Chitika

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Evolution Of Horror Movies

By Adriana Noton


The evolution of horror movies is interesting and lengthy. The genre's intention is to elicit feelings of fright and fear in viewers. Scenes are devised to thrill audiences with a combination of supernatural elements combined with the macabre. The films provide safe outlets for the exploration of subliminal fears.

The plots are often focused on evil events, people or forces. The central components often incorporate the supernatural. Disease outbreaks, vampires, serial killers, haunted houses, ghosts, zombies, curses and werewolves are among the common elements found in the films.

Georges Melies is credited with pioneering the genre in the 19th Century with his silent films. His 1896 release, The House of the Devil, is considered the world's first thriller. His follow-up film was the 1898 release, The Cave of the Unholy One.

The first thrillers tended to be based upon classic Gothic literature. Dracula, Frankenstein, Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and the Phantom of the Opera are among some early releases. In 1910, a bone-chilling version of Frankenstein was released.

Hollywood studios began releasing thrillers during the early 20th Century. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, from 1923, and The Monster, from 1925, both starred Lon Chaney, Senior. He is considered to be the first American thriller movie star. Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi were other early American actors who built their careers around their starring roles in these types of films.

The genre gained widespread popularity in the early 1930s. One influential monster make-up artist and set-designer was Jack Pierce. He became famous for creating iconic monster masks and costumes.

The productions of Dracula and Frankenstein were introduced in 1931. These were major successes. In 1933, Hollywood studios released The Invisible Man. This film was notable for its blending of Gothic and science fiction themes. A lot of films from this period were influenced by German expressionist releases during the 1920s. The plots continued to thrill audiences, but they began to incorporate serious components as well.

The advances in technology during the 1950s spurred evolutions in this genre. Two sub-categories were developed, demonic and Armageddon. The producers from that period believed those themes would be more relevant to their viewers.

Japanese studios began releasing a stream of low-budget thrillers in the 1950s. Many experts believe they were influenced by the terrible after-affects from the nuclear bombing of World War II. These films centered on over-coming threats from alien invasions and deadly mutations of people, plants, animals and insects.

During the 1960s, film-makers continued incorporating monsters and ghosts, but they began to expand the science fiction components. The Haunting (1963) and Rosemary's Baby (1968) were early examples of this shifting trend.

The notorious and prolific British producer, Alfred Hitchcock, began incorporating modern back-drops to films. Some of his early notable productions include Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960). His 1963 production of The Birds is considered to be the earliest example of nature-gone-mad themes.

Today's horror movies have a rich and lengthy history. With the evolution of time, the themes tend to develop in order to remain meaningful to audiences. Although modern films incorporate more special effects and advanced film-making techniques, the themes are still designed to provoke chills and thrills from viewers.




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