The History of Horror

1920’s

The first horror movies: silent and black and white.

Early horror films are surreal, dark pieces, owing their visual appearance to the expressionist painters and their narrative style to the stories played out.

1930’s

As sound could be recorded, the fearful characters now “grunted and groaned and howled”.

Sound adds an extra dimension to terror, whether it be music used to build suspense or signal the presence of a threat, or magnified footsteps echoing down a corridor.

1940’s

Purpose of horror remained mostly the same, but as they were so popular now “horror movies were cranked out by Hollywood solely to amuse the domestic audience, by using tried and tested methods”

Many horror films were created with the idea of wild animals being a great fear and threat to humans or films in which “men or women were subject to the emergence of a primal animal identity” such as Wolfman and Cat People.

1950’s

This animal theme continued into the early 1950’s. There were also now “faces attached to evil”.

The main audiences of horror films were teenagers, so the aim of the films was to create thrills within the audience.

Also creating of more supernatural and science fiction horror was the introduction of “the unknown”. For example UFO sightings and aliens.

1960’s

The sexual revolution.

More open to nudity, onscreen violence, and other tropes that challenged social mores, the drive-in teen audiences of the 1950s were growing up. They wanted horror that was more rooted in reality, more believable, more sophisticated.

1970’s

Horror movies of the 1970s reflect the grim mood of the decade.

The 1970s marked a return to the big budget, respectable horror film, dealing with contemporary societal issues, addressing genuine psychological fears.

The crumbling family unit becomes the source of much fear and mistrust.

1980's

Technical advances in the field of animatronics, and liquid and foam latex meant that the human frame could be distorted to an entirely new dimension onscreen.

Managed to terrify through suggestion, providing triggers for the audience's imagination and letting them scare themselves.

2000’s

Many commentators have identified the true beginning of the 21st century as September 11th, 2001. The events of that day changed global perceptions of what is frightening, and set the cultural agenda for the following years.

Audiences wanted a good, group scare as a form of escapism

Trailer Deconstructions

The Last House on the Left

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfDli2QCuY

Sound – starts with peaceful music, as there is little chaos. A sound stab quickly changes this when the mood changes, and ominous strings are introduced. Sounds linking to violence such as punching are enhanced. When there is dialogue, there is no music as the audience is expected to concentrate on the things being said. Later, there is a contrapuntal score, which uses a more peaceful remake of a rock song.

Camera – Lots of close ups to clearly show fear and characters emotions. Low/high angle to convey dominance. Two shots show close friendship, causing the audience to empathise with the characters.

Mise en Scene – Different lighting is used throughout the trailer to create different moods e.g. orange in the bedroom, to create a warm, homely feeling. Lots of shadowy lighting, with just faces illuminated illustrates terror. Girls wear bright, feminine, floral clothes which suggest innocence and vulnerability, but the “baddies” all wear dark clothes to reflect their dark personalities and purposes in the film.
Editing – Quick shot changes show how quickly the mood changes. Black screens are used so the audience concentrates on the sound, and also creates an ominous feeling.


Sex and the City 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKQ5yRFkBnE

Sound – The usage of a well known song ‘New York’ by Alisha Keys appeals to the target audience and informs us of the films’ location. The voice over used introduces us the main character but also doesn’t give any of the plot away. Quotes such as ‘You haven’t seen anything yet’ and ‘sometimes you’ve gotta get away with the girls’ creates intrigue and excitement. Recognisable theme tune from the series and first film reminds the audience that this will be similar.

Camera – Flashes of New York City mixed with titles are used at the beginning this represents the glamorous life styles of New York. The Mid-shots of all the characters show their busy lives, the long shots of a wedding and close-ups of couples indicate romance. The Editing at the beginning and end are particularly quick attracting the audience’s attention.

Mise en Scene – Different characters have different colour schemes and stick to these throughout. This allows the audience to relate to the characters. Glamorous feel e.g. sparkling logo, luxurious settings, amazing clothes.

Editing – Jumpy editing is used throughout to emphasise the speed of their modern lifestyles. The three different shots placed of the screen show how big the city is and reflects their lives. The straight cuts show how different their lives are but the shot of them all at the end shows they are all still friends. Careful editing shows various settings but doesn’t reveal much narrative