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the 1925 release of The Monster featured actor, Lon Chaney, Senior. He's considered the genre's first American movie star. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff followed were among the other early actors from America who built successful careers on their roles in thrillers.

The genre gained wide popularity in the 1930s. A famous set-designer and monster make-up artist was Jack Pierce. He is regarded as the pioneer in the masterful development of iconic monster costumes and masks.

The 1931 releases of Dracula and Frankenstein were hugely successful. A 1933 release, The Invisible Man, blended science fiction with Gothic fright. Many films from this time-period were inspired by the German expressionist films from the 1920s. These plots were designed to thrill audiences, but also incorporated more serious elements.

The technological growth during the 1950s influenced the genre. Two sub-categories evolved, films based on demonic themes, and those centered on Armageddon. Producers believed these themes had more relevance to their audiences.

Japan entered the global thriller market with a stream of releases during the 1950s. These low-budget films focused on themes connected to the horrific effects of World War II's nuclear bombs. Deadly transformations to people, animals, insects and plants, as well as threats from aliens were common elements in these films.

During the 1960s, film-makers remained focused on monsters and ghosts, but they expanded the science fiction components. The Haunting from 1963, and Rosemary's Baby from 1968 were examples of this trend.

The notorious and prolific British producer, Alfred Hitchcock, began incorporating modern back-drops to films. Some of his early notable productions include Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960). His 1963 production of The Birds is considered to be the earliest example of nature-gone-mad themes.

Contemporary horror movies have evolved from a rich and diverse history. While they tend to incorporate more modern themes with more advanced special-effects, they remain focused on providing thrills and chills to audiences.




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