A Brief History Of Horror Movies

Horror movies has been around for almost as long as movies have been made. Before looking at the horror movie it may be best to look into horror in literature. Knowing this can help our understanding of horror films and where they come from.

Horror in literature left a legacy that helped to propel this genre into films. If there had not been such a legacy of literary works then we may not have the same movies we do now. The term horror was first coined in 1764 in a book by Horace Walpole's called The Castle of Otranto which was full of the supernatural. In the following centuries literary giants like Edgar Allan Poe championed this genre with great works like The Raven. Some of the great horror movies of today are based on old horror stories like Frankenstein and Dracula which were both written in the 1800's.

At the beginning of horror movie history these movies were often ones that had the supernatural in there. In the late 1890's short silent films was where these movies start. The Frenchman Georges Melies is thought to be the creator of the first horror film with his 1896 short silent Le Manior du diable. Around this time the Japanese also tried their hand at this genre with Bake Jizo and Shinin no Sosei.

The first full horror film was an adaptation of the hunchback of Notre-Dame. Many of these first horror films were created by German film makers as the early 1900's were the time of the German expressionist films. These films have influenced horror film makers for decades to Tim Burton. During the 1920's Hollywood started dabbling in the horror genre with Lon Chaney Sr. Becoming the first American horror star.

It was in the 1930's that the horror film was first popularized by Hollywood. Along with the classic Gothic films Frankenstein and Dracula there were also films made with a mix of Gothic horror and the supernatural. In 1941 The Wolf Man was an iconic werewolf movie created by Universal studios. This was not the first werewolf movie made but is known as the most influential. During this era other B pictures were created like the 1945 version of The Body Snatcher.

In the 1950's there had been many innovations in the technology used to make films. Additionally in this time the horror film was divided into two categories being Armageddon films and demonic films. During this time social ideas and fears were placed into movies but in such a way that it was not direct exploitation.

The 1960's were the time when many iconic movies came about. Hitchcock's movie The Birds was against a modern backdrop and was one of the first American Armageddon films. Perhaps one of the most influential films of this time was Night of the Living Dead. This movie brought zombies into the mainstream and it also moved these movies from the Gothic horror to what we know today.

The history of horror movies goes back to the beginning of movies. The long history shows how they changed from Gothic classics to what we know today.

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A Brief History of Bollywood Horror Movies

Bollywood has dabbled with the horror genre and has come up with some pretty good movies through the decades. From making unique movies, to depending on gore and risque sequences to finally understanding what horror is all about; the scream market in India has definitely matured. Here is a brief history of Bollywood Horror movies.

The first Indian horror movie was made by Kamal Amrohi, and starred Ashok Kumar and Madhubala. Named 'Mahal', which can be translated into 'Palace' in English, the movie was based on reincarnation - a concept that is well entrenched into the Indian mindset. This movie is supposed to be ground breaking one for Bollywood and is known to have launched many a career. Ashok Kumar, Madhubala and the singer Lata Mangeshkar owe much of their superstardom to Mahal.

The sixties and the seventies saw some pretty good Bollywood horror movies, and most of them spoke about reincarnation, haunted houses etc. This genre was studded with superhit movies like Gumnaam (without a name), Bees Saal Baad (Twenty Years Hence) and of course, Madhumati.

All this changed with Rajkumar Kohli's Nagin (The Female Snake) in 1976, which once again changed the very concept of Bollywood horror movies. This star studded movie was a box office hit, which made way for Jaani Dushman (Nemesis) by Rajkumar Kohli.

The horror genre became slapstick and a lucrative one, and the intelligent stories like Madhumati and Bees Saal Baad were replaced with template movies, wherein a couple or a group of youngsters would have to camp in a old mansion, only to find that it is haunted. This was the staple of Ramsay Brothers, who made quite a few movies on the premise. The Ramsay Brothers were the staple of the horror genre for at least a decade, and many of their movies, like Veerana (The Desolate Area), Purana Mandir (Old Temple) and Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (Beneath the Ground) have a cult following even today in the DVD market.

However, the Indian audience became mature enough to reject slapstick and risqu by the nineties, and the Ramsay brand of horror had a dwindling following - and it was then that a little known director named Ram Gopal Varma changed the way Bollywood horror movies were made. His Raat (The Night) was one of the few Indian horror movies that did not have the by now cliched paper mache makeup, or the squirting of blood, etc. His 'Raat' was one of the few atmosphere horror movies and is still considered to be one of the best horror movies ever made.

Ram Gopal Varma later on made several movies in the horror and crime genre and has achieved mixed success in his movies. However, even today, people consider him to be a horror film maker first and a crime saga maker second.

The horror film genre has been around in Bollywood since the past three decades now. The entire concept has been commented upon in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Om Shanti Om.

Roy S writes for Friday Freak, where he offers first hand and unique Bollywood movie reviews. Visit the site today to buy the best Bollywood Horror Movies today.

The History Of Horror Movies - Tribute to Horror in Cinemas

From time to time, we see so many horror movies come and go. Spooky, haunted houses, serial killers, slashers, maniacs, mentals, satanic and many others have been pictured in the movie. A lot of sub genres, a lot of remakes, a lot of variations, twist and all that can easily be found through the ages. Yeah, it's all true. But have we ever thought where it all came from?

Or how does the horror movies genre change from time to time?

For you who share the same passion about horror movies, and want to know the road that have been travelled by Horror movies, allow me to have the honor to be your guide. Buckle up, here we go.

Where It All Began

The year was 1922, place: German. I can say that it was the birth of horror movies. W Murnau started the terror and fear thru Nosferatu, nosferatuthe

story about bloodsucking vampire. It wasn't the first vampire movie, as in 1896 Georges Melies made Le Castle Du Diable, but Nosferatu was the first movie where we saw vampire destroyed by sunlight. This one boasted remarkable animalistic makeup that has not been replicated, even with modern

technology. Dozens of vampire movies followed after that. In 1931 Universal Studio launched 2 legendary horror movies, Dracula with Bela Lugosi and Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Both of the movie became a classic and very successful. Boris Karloff even became a legendary name in horror movies history. The Mummy (1932) a silent picture with horror icon Boris Karloff in the title role, remains a classic, with unforgettable make-up and atmosphere. In 1935, the sequel of Frankenstein,

The Bride Of Frankenstein was made.This isn't silent anymore.

Psycho

During 40's the world's on war, and it has changed the genre. Horror was almost forgotten as patriotic movies and war has taken the place. It slowly raised again around 50's, where comedy and musical movies ruled. There were good ones took place at this time, House of Wax is one of the example. 1960 was the time for Hitchcock to make a memorable movie: Psycho. Too bad, this is the only horror movie by Hitchcock, cuz then he made lots of suspence thriller goodies like Rear Window, Vertigo,North by Northwest,Dial M For Murder that kinda changed the genre again. And remember, spaghetti western Movies in the late 60's also had its moment.

The 70's

This is the most creative year of Horror movies.Unlike before, horror movies got big exploration, where so many variation of story and evil came in. Note there were lots of controversy and protest happened here.The Exorcist (1973) for example showed disgusting scenes that never been imagined before, like the green puke to the face transformed to evil. This movie was controversial when Catholic Church protested that the demon cast-out in the movie was against the code of conduct. The shining, that based on Stephen King's novel was one of the best one during 70's. Later on from this decade to 80s and 90s, lots of movies was made based on his scary novel such as Carrie, Christine, Cujo, It, , Cat's Eye, Dream Catcher, are the example. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was a low budget movie that reached a great result. This one introduced "the slasher movie" to the world that later followed by Halloween (say hi to Michael Myers) , Friday the 13th, Scream in the 80's and 90's and so on. Omen is a bonechillin' movie that can still give

you nightmare even with today's technology of making movie.Simply unforgettable. Amityville Horror, based on the true story was the first movie that took place in the actual location. The report said a lot of bizzare and dreadful things were experienced by cast and crew in location.

The 80's

Freddie Kruger

This is the decade of madness. All gory stuff were shown sadistically for viewing. cutted off body parts were seen everywhere. Nightmare on Elm Street that launched Freddy Krueger to horror hall of fame, and Jason Voorheyes slashing games in Friday the 13th are one of the example. These two had some of their sequels during 80s, together with 3 of Halloweens. And remember how Italian horror movies that have a very sick super bloody vision? Count Romero and Argento for this category. This is also the era where horror expanded to tv.

The 90's

Funny thing happened in 90s. There's a tendency of self defense and self actualization by horror character on terror they have made to people. For example Ghost, Bram Stocker's Dracula that told the story about Count

Dracula's painful love to Mina, or Interview With Vampires that unlocked the mystery of vampire lives. Scream started a new genre, teen horror movies, slashing-serial-killer-who-did-it,which soon followed by I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and some more. A note in 1999, an independent movie Blair Witch Project became a big phenomena,using a documentation technique to give us fear,tense and mental disturbance. This one inspired some other movies like St.Francisville Experiment, The Lamarie Project and

tv series Freaky Links.

2000's

Ringu

Still too early maybe to talk about horror movies in 2000s, but looks like Hollywood has running out of ideas. They are trying to widen up their view to see new ideas outside that can give new vision on the term of horror. The Ring, remake from Japanese movie was their first success. Followed by The eye, and some other remakes from Asian cinemas.

This decade seems being led by Japan and Korea, by making so many horror movies with lack of effects or gory blood but still successfully tortured our feeling. They don't go with the Hollywood pattern, they just dig everything else that hasn't been touched yet. Thailand is also emerging as a good horror maker. Indonesian movies too, with amusing number of horror movies every year. We also mark the decade 2000 for the decade of sequels and remakes too, such as Halloween H2O, Freddy vs Jason, modern version of Bram Stocker's Dracula, Dracula 2001,

Halloween Resurrection, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , House of The Dead, The Amityville Horror and so on.

While the effort to combine some genres and produce something new has still been going on. Saw for example, combine the psycho thriller ala Hitchkock with slasher, sadistic, bloody and graphic scenes.

My prediction? I think this decade will continue to do so. Hopefully in the next decade we will see some new approach, style and way to present horror movies. Let's wait and see where the horror movies continue their path.

By: Riandy Kurniawan
A Movie freak
Website: http://www.vrjunkyard.com