By Lake DiStefano
Staff Writer
The horror movie genre, at least the western iteration of it, is a relatively new phenomenon. Due to this modernity, it has a noticeable history that one can chart. Despite this, the origins of the genre are not common knowledge. It is often in understanding of our roots, that we can gain a deeper appreciation for what is happening in the present.
Widely considered the first proper horror film, 1896’s “House of the Devil” set up what are now tropes of the genre.
The movie details the story of Mephistopheles, an agent of the devil. After summoning demonic entities from a cauldron, he is defeated when a man uses a crucifix to make him disappear.
It is a simple plot, and the subpar technology is certainly noticeable in its grainy shots, but it is not hard to spot the similarities between it and the horror staples of today.
In this early phase of the genre, there were long stretches between notable releases. It wouldn’t be until the 1920s and 1930s when more horror classics debuted.
The two major films of this time were 1920’s “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and 1922’s “Nosferatu.” These films were the first to strive for an anxious atmosphere and to use suspense as a means of furthering the impact of their scenes. Continuing the trend of paranormal elements, with hypnosis and vampires respectively, these films cemented the early idea of what a horror film should look like.
After that era of horror, technology finally allowed for films to have sound. The idea of a non-human threat continued with films like 1931’s “Frankenstein” and 1932’s “The Mummy.” These films made their villains mainstream in a way previously unseen.
The 1960s marked the beginning of the zombie sub-genre with the all-time classic “Night of the Living Dead” being released in 1968. The film was massively successful, and as evident by such pop-culture giants such as “The Walking Dead,” it was far more than just influential; it was the origin of the zombie film, which would go on to become one of horror’s most known sub-genres.
The 1970s and 1980s called back to that initial occult-related horror, with releases like 1973’s “The Exorcist” and 1976’s “The Omen.” These films tapped into the supernatural and paranormal side of things.
The horror was less based on the idea of it being an abomination of nature than the idea of the antagonist being above human understanding; that lack of knowledge created was scary about them. Other notable entries in this vein were 1976’s “Carrie,” 1980’s “The Shining” and 1982’s “Poltergeist.”
Of course, around this time, the most well-known version of horror was finally conceived of: the slasher.
The first real slasher film was released in 1974, entitled “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” This brand of horror was focused on introducing an iconic and deadly antagonist who would hunt a group of survivors.
Many famous horror films are in this category: “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Chucky.” These movies garnered fame because their villains were memorable in a different way; these were villains with distinct personalities, killing methods and visual iconographies.
These films were majorly successful, which led to the rise of a new model for horror movies: franchises. Sequels became commonplace, and continuous storylines across multiple films were introduced into the genre.
The popularity of specific killers, and even certain survivors, allowed them to appear in films canonically following the original. This built-in appeal to the films made them a much safer bet for studios, as opposed to risking a “box office bomb” with new, original ideas.
With a previously-established story for a sequel to consider, most of them had to make the choice between resetting the franchise and trying to contend with all the plotlines introduced by whatever films they may be trying to follow up. Retconning with simply confusing storytelling became the face of the genre for a while.
However, in this stale period of the genre, there came a franchise dedicated to poking fun at such monotony. In the wake of formulaic slasher movies and their sequels, the genre finally gained self awareness for what it was, in the form of 1996’s “Scream.”
By this point in the genre’s life the tropes had been established, so now it was time to deviate from them. The Scream franchise is dedicated to being a living, breathing satire of the horror movie genre, utilizing plotlines overused in horror films and making fun of the narrative inconsistencies within them.
In the early 2000s, the era of slashers finally calmed down in time for a revival of the zombie sub-genre.
There were a few notable releases during this time, such as “28 Days Later,” “World War Z” and “Zombieland.” Interestingly, “Zombieland” borrowed the comedic and witty elements found in “Scream.” “28 Days Later” took a less dramatic approach to horror, where instead of in-your-face action, it returned to a slow and drawn-out suspense based kind of horror.
So where is horror now? Reboots and slashers reign supreme, and “Scream” sequels continue to get more and more elaborate with their parody of them. Jordan Peele in particular has been making great strides in the genre with a string of original and compelling horror films: 2017’s “Get Out,” 2019’s “Us” and 2022’s “Nope.”
To say it simply, horror, like it always has, continues to reinvent and rehash itself.
