Horror Genre Dissertation

Stephen King wrote a very brief essay titled "Why we Crave Horror Movies", in which he explained some of the reasons that people choose to go to horror movies to be entertained. In his essay, King goes on to explain that we as a people need horror movies as a sort of release; to feed the darker elements within all of us without having to sacrifice our humanity (also, civility). King does this by comparing people based on their levels of sanity whereas some societal "eccentricities" are completely acceptable, while some will get you thrown right into the loony bin. It’s summed up pretty well in this quote:

Horror, what is it, according to literary historian J.A. Cuddon, it is “a piece of fiction in prose of variable length…which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing.” This sets the guidelines for how the generic horror piece is written, as long as it can scare the reader in one sense or the other, or cause them to loath a certain part or character, then it can be called horror. The horror today has roots stemming from old folklore and religious traditions which had elements that dealt with death, the afterlife, and the demonic, along with the things or thing that embody a person. Horror during the 18th century was called gothic horror and this particular type of horror was invented in the

This sort of rating usually subverts common horror ratings as it is very low but this was requested by the film makers. The film starred Daniel Radcliff an actor who starred in the renowned harry potter series of films all rated at 12A so Radcliff’s fans that are usually younger were attracted to the film which aided in it’s lower rating the film makers wanted to appeal to this so the film was not as graphic as some other horror films but some parents and the BBFC still has some concerns for the children watching it at age of 12 because they found that supernatural being convincing children to kill themselves and murdering people would disturb younger children the children who wouldn’t usually watch horror films were brought by Radcliff another scene were concerns were raised was with the woman in black hanging herself from a noose and the young girl setting herself on fire with an oil lamp so they cut certain scenes darkened certain shots and reduced sound affects to achieve the lower rating which is all unconventional of a horror

Wes Craven’s horror movie “Scream”, inspired the gruesome murder of Gina Castillo. Castillo’s sixteen year old son and his fifteen year old cousin killed Gina Castillo. Why would anyone wish to watch the petrifying film, “Scream”? What would trigger a person to take inspiration from the horror movie, “Scream”. Stephen King describes horror as a piece of the human condition. Author of several horror novels, Stephen King wrote an essay titled “Why We Crave Horror.” In this paper he thoroughly explains why the human species craves horror and how it makes humans feel. In this essay, Stephen King precisely claims that humans desire, horror because horror pushes them to face their fears, renew their feelings of normality, and to expose

The 19th century reader of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was treated to a tale of fantastic proportions. A story of a monster that was created from parts of corpses and could be brought to life would have been an extremely scary story. They would not know if the creation of a monster in this way was really a scientific possibility. The 21st century audience however, now knows that this is not scientifically possible. The fear that was struck in the hearts of the 19th century reader by this monster is now gone. With this in mind the story of Frankenstein now has to be altered to conjure the same fear in our current society of that which existed in the hearts of the original audience. In Hollywood's remakes of the original

Based on Filmsite.org, a website that interprets and explains the history of cinemas, mentions that cinemas in the 1960s had more daring films with darker themes, horror, violence, rock ‘n’ roll and crime. There were also an influx of foreign movies and british movies. This decade in film history, was a period struggling to stay afloat as there was a decline in movies. There was a spike in reinvention of cinemas - change of styles to keep up with television and social changes.

him or her involved in the film - how often have you been watching a

“Night of the Living Dead” was the first of its kind. The movie was extremely advanced for the time it was released, which was 1968. It paved new ways towards an advanced style of horror films and opened doors up to more racial representation in the film industry. The film, for example, inspired future movie directors to chase after the zombie cult classic feeling. Zombies were such a hit in Hollywood, and they didn’t cost much to create. A little latex and fake blood could go a long way in old movies.

Horror movies. The type of genre that gives a thrill of adrenaline, yet also gives nightmares late at night. Everyone has watched a horror movie at least once in their lives. And during the movie there is also a time in which the viewer just wants to punch the TV screen and call it quits. Whether it is because their favorite character just did something dumb, or because the ending was horrible, there is always a moment in which one thinks: I would have chosen a better option. I could have survived. In literature, it is often the same thing. Believe it or not, fear is a huge contributor to how the story goes; how it ends, and who dies. Fear either motivates the character to take action or, defeats them. But fear doesn’t act alone. Fear influences people, but what influences the fear? The answer is quite simple, no matter how shocking it can be. Just as love brings happiness, it also brings forth the poison of fear. Whether it is the fear of losing the person they love, or fear that they are no longer loved, both of them are huge contributors on how a character’s actions or decisions are influenced.

The 1931 film, Frankenstein, which was directed by James Whale changed the mad-scientist/horror movie scene permanently. Although it is almost a century old, people are still reenacting it and discussing it. This film is about a young man named Henry Frankenstein. Henry has an obsession with creating life. Fritz, Henry’s assistant, helped collect body parts from recently deceased corpses. The two men got to work, binding the parts together, to create a whole human body. Using electricity from a thunderstorm, they managed to bring the body to life. The assistant was messing around in the lab and switched the brain they were using with a deceased criminal’s brain. Little did they know that the person they created with science would become a psycho killer.

It was voted the film of the year by the 'New York Times'. Universal not only produced The Bride of Frankenstein but also 'Dracula', 'The Mummy', and 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' which were all released during the depression of the 1930's. It was argued and believed that the reason for introducing these horror films seemed that the audiences from that period of time wanted to see escapist's films which made them forget the real everyday worries. Even though 1,300 banks closed and over 25,000 businesses failed in the USA which was a very bad thing not only for the US but also Europesuffered during that time. Moreover this did not stop the people from going to cinemas and see films, even though they did not have enough money, they still managed to see the films they wanted so that they could escape the bad life they were in.

How can we think of Frankenstein and ignore the film classic of 1931? Yet the celebrated film does not follow the novel by Mary Shelley. Although the scene of a futuristic laboratory entrances movie audiences with the mad Dr. Frankenstein and his faithful assistant Igor, the scene is derived from twentieth century imaginations and interests, not the novel itself.

Silent horror films continued throughout the early 20th century. Some of the most famous horror films of this era included; The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919), The Golem (1920), and Nosferatu (1920). These films feature a mad doctor, a vampire, and a monster that is never seen. (Wilson) These monsters were some of the very first to be introduced to horror but certainly not the last.

Paramount’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) amongst others, became box-office hits by catering to the public’s taste for outlandish, supernaturally-tinged horror to transport them away from their daily lives. The harsh realities of life during this time also made escapist entertainment a more attractive proposition than ever before, and with tickets priced at around a nickel apiece, the movies proved a cheap way for the struggling populace to forget about their troubles for a few hours. Horror film began to fade, due to the war in Europe. The studios started focusing on lighter-themed cinema to appease audiences, leaving smaller production houses to pick up the slack with low-budget horror films in the 1940s.

Ever since the advent of celluloid films, horror movies have always held a fascination for viewers. Just why do people pay good money to be scared out of their wits? Apart from its entertainment value, the horror movie satisfies certain primordial needs in man. Through the horror movies, one is able to come to grips with one's personal demons, fear of death and other irrational phobias and in the process achieve a catharsis. Far from being morbid, such movies actually affirm life for the movie-goer, for he is able to emerge from the dark into the light, both literally and figuratively, having explored the world beyond our normal perception as well as the deep recesses of the human soul and say, "It's good to be alive."