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Thehistory of horror films was described by authorSiegbert Solomon Prawer as difficult to read as a linear path, with the genre changing through the decades, based on thestate of cinema,audience tastes andcontemporary world events.
Films before the1930s, such as earlyGerman expressionist cinema andtrick films, have been retrospectively described ashorror films, since the genre did not become codified until the release ofDracula (1931).Dracula was a box office success, leadingUniversal and several other American film studios to develop and popularise horror films well into the1940s. Bythe 1950s, horror was often made withscience fiction themes, and towards the end of the decade horror was a more common genre of international productions.
The1960s saw further developments, with material based on contemporary works instead of classic literature. The release of films such asPsycho,Black Sunday andNight of the Living Dead led to an increase in violence and erotic scenes within the genre. The1970s would expand on these themes with films that would delve into gorier pictures, as well as films that were near or directpornographic hybrids. Genre cycles in this era include thenatural horror film, and the rise ofslasher films which expanded in the early1980s. Towards the 1990s,postmodernism entered horror, while some of the biggest hits of the decade includedfilms from Japan such as the successfulRing (1998).
In the 21st century,streaming media popularised horror trends. These trends includedtorture porn influenced by the success ofSaw; films using a "found footage" technique; and independent productions such asGet Out,Hereditary, and theInsidious series which were box office hits.
In his bookCaligari's Children: The Film as Tale of Terror (1980), author Siegbert Solomon Prawer stated that horror films cannot be interpreted as following a linear historical path. Historians and critics likeCarlos Clarens noted that while some film audiences at the time took films made byTod Browning that starredBela Lugosi with utmost seriousness, other productions from other countries saw the material set for parody, as children's entertainment or nostalgic recollection.[1] John Kenneth Muir in his books covering the history of horror films through the later decades of the 20th century echoed this statement, stating that horror films mirror the anxieties of "their age and their audience" concluding that "if horror isn't relevant to everyday life... it isn't horrifying".[2]
Prior to the release ofDracula (1931), historianGary Don Rhodes explained that the idea of the horror film did not exist yet as a codified genre and although critics have used the term "horror" to describe films in reviews prior toDracula's release, the term has not truly developed by this time as the genre's name.[3] Themystery film genre was in vogue and early information onDracula being promoted as mystery film was common, despite the novel, play and film's story relying on the supernatural.[4]
Forms of filmmaking that would become film genres were mostly defined in other media beforeThomas Edison devised theKinetograph in the late 1890s.[5] Genres, such as adventure, detective stories, and Westerns were developed as written fiction while musical was a staple to theatre.[5] Author and criticKim Newman stated that if something was referred to as a horror film in 1890, no one would have understood what it meant as a specific genre, while following up that these types of films were being made but were not categorized as such at the time.[5] Early sources of material that would influence horror films included gruesome or fantastical elements in theEpic of Gilgamesh, where heroes fight monsters, and theBible, whereplagues andapocalypses are discussed.[6] Beliefs inghosts,demons and thesupernatural have long existed infolklore of manycultures andreligions, that would go on to be integral elements of horror films.[7][8]Zombies, for example, originated fromHaitian folklore.[9] InAsian Horror, Andy Richards suggests that there is a "widespread and engrained acceptance ofsupernatural forces" in many Asian cultures, and suggests this is related toanimist,pantheist andkarmic religious traditions, as inBuddhism andShintoism; these would go on to strongly influence horror cinema from the region.[8] Classical dramas also include elements later expanded upon by horror films, such asHamlet, which includes vengeful spectres, exhumed skulls, multiple stabbings and characters succumbing to madness.[10]
EarlyGothic fiction such asThe Castle of Otranto (1764) and works ofAnn Radcliffe dealt with the stories involving seemingly supernatural doings and magnetic yet repulsive villains set in castles, but with their supernatural pretenses often explained in the end.[10] The most famous of these gothic novels wasFrankenstein (1818) which would be adapted into several film adaptations.[11] American writerEdgar Allan Poe wrote several stories in the 1830s and 1840s that would be translated to the film screen in the future. These included "The Black Cat", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Fall of the House of Usher", and "The Masque of the Red Death".[11][12] Poe's tales often presented women who were dead, dying or spectral and focus on the obsessions of their male protagonists.[12]
More key horror texts would be produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s than in all centuries preceding it, including:Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886),The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890),Trilby (1894),The King in Yellow (1895),The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896),Dracula (1897),The Invisible Man (1897),The Turn of the Screw (1898),The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902),Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), andThe Phantom of the Opera (1911).[12] As these and many similar novels and short stories were being made, early cinema began in the 1890s.[5] Many of these stories were not specifically focused on the horrific, but lingered in popular culture for their horrific elements and set pieces that would become cinema staples.[13]
The first horror film is usually considered to beLe Manoir du diable (1896) byGeorges Méliès, with its imagery coming from centuries of books, legend and stage plays, featuring imagery of demons, ghosts, witches and a skeleton and a haunted castle which transforms intothe devil.[14] The film has no story, but a series oftrick shots andvaudeville acts filmed.[14]L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (1895) byAuguste and Louis Lumière has sometimes been considered the first horror film, as the shot of a train approaching the camera frightened viewers who were unfamiliar with motion picture technology.[15]
While the word "horror" began to be used as a generic signation in the 19th century, its use was initially rare. In early cinema,trick films were sometimes described with various terms:American Mutoscope and Biograph Company sometimes called their films "fantastic",Selig Polyscope Company called such films "mythical and mysterious" whileVitagraph Studios both "mysterious" and "magical".[16] During the era ofNickelodeon exhibits, exhibitors would use the label "weird", withFrankenstein (1910) being advertised as "weird and wonderful" andArturo Ambrosio'sLa maschera tragica (1911) a "weird story".[17]
In the early 20th century as films became popular around the world films were production was so hectic that often told tales were made and then remade within months of each other.[18] Adaptations of the work with Poe were often adopted in France such asLe Puits dett le Pendule (1909) and America withThe Sealed Room (1909)The Raven (1912) andThe Pit and the Pendulum (1913).[19] Other famous horror characters made their film debut in the era includingFrankenstein's monster with Edison'sFrankenstein (1910),Life Without Soul (1915), and the Italian productionIl mostro di Frankenstein (1921).[19] Several adaptations of other novels likeThe Picture of Dorian Gray were adapted around the world, including Denmark (Dorian Gray's Portaet (1910)), Russia (Portret Doryana Greya (1915)), Germany (Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray) and Hungary (Az élet királya (1918)).[19] The most adapted horror story wasStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which included early adaptations likeWilliam Selig'sDr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1908). This was followed by several versions, including a British version of the story (The Duality of Man (1910)), a Danish production (Den skæbnesvangre Opfindelse (1910)), and another American film inDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1912.[18] In 1920, three versions were made:J. Charles Haydon'sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,John S. Robertson'sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, andF. W. Murnau'sDer Januskopf.[18]
A film movement that appeared in Germany in the first half of the 1920s labeled theGerman expressionist film closely resembled the horror film.[20][21] The term is borrowed from art groups such asDer Blaue Reiter andDer Sturm.[21] These films feature sensationalist titles such asWarning Shadows (1923),The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) andSecrets of a Soul (1926).[22] German film historianThomas Elsaesser wrote that what was retained in popular film memory of these films were the characters who resembledbogeymen from children's fairy tales and folk legends. These included characters like the mad Dr. Caligari, Jack the Ripper fromWaxworks (1924) andNosferatu as well as actors likeConrad Veidt,Emil Jannings andPeter Lorre.[23] DirectorF.W. Murnau, made an adaptation ofDracula withNosferatu (1922). Newman wrote that this adaptation "stands as the only screen adaptation ofDracula to be primarily interested in horror, from the character's rat-like features and thin body, the film was, even more so thanCaligari, "a template for the horror film."[24]
Hollywood would not fully develop horror film stars, but actor and make-up artistLon Chaney would often portray the monsters in film, such as the ape-man inA Blind Bargain (1922),Quasimodo inThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) andErik inThe Phantom of the Opera (1925) and a false vampire inLondon After Midnight (1927).[25] While horror was provided as an occasional adjective to the films of Chaney such asThe Unknown (1927) andWest of Zanzibar (1928), the actor was mostly known for themelodramas he made with directorTod Browning.[26][25]
The term "horror film" was used with various interpretations during this period, such asEvening Star which told readers that"'Horror' Films May Be Barred [in] Transit," a reference to US SenatorThomas Gore's bill that would have prohibit interstate transportation of films that showcased "activities of ex-convicts, bandits, train robbers or other outlaws."[27] In 1928, theWarren Tribune of Pennsylvania reviewed the filmSomething Always Happens (1928) and compared itThe Bat (1926) andThe Wizard (1927) and "other films of the same type" in an article titled "Horror Film Thrills Audience at Columbia."[27] Rhodes noted that different descriptions were used for films likeThe Bat,The Wizard, andThe Cat and the Canary (1927), but they were most commonly referred to asmystery films."[28]
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In 1924, British producerHamilton Deane premiered a stage version ofDracula at the Grand Theatre inDerby, England.[29] An American version had premiered onBroadway in 1927 and featuring actorBela Lugosi asCount Dracula.[30][29] Rhodes described the play as "taking America storm".[31] In June 1930,Universal Studios officially purchased the rights to both the play and the novelDracula.[29][32]Dracula premiered on February 12, 1931, at theRoxy Theatre in New York again with Lugosi in the title role.[33][30] Contemporary critical response toDracula was described by Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas, the authors of the bookUniversal Horrors, as "uniformly positive, some even laudatory" and as "one of the best received critically of any of the Universal horror pictures."[34] Universal was reportedly surprised at the strong box office and critical praise for the film, and forged ahead to make similar productions ofFrankenstein (1931) andMurders in the Rue Morgue (1932) which would also star Lugosi for their 1931–1932 season.[35][36] British filmmakerJames Whale directedFrankenstein starringBoris Karloff as the Monster also proved to be a hit for Universal which led to bothDracula andFrankenstein making film stars of Lugosi and Karloff respectively.[37] While Karloff did not have any dialogue inFrankenstein, he was allowed to speak in Universal'sThe Mummy (1932), a film Newman described as the studio knowing "what they were getting" patterning the film close to the plot ofDracula while historian Gregory W. Mank called the "one-two punch Boris Karloff needed afterFrankenstein to boost his stardom.[38][37] Lugosi and Karloff would star together in several Poe-adaptations in the 1930s, includingThe Black Cat (1934) andThe Raven (1935) and other horror features likeThe Invisible Ray (1936).[39]
Following the release ofDracula,The Washington Post declared the film's box office success led to a cycle of similar films, whileThe New York Times stated in a 1936 overview thatDracula and the arrival ofsound film began the "real triumph of these spectral thrillers".[40] Other studios began developing their own horror projects withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer makingDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) andMad Love (1935) andParamount Pictures withIsland of Lost Souls (1932) andMurders in the Zoo (1933), andWarner Bros. withDoctor X (1932) andMystery of the Wax Museum (1933).[41] Universal would also follow-up with Whale'sThe Old Dark House (1932) andThe Invisible Man (1933), andBride of Frankenstein (1935).[37][41]RKO Pictures had also developed their ownmonster movie withKing Kong (1933) which Newman felt owned more toArthur Conan Doyle'sThe Lost World than theDracula-Frankenstein cycle.[42] Other productions included independents in the United States, such as the Halperin Organization makingWhite Zombie (1933) with Lugosi, whose success led to a series of voo doo related film such asDrums O' Voodoo (1934),Black Moon (1934) andOuanga.[39] A few productions outside of America were also made such as the British filmThe Ghoul (1933) starring Karloff and the films ofTod Slaughter.[43]
Many horror films of this era provoked public outcry and censors cut many of the more violent and gruesome scenes from such films asFrankenstein,Island of Lost Souls andThe Black Cat.[44][45] In 1933, theBritish Board of Film Censors (BBFC) introduced an "H" rating for films labeled "Horrific" for "any films likely to frighten or horrify children under the age of 16 years"[46] In 1935, the President of the BBFCEdward Shortt, wrote "although a separate category has been established for these [horrific] films, I am sorry to learn they are on the increase...I hope that the producers and renters will accept this word of warning, and discourage this type of subject as far as possible."[46] As the United Kingdom was a significant market for Hollywood, American producers listened to Shortt's warning, and the number of Hollywood produced horror films decreased in 1936.[46] A trade paperVariety reported thatUniversal Studios abandonment of horror films after the release ofDracula's Daughter (1936) was that "European countries, especially England are prejudiced against this type product [sic]."[46] The latter half of the decade had Karloff making low budget films forMonogram Pictures and Lugosi being onwelfare.[43] At the end of the decade, a profitable re-release ofDracula andFrankenstein would encourage Universal to produceSon of Frankenstein (1939) featuring both Lugosi and Karloff, starting off a resurgence of the horror film that would continue into the mid-1940s.[47]
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After the success ofSon of Frankenstein (1939), Universal's horror films received what author Rick Worland ofThe Horror Film called "a second wind" and horror films continued to be produced at a feverish pace into the mid-1940s.[48] Universal looked into their 1930s horror properties to develop new follow-ups such asThe Invisible Man Returns (1940) andThe Mummy's Hand (1941).[49]Man Made Monster (1941) was a pivotal release for Universal's horror output, introducing actorLon Chaney Jr. Chaney Jr. had received attention for his performance as Lennie Small inOf Mice and Men (1939). Universal saw potential in making Chaney a new star to replace Karloff as he had not distinguished himself in either A or B pictures.[50] Chaney Jr. would become a horror star for the decade showing in the films inThe Wolf Man series, portraying the Mummy three times inThe Mummy series, Frankenstein's Monster inGhost of Frankenstein (1942) and as Count Dracula inSon of Dracula (1943).[49] Universal also created new horror series such as the three-picture feature about Paula the Ape-woman, starting withCaptive Wild Woman (1943). Universal begancrossing their horror franchises in what was colloquially called "monster rally" films.[51][49] Beginning withFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) which had Frankenstein's Monster meet The Wolf Man, further crossovers that included Count Dracula continued in the 1940s withHouse of Frankenstein (1944) andHouse of Dracula (1945).[49] B-Picture studios also developed films that imitated the style of Universal's horror output. Karloff worked withColumbia Pictures acting in various films as a "Mad doctor"-type characters starting withThe Man They Could Not Hang (1939) while Lugosi worked between Universal andpoverty row studios such asProducers Releasing Corporation (PRC) forThe Devil Bat (1941) and Monogram for nine features films.[52]
In March 1942, producerVal Lewton ended his working relationship with independent producerDavid O. Selznick to work forRKO Radio Pictures'Charles Koerner, becoming the head of a new unit created to developB-movie horror feature films.[53][54] According toDeWitt Bodeen, the screenwriter of the Lewton's first horror productionCat People (1942), Bodeen watched British and American horror and suspense films that he felt were "typical of what we did not want to do"[55] while directorJacques Tourneur recalled Lewton deciding to not make a "cheap horror movie that the studio expected but something intelligent and in good taste".[55] Newman later describedCat People and the other horror productions by Lewton such asI Walked with a Zombie (1943) andThe Seventh Victim (1943) as "polished, doom-haunted, poetic" while film criticRoger Ebert the films Lewton produced in the 1940s were "landmark[s] in American movie history".[56] Several horror films of the 1940s borrowed fromCat People, specifically feature a female character who fears that she has inherited the tendency to turn into a monster or attempt to replicate the shadowy visual style of the film withJungle Woman (1944),The Soul of a Monster (1944),The Woman Who Came Back (1945),She-Wolf of London (1946),The Cat Creeps (1946), andThe Creeper (1948).[57]
In April 1946, theHollywood Reporter announced that horror films were earning "heavier adult patronage" and were receiving "universal appeal" due to higher budgets and higher standards.[58] Rhodes and Kaffenberger noted the elasticity of the term horror in the article, specifically mentioning films likeThe Spiral Staircase andBedlam (1946).[59] The magazine also referred to films such asAlfred Hitchcock'sSpellbound and a few foreign films such asThe Girl and the Devil (1944) andDead of Night (1945) under the term.[59] In 1946,Curt Siodmak, the screenwriter of films likeThe Wolf Man (1941) stated that "When horror enters the gilded gate of top production, it is glorified as a 'psychological thriller.' But a rose by any other name. . . "[60] Between 1947 and 1951, Hollywood made almost no new horror films.[61] Between this period, American studios were re-releasing their back catalog of horror film productions by studios such as Universal and Monogram.[62] Box-office receipts had fallen sharply due to decling theatre attendance leading to theMotion Picture Herald reporting that seven of the eleven major producer-distributors companies including MGM, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Warner Bros. and PRC would re-release their previous seasons films.[62] In the period between 1947 and 1951 at least 25 Bela Lugosi horror films were re-released theatrically.[63]
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While studies suggest thatgothic horror had fallen out of fashion between the release ofHouse of Dracula (1945) andThe Curse of Frankenstein (1957), small glimpses of the genre appeared in films such asThe Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951),The Strange Door (1951),The Black Castle (1952) andHouse of Wax (1953).[64] Prior to the release ofHammer Film Productions's gothic films, the last gothic horror films of the 1950s often featured aged stars likeBela Lugosi,Lon Chaney Jr., andBoris Karloff in films made by low budget indie film directors likeEd Wood orReginald LeBorg or producers likeHoward W. Koch.[65] Hammer originally began developing American-styled science fiction films in the early 1950s but later branched into horror with their colour filmsThe Curse of Frankenstein andDracula (1958).[65][66] These films would birth two horror film stars:Christopher Lee andPeter Cushing.[66] Along with Hammer's more science fiction oriented seriesQuatermass, both the gothic and science fiction films of Hammer would develop many similar films within the years.[66]
Among the most influential horror films of the 1950s wasThe Thing From Another World (1951), with Newman stating that countless science fiction horror films of the 1950s would follow in its style, while the film,The Man from Planet X (1951) was still in debt to Universal horror style of filming with a bearded scientist and foggy sets.[67] For five years following the release ofThe Thing From Another World, nearly every film involving aliens, dinosaurs or radioactive mutants would be dealt with matter-of-fact characters as seen inThe Thing From Another World.[67] Even films that adapted for older characters had science fiction leanings such asThe Vampire (1957),The Werewolf (1956) andFrankenstein 1970 (1958) being influenced by the atomic inspired monsters of the era.[68] Films with aStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde theme also appeared withThe Neanderthal Man (1953),The Fly (1958),Monster on the Campus (1958) andThe Hideous Sun Demon (1958).[68] Smaller trends also included the Universal-International produced the filmCult of the Cobra (1955) which created a brief wave of horror films featuringPin-up model like mutants such asThe Leech Woman (1960) andThe Wasp Woman (1959).[65]
Films from the 1950s reflected the filmmaking styles of the era. These included some horror films being shot in 3D, such asThe Mad Magician (1954),Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954), andThe Maze (1953).[65] DirectorWilliam Castle also attracted horror audiences with his gimmick-themed horror films such asThe Tingler (1959) andHouse on Haunted Hill (1959) that involved props and effects happening within the cinema.[66] Horror films aimed a young audience featuring teenage monsters grew popular in the 1950s with several productions fromAmerican International Pictures (AIP) and productions ofHerman Cohen withI Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) andI Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957).[66] This led to later productions likeDaughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957) andFrankenstein's Daughter (1958).[66] Horror films also expanded further into international productions in the 1950s such as Mexican productionEl vampiro (1957).[66] In Italy,Riccardo Freda andMario Bava developed early Italian horror films withI Vampiri (1957) andCaltiki – The Immortal Monster (1959).[69] Productions also extended into the Philippines (Terror Is a Man (1959)), Germany (The Head (1959) andHorrors of Spider Island (1960)) and France (Eyes Without a Face (1960)).[69]
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Newman said that the horror film changed dramatically in 1960. Specifically, withAlfred Hitchcock's filmPsycho (1960) based on the novel byRobert Bloch. Newman declared that the film elevated the idea of a multiple-personality serial killer that set the tone future film that was only touched upon in earlier melodramas andfilm noirs such asHangover Square (1945) andWhile the City Sleeps (1956).[70][71] The release ofPsycho led to similar pictures about the psychosis of characters, includingWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and the Bloch-scriptedStrait-Jacket (1964) byWilliam Castle.[71] The influence ofPsycho continued into the 1970s with films ranging fromTaste of Fear (1961),Paranoiac (1962), andPretty Poison (1968).[71] FollowingPsycho, there was a brief reappearance of what Newman described as "stately, tasteful" horror films such asJack Clayton'sThe Innocents (1961) andRobert Wise'sThe Haunting (1963).[72] Outside America, Japan released films to critical acclaim such asMasaki Kobayashi'sKwaidan (1965) which won international awards including Special Jury Prize at theCannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at theAcademy Awards.[73] Newman describedRoman Polanski'sRosemary's Baby (1968) the other "event" horror film of the 1960s afterPsycho.[74] The influence ofRosemary's Baby' story involving satanic themes would not be felt until the 1970s with films likeThe Exorcist (1973) andThe Omen (1976).[74]
Roger Corman convinced AIP to develop two cheap black-and-white horror films, and used the budget of these two films to make the colour filmHouse of Usher (1960). The film created its own cycle of Poe-adaptations by Corman, includingThe Pit and the Pendulum (1961),Tales of Terror (1962), andThe Raven (1963) which provided roles for aging horror stars such as Karloff and Chaney Jr. These films were made to compete with the British colour horror films from Hammer in the United Kingdom featuring their horror stars Cushing and Fisher. Hammer made several films in theirFrankenstein series between 1958 and 1973, while still producing one-offs such asThe Reptile (1966) andPlague of the Zombies (1966). Competition for Hammer appeared in the mid-1960s in the United Kingdom withAmicus Productions such asDr. Terror's House of Horrors (1964) and also featured actors Cushing and Lee.[70] Unlike Hammer, Amicus drew from contemporary sources such as Bloch (The Skull (1965) andTorture Garden (1967)) which led to Hammer adapting works byDennis Wheatley (The Devil Rides Out (1968)).[70]
Mario Bava'sBlack Sunday (1960) marked an increase in onscreen violence in film.[75] Prior to Bava's film, Fisher's early Hammer films had attempted to push the envelope;The Curse of Frankenstein relied on make-up to depict the horror of the monster,Dracula had its gorier scenes cut by theBritish Board of Film Censors, and the violence in the backstory ofThe Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) was conveyed mostly through narration.[76] The violence inPsycho (1960), which was released a week earlier thanBlack Sunday, was portrayed through suggestion, as its famous "shower scene" made use offast cutting.[75]Black Sunday, by contrast, depicted violence without suggestion.[75] This level of violence would later be seen in other Italian genre films, such as theSpaghetti Western and thegiallo, including Bava's ownBlood and Black Lace (1964) and thegialli ofDario Argento andLucio Fulci.[75] Other independent productions of the 1960s expanded on the gore shown in the films in a genre later described as thesplatter film, with films byHerschell Gordon Lewis such asBlood Feast which led to similar minded independent directors making similar works likeAndy Milligan andTed V. Mikels.[74] Newman found that the true breakthrough of these independent films wasGeorge A. Romero'sNight of the Living Dead (1968) which set a new attitudes for the horror film, one that was suspicious of authority figures, broke taboos of society and was satirical between its more suspenseful set pieces.[74]
Black Sunday's focus on combining eroticism and horror, specifically the eroticism of a tortured body — a trend that other European horror filmmakers like the FrenchJean Rollin and SpanishJesús Franco would follow.[75] Franco would make several horror films from the 1960s on, borrowing the plot ofEyes Without a Face (1960) forThe Awful Dr. Orloff (1962) while screenwriter and actor Jacinto Molina under the namePaul Naschy began developing Spanish horror films by borrowing characters from Universal properties such asLa Marca del Hombre Lobo (1968).[71]
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Historian John Kenneth Muir described the 1970s as a "truly eclectic time" for horror cinema, noting a mixture of fresh and more personal efforts on film while other were a resurrection of older characters that have appeared since the 1930s and 1940s.[78]Night of the Living Dead had what Newman described as a "slow burning influence" on horror films of the era, some just adapted the zombie framework such asThe Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (1974) while others became what Newman described as "the first of the genre auteurs", finding previous great genre directors such as Whale, Lewton andTerence Fisher had worked within studio settings.[79] These included American directors such asJohn Carpenter,Tobe Hooper,Wes Craven andBrian De Palma as well as directors working outside America such asBob Clark,David Cronenberg andDario Argento.[79] Prior toNight of the Living Dead, the monsters of horror films could easily be banished or defeated by the end of the film, while Romero's film and the films of other filmmakers would often suggest other horror still lingered after the credits.[77]
Horror films continued to be made around the world in the 1970s.[80] In the United Kingdom, Amicus focused their production on humorous horror anthologies, such asTales from the Crypt (1972).[81] The studio stopped producing horror films by the mid-1970s and closed in 1977.[82] By the 1970s, Hammer Films pushed their films in different directions, such as their new series where vampires are implied to be lesbians inThe Vampire Lovers (1970),Lust for a Vampire (1970) andTwins of Evil (1971).[83] Hammer's Dracula series was updated to contemporary settings withDracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and its sequelThe Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), after which, Lee retired from the Dracula role.[84] Hammer ceased feature film production in the 1970s.[81] Other small booms in the Italian film industry included Argento'sThe Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) which created a trend in Italy for thegiallo film.[85][86] Other smaller trends permutated in Italy such as films involvingcannibals,zombies,nazis which Newman described as "disreputable crazes".[80] Some films of the 1970s pushed the eroticism to the point of horror andPornographic film hybrids.[79] The rise of zombie films towards the end of the decade was triggered by Romero's follow-up toNight, withDawn of the Dead (1978).[87]
Remakes of proved to be popular choices for horror films in the 1970s, with films likeInvasion of the Bodysnatchers (1978) and tales based onDracula which continued into the late 1970s withJohn Badham'sDracula (1979) andWerner Herzog'sNosferatu the Vampyre (1979).[88][89] Other American production also placed vampires in a contemporary settings withCount Yorga, Vampire (1970) andBlacula (1972).[84][90]Blacula set off a cycle combining theblaxploitation and horror films with titles likeScream Blacula Scream (1973),Blackenstein (1973), andGanja and Hess (1973).[90] European production also continued to featureDracula andFrankenstein such asPaul Morrissey'sBlood for Dracula (1974) andFlesh for Frankenstein (1973) which both delved into the eroticism of their stories.[90] Although not an official remake, the last high-grossing horror film of decade,Alien (1979) took b-movie elements from films likeIt! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958).[87]
The Exorcist (1973) was a film that Newman described as getting Hollywood back into horror film production.[80] Along withRosemary's Baby, Newman described the film as having the "grit and realism" that was part of theNew Hollywood movement of the period with "nuanced performances" and non-star actors.[80] Several films with the religious motifs ofThe Exorcist followed in the seventies in America with films likeAbby (1974) andThe Omen (1976) as well as Italy with films likeA Black Ribbon for Deborah (1974).[80] In 1988, Newman later described the cycle as being "burned out instantly" with films mostly borrowing fromRosemary's Baby and the last of the cycle to borrow fromThe Exorcist beingAmityville II: The Possession (1982).[91]
In 1963, Hitchcock defined a new genre nature taking revenge on humanity withThe Birds (1963) that was expanded into a trend into 1970s. Following the success ofWillard (1971), a film about killer rats, 1972 had similar films withStanley (1972) and an official sequelBen (1972).[92] Other films followed in suit such asNight of the Lepus (1972),Frogs (1972),Bug (1975),Squirm (1976) and what Muir described as the "turning point" in the genre withJaws (1975), which became the highest-grossing film at that point and moved the animal attacks genres "towards a less-fantastic route" with less giant animals and more real-life creatures such asGrizzly (1976) andNight Creature (1977),Orca (1977), andJaws 2 (1978).[92][93][94] Newman's describedJaws as a "concerto of shock" noting its memorable music theme and its monster not being product of society likeNorman Bates inPsycho or family like inThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). These elements were carried over into Carpenter'sHalloween (1978)[80] Newman described that along that high grossing films likeAlien,Jaws andHalloween were hits based on "relentless suspense machines with high visual sophistication."[87] Along with the other mainstream hit film De Palma'sCarrie (1976),Halloween began the trend of teenagers becoming ever-present lead characters in horror films whileCarrie itself was a film Newman described as having a "dream-logic" to its supernatural plot, which was extended to the plot of Argento's films likeSuspiria (1977) andInferno (1980), whose narrative logic was pushed to the point that Newman described their plots as "making no narrative sense".[95]
The 1980s marked the first time since the early 1960s of horror film fandom with far more loose organized community of fans rose with the increased publication of fanzines and magazines such asCinefantastique,Fangoria andStarburst as horror film festivals like Shock Around the Clock andDead by Dawn developing.[96] In the appearance of home video, horror films came under attack in the United Kingdom as "video nasties" leading to people having their collection being seized by police and some people being jailed for selling or owning some horror films.[97] Newman described the response to the video nasty issue led to horror films becoming "dumber than the previous decade" and although films were not less gory, they were "more lightweight [...] becoming more disposable, less personal works."[98][97] Newman noted that these directors who created original material in the 1970s such as Carpenter, Cronenberg, and Hooper would all at least briefly "play it safe" withStephen King adaptations or remakes of the 1950s horror material.[99]
In Italy, the Italian film industry would gradually move towards making films for television.[100] The decade started with a high-budgeted production of Argento'sInferno (1980) and with the death of Mario Bava, Fulci became what historian Roberto Curti called "Italy's most prominent horror film director in the early 1980s".[101] Several zombie films were made in the country in the early 80s from Fulci and others while Argento would continue directing and producing films for others such asLamberto Bava.[101] As Fulci's health deteriorated towards the end of the decade, many directors turned to making horror films forJoe D'Amato's Filmirage company, independent films or works for television and home video.[102][103]
In the 1980s, the older horror characters of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster rarely appeared in film outside nostalgic films likeThe Monster Squad (1987) andWaxwork (1988). Vampire themed films continued often in the tradition of authors likeAnne Rice where vampirism becomes a lifestyle choice rather than plague or curse.[104] This was reflected in such films asThe Hunger (1983),The Lost Boys (1986), andNear Dark (1986).[104] The 1980s highlighted several films about body transformation and men becoming wolves.[105] Special effects and make-up artists likeRob Bottin andRick Baker allowed for more detailed and graphic transformation scenes for creatures such as werewolves in films likeAn American Werewolf in London andThe Howling while films likeAltered States (1980) andThe Thing (1982),Videodrome (1983) andThe Fly (1986) would show the human body in various forms transformation.[106] Several other sequels took to the revival of 3D film in the 1980s following the surprise hit filmComin' at Ya! (1981). These includedFriday the 13th Part III (1982),Parasite (1982), andJaws 3-D (1983).[107]
Replacing Frankenstein's monster and Dracula were new popular characters with more general names likeJason Voorhees (Friday the 13th),Michael Myers (Halloween), andFreddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street). Unlike the characters of the past who were vampires or created by mad scientists, these characters were seemingly people with common sounding names who developed theslasher film genre of the era.[108] In his book on the genre, author Adam Rockoff that these villains represented a "rogue genre" of films with "tough, problematic, and fiercely individualistic."[109] Following the financial success ofFriday the 13th (1980), at least 20 other slasher films appeared in 1980 alone.[97] These films usually revolved around five properties: unique social settings(campgrounds, schools, holidays) and a crime from the past committed (an accidental drowning, infidelity, a scorned lover) and a ready made group of victims (camp counselors, students, wedding parties).[110] The genre was derided by several contemporary film critics of the era such as Ebert, and often were highly profitable in the box office.[111]
Other more traditional styles continued into the 1980s, such as supernatural themed films involving haunted houses, ghosts, and demonic possession.[112] Among the most popular films of the style includedStanley Kubrick'sThe Shining (1980), Hooper's high-grossingPoltergeist (1982) and films in theAmityville Horror film franchise.[113] After the release of films based onStephen King's books likeThe Shining andCarrie led to further film adaptations of his novels such asCujo (1983),Christine (1983),The Dead Zone (1983) andFirestarter (1984), andChildren of the Corn (1984).[114][115] King would even direct his own film withMaximum Overdrive in 1986.[116]
Horror films of the 1990s also failed to develop as many major new directors of the genre as it had in the 1960s or 1970s.[117] Young independent filmmakers such asKevin Smith,Richard Linklater,Michael Moore andQuentin Tarantino broke into cinema outside the genre at non-genre festivals like theSundance Film Festival.[118] Newman noted that the early 1990s was "not a good time for horror", noting excessive sequels such asThe Exorcist III (1990),Amityville 1992: It's About Time (1992) and returns of sequels toThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre,Friday the 13th andA Nightmare on Elm Street.[119] Muir commented that in the 1990s after the end of theCold War, the United States did not really have a "serious enemy" internationally, leading to horror films adapting to fictional enemies predominantly within America, with the American government, large businesses, organized religion and the upper class as well as supernatural and occult items such as vampires or Satanists filling in the horror villains of the 1990s.[120]
Muir described the 1990s, more than any decade before it blurred genres and transcended existing ones. This led topost-modern horror films such asWes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) which examined horror films in an American society,In the Mouth of Madness (1995) which turns reality into a horror film, andScream (1996) which made several references to horror films of the past.[121] The release ofScream, scripted byKevin Williamson led to a brief revival of the slasher films including the Williamson-scriptedI Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).[122] Other styles of teen-oriented horror that were popular in the 1990s, but with less visibility than the post-Scream films were films about supernatural youth such asMirror, MIrror (1990) andShrunken Heads (1994) with the most popular of these films beingThe Craft (1996).[123] Cultural conflicts of the 1990s became the backdrop for several horror films of the era.[124] Ranging from issues involvingabortion seen in films likeThe Unborn (1991) andAlien 3 (1992),political correctness (Body Snatchers (1993)), toaffirmative action, welfare and race related issues seen inThe People Under the Stairs (1991),Tales from the Hood (1995), andVillage of the Damned (1995).[125] The rise of other television shows such asInside Edition,America's Most Wanted andThe Jerry Springer Show,Geraldo andDonahue, horror films often featured anchorwomen and TV tabloid hosts as protagonists or supporting characters in films likeMan's Best Friend (1993),Scream (1996) andThe Night Flier (1997).[126] The rapid growth of technology in the 1990s with the internet and the fears of theYear 2000 problem causing the end of the world were reflected in plots of films likeThe Lawnmower Man (1992),Brainscan (1994) andEnd of Days (1999).[127]
Following the release ofFrancis Ford Coppola'sBram Stoker's Dracula (1992), a small wave of high-budgeted gothic horror romance films were released in the 1990s.These includedInterview with the Vampire (1994),Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994),Wolf (1994) andMary Reilly (1996).[128] By the end of the 1990s, three films were released that Newman described as "cultural phenomenons."[129] These includedHideo Nakata'sRing (1998), which along with the South Korean filmWhispering Corridors (1998), was the major hit across Asia leading to sequels and similar ghost stories from Asian countries. The film only crossed over into the Western world after the 1990s.The second major hit wasThe Sixth Sense, another ghost story which Newman described as making "an instant cliche" oftwist endings.[129] The final hit was the low-budget independent filmThe Blair Witch Project (1999)[129]
Newman described the first trend of horror films in the 2000s followed the success ofThe Blair Witch Project, but predominantly in aparody format:The Bogus Witch Project (2000),The Blair Underwood Project (2000) and the pornographicThe Erotic Witch Project (2000). Other films included similar low-budget imitators likeThe St. Francisville Experiment (2000) with a similar plot toThe Blair Witch Project.[130]Alexandra Heller-Nicholas noted that the popularity of sites likeYouTube in 2006 sparked a taste for amateur media, leading to the production of further films in thefound footage horror genre later in the decade withRec (2007),Diary of the Dead (2007), andCloverfield (2008) and the particularly financially successfulParanormal Activity (2007).[131] FollowingParanormal Activity, the style was not known for the footages possible authenticity as it was withBlair Witch, but more of a specific film style.[131]
Post-modern horror films continued into the 2000s as well withCherry Falls (2000) andPsycho Beach Party (2000) but soon drifted purely into comedy and parody territory with theScary Movie film series andShriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000).[132][123] Other teen oriented series began in the era withFinal Destination while the success ofthe 1999 remake of William Castle'sHouse on Haunted Hill led to a series of remakes in the decade:Thi13en Ghosts (2001),Willard (2003),Dawn of the Dead (2004),The Fog (2005),Prom Night (2008) andThe Last House on the Left (2009).[133] Several film series long left dormant were resurrected in the 2000s as well withJason X (2001),Beyond Re-Animator (2003),Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), andLand of the Dead (2005). The popularity and innovative approach tozombies seen in28 Days Later (2002),Shaun of the Dead (2004) andDawn of the Dead (2004) led to a revivalzombie films in the 2000s, withI Am Legend (2007),Zombieland (2009),Dead Snow (2009) andPontypool (2008).[134][135][136]
Several films came from Hong Kong,South Korea,Thailand, andJapan in the wake of the success ofRing (1998).[137] These films predominantly involved female detectives using various forms of investigation to solve mysteries about malevolent femaleghosts. These includedThe Eye (2002),Dark Water (2002), andInto the Mirror (2003).[137] This trend was echoed in the West with films likeFeardotCom (2002),They (2002) andGothika (2003). Hollywood also began remaking these Japanese films withThe Ring (2002),Dark Water (2005).[138] Outside the Japanese ghost stories, Asian film industries also began developing what Newman described as "bizarre" horror films withUzumaki (2000),Stacy (2001) and several films byTakashi Miike.[138]
Newman declared there to be a "modest revival" of British horror films in the 2000s, with a small trend ofWar film related horror films withThe Bunker (2001),Dog Soldiers (2002) and the Hollywood producedBelow (2002).[138] Outside of several independent films and films attempting a style of horror thatDimension Films was making in the 1990s, Newman felt the breakouts of the new British horror wereMy Little Eye (2002),28 Days Later (2002),Shaun of the Dead (2004), andThe Descent (2005).[138]
At the turn of the millennium, a movement in French cinema known asNew French Extremity was named by film by film programmerJames Quandt, initially describing arthouse films that "determined to break every taboo, to wade in rivers of viscera and spumes of sperm, to fill each frame with flesh, nubile, or gnarled, and subject it to all manner of penetration mutilation and defilement"[139] In her bookFilms of the New French Extremity, Alexandra West found that some of directors started making horror films that would still fit their art house standards such asClaire Denis'sTrouble Every Day (2001) andMarina de Van'sIn My Skin (2002), which led to other directors to make more what West described as "outright horror films" such asAlexandre Aja'sHigh Tension (2003) andXavier Gens'Frontier(s) (2007). Some of these horror films of the New French Extremity movement would regularly place on "Best Of" genres lists, such asMartyrs (2008),Inside (2007) andHigh Tension.[140] West described journalists and fans as seeing the more horror-oriented films of the movement as "an intellectual sibling" to the emerging trend of "Torture porn".[140]
David Edelstein ofThe New York Times coined a term for a genre he described as "torture porn" in a 2006 article, as a label for films described, often retroactively, to over 40 films since 2003.[141] Edelstein lumped in films such asSaw (2004),The Devil's Rejects (2005), andWolf Creek (2005) under this banner suggesting audience a "titillating and shocking" push audiences to the margins of depravity in order to "feel something".[142] The label was described as "intense bodily acts and visible bodily representations" to produce uneasy reactions.[142] Kevin Wetmore, using theSaw film series suggested these film suggested reflected a postPost-9/11 attitude towards increasing pessimism, specifically one of "no redemption, no hope, no expectations that 'we're going to be OK'"[143] Newman also noted a post-9/11 trend of stories that tend to re-work or re-do a reality that was to difficult to handle, similar to films likeThe Sixth Sense orThe Matrix. Horror films that followed this trend included ghost stories with films likeThe Others (2001) andThe Orphanage (2007).[137]
After the film studioBlumhouse had success withParanormal Activity (2007), the studio continued to films that grew to become hits in the 2010s with film seriesInsidious.[144] This led to what Newman described as the companies policy on "commercial savvy with thematic risk that has often paid off", includedGet Out (2017),The Invisible Man (2020),Happy Death Day (2017) and series likeThe Purge.[144][145] Laura Bradley in her article forVanity Fair noted that both large and small film studios began noticing Blumhouse's success, includingA24 who did not specialize in horror or genre films, made their names grow popular with films likeThe Witch (2015),Hereditary (2018) andMidsommar (2019).[144] Bradley commented how some of these films were classified as "elevated horror", declaring "horror aficionados and some critics pushed back against the notion that these films are doing something entirely new." noting their roots in films likeNight of the Living Dead (1968) andRosemary's Baby (1968).[144]
In the early 2010s, there became a wave of horror films that showed what Virginie Sélavy noted described as havingpsychedelic tendency that was inspired by experimentation of 1970s and its subgenres, specificallyfolk horror.[146] The trend began with two films:Enter the Void (2009) andBeyond the Black Rainbow (2010). Since these films, a series of films that Sélavy described as being like "a calamitous trip or creepy dreams" were released such asBerberian Sound Studio (2011),Under the Skin (2013) andWe Are the Flesh (2016), andClimax (2018).[146] These films do not always share the consciousness-expanding spirit of 1960s and 1970s.[146] The reasons for these trends tended to be from filmmakers who grew up in the 1970s as well as home video distributors such asArrow Video, Shameless and Nucleus Films releasing restorations of the more outlandish and forgotten films of the original psychedelic era.[146]
The expansion of internationalstreaming media services is thought to have boosted the popularity of horror.[147] Severalhorror television series onNetflix such asThe Haunting of Hill House became successes for the platform,Blumhouse partnered withAmazon Prime Video for distribution,[147] andShudder, a streaming service dedicated primarily for horror titles, was launched in 2015 and grew in popularity in subsequent years.[148] Streaming was cited as bringing increased international attention to Southeast Asian horror films, particularlyIndonesian titles such asJoko Anwar'sSatan's Slaves andImpetigore,[149] andRoh from Malaysia.[7]
Adapted from theStephen King novel,It (2017) set abox office record for horror films by grossing $123.1 million on opening weekend in the United States and nearly $185 million globally.[150] The success ofIt led to further King novels being adapted, includingIt Chapter Two (2019),Pet Sematary (2019), andDoctor Sleep (2019).[151] Following the turn of the millennium rise of Asian horror films,South Korean horror films resurrected itself[clarification needed] with zombie films includingTrain to Busan (2016),The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (2019)Peninsula (2020) as well as non-zombie related films such asThe Wailing (2016).[152]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020disrupted the film industry, leading to the release of several horror films being postponed, such asA Quiet Place Part II (2020) andCandyman (2021), while other films likeCensor (2021) had production halted.[154] Duringlockdowns, streaming for films featuring fictional apocalypses increased.[155] Found footage horror found itself imposed into films set on desktops inZoom meetings withHost (2020), a film shot and set during the quarantine period of 2020, to what Newman described as further enhancing the "this really happened" aspect of the genre.[156] Films based on more internet-culture followed in the years with films likeDashcam (2021),We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021),Deadstream (2022) andBodies Bodies Bodies (2022).[157] Newman declared that one of the grander over arching themes of 21st century horror films was about collapse, with horrific effects and imagery and sounds overwhelm conventional storytelling in favor of the logic of the nightmare.[158]
Blumhouse furthered its relationship with Universal Pictures by scheduling similarly budgeted films likeThe Invisible Man (2020) following the halted launch of their Dark Universe series with the release ofThe Mummy (2017).[145][159] Further franchise installments and reiterations of old stories were continued films involving Dracula, exorcisms and other entries in series such asEvil Dead,Insidious,Scream, andSaw.[158]Smile (2022) became one of the most profitable films of the year, earning more than $217 million on a $17 million production budget. By 2025,The Hollywood Reporter described horror films as being one of the only "sure bets" left at for high grossing theatrical box office.[160]
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