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Supernatural horror film is afilm genre that combines aspects ofsupernatural film andhorror film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often includeghosts anddemons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common themes in the genre are theafterlife, thedevil, anddemonic possession. Not all supernatural horror films focus on religion, and they can have "more vivid and gruesome violence".[1]
For such films and other media, critics distinguish supernatural horror frompsychological horror. Mathias Clasen writes inWhy Horror Seduces, "Supernatural horror involves some kind of suspension or breach of physical law, usually embodied in or caused by some kind of supernatural agency such as an uncanny monster or a ghost... psychological horror, on the other hand, does not involve violations of physical law, but features naturalistic (if often implausible) menaces and scenarios."[2] Paul Meehan also distinguishes supernatural horror films from psychological horror, "The threat to societal order comes from something preternatural or anomalous: a haunted house, a curse, or a monster like a vampire or a werewolf."[3]
Charles Derry, writing inDark Dreams 2.0, contrasted supernatural horror and pseudoscientific horror as "two basic methods of explaining things away" in horror stories. Derry wrote, "Into the supernatural group one could fit all the monsters and horrors that are somehow involved with religions and ritual," highlighting witchcraft, Egyptology and reincarnation, and zombies.[4] Aaron Smuts considers horror "to be a genre with two main sub-types, supernatural horror and realist horror" and that they "have different charms".[5]
While fictional horror-themed literature, theatre, and other visual culture had existed, the terms "horror film" and "horror movie" as known in a contemporary term did not become common place until 1931 and 1932.Film serials became popular in the United States in 1913.[6] Supernatural events and characters in 1910s film serials were rare.[7] Only two serials explored the supernatural at length, withThe Mysteries of Myra (1916) andThe Screaming Shadow (1920) while most serials which suggested the supernatural such asThe Gray Ghost (1917) with no actual narratives involving supernatural events.[7] The supernatural horror film had what author Paul Meehan described as "its genesis" in earlyGerman expressionism in the 1920s and early 1930s with films likeThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari andNosferatu.[3] During the Universal Studios first horror film cycle, supernatural horror was the dominant cinematic mode of the genre between the release ofDracula (1931) andHouse of Dracula (1945).[8]
In the early 1940s, supernatural horror films had more contemporary settings, but the genre was ultimately superseded by psychological horror films. By the end of World War II, the supernatural horror genre had "met its demise", being overshadowed by the atrocities of the war. By the 1950s, science fiction horror films had replaced supernatural horror films, and psychological horror films also became more popular in the same decade, ultimately eclipsing supernatural horror.[8] The few supernatural horror films that were produced in the 1950s were often set inhaunted houses, a continuation of haunted-house films prevalent in the 1940s.[4]
In the 1960s, horror films likeThe Innocents (1961),The Haunting (1963), andRosemary's Baby (1968) used supernatural elements but were not directly about the paranormal. Other horror films used supernatural themes to code elements being censored by theMotion Picture Production Code (or the Hays Code).The Haunting featured a female protagonist interested in another woman, and she was aqueer coded character. Such characters were commonplace in the history of supernatural horror films.[9] Sue Matheson wrote ofRosemary's Baby, "[It] popularized depictions of witchcraft, demonic activity, and the Devil on screen and generated a wave of supernatural horror movies."[10] By the 1970s, the filmsThe Exorcist (1973) andThe Omen (1976) revived the supernatural horror genre. Literature was used as source material like with the earliest films, with the written works ofStephen King being adapted intoCarrie (1976) andThe Shining (1980). The filmPoltergeist (1982) was also a genre highlight in the 1980s.[11]
In the 2000s, violent horror films called "torture porn" became popular, but, by the end of the decade, supernatural horror had regained its popularity. Thefound footage filmThe Blair Witch Project had achieved fame in 1999, and in the late 2000s,Paranormal Activity succeeded with the same film technique, which led toa film series that lasted until the mid-2010s.[12]
In the first two decades of 21st century, supernatural horror films explored a variety of themes and styles. Movies likeMartyrs Lane (2021) focused on grief and loss, whileOculus (2013),Personal Shopper (2016), andHereditary (2018) explored unfinished family business and personal trauma. The genre also incorporated real historical events, as seen inThe Devil's Backbone (2001),Los Silencios (2018), andLa Llorona (2019), which draw on the Spanish Civil War, Colombian armed conflict, and Guatemalan genocide, respectively. Films likeHost (2020) reflected contemporary fears, withThe Others (2001) andInsidious (2010) revisiting haunted house narratives, andThe Conjuring (2013) grounding its story in real-life paranormal investigations. The genre also blended horror with comedy, as inHousebound (2014) andExtra Ordinary (2019), to explore similar themes. The films employed various techniques, such as jump-scares, tension-building, and emotive performances, to examine deep-rooted fears and societal issues.[13]
The highest-grossing supernatural horror film, adjusted for inflation, isThe Exorcist (1973). It has an unadjusted gross of over$441 million with the original release and 2000 re-release combined;[14] the estimated adjusted gross in 2019 is over$1.04 billion.[15] The highest-grossing supernatural horror film, unadjusted for inflation, isIt (2017) with a worldwide gross of$701 million.[16]
In 2013,Variety's Andrew Stewart said supernatural horror films grossed more at the box office than other horror sub-genres. He advised that filmmakers interested in tapping into the profitable market of low-budget horror should focus more on stories about ghosts and the supernatural, as movies about slashers and extreme horror tend to have less consistent commercial success.[17]
Joe Tompkins wrote that following the 1950s, many "Gothic and supernatural horror movies utilize dissonance, atonality, and unusual configurations of instruments to signify all sorts of anomalous, paranormal activity". He wrote thatBlack Sunday (1960) andThe Haunting (1963) "make use of atonal clusters, which operate in sharp contrast to tonal music and thus provide antagonistic symbols for supernatural evil and good (respectively)". He also highlighted thatThe Amityville Horror (1979) andPoltergeist (1982) "employ various thematic materials ranging from soft-sounding lullabies to atonal outbursts".[18]
According to Janet K. Halfyard, supernatural horror-comedy films deploy various strategies to using music "to simultaneously locate the film within—or at least close to—the horror genre, while at the same time encouraging the audience to laugh instead of scream".[19]
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