Horror films from 1920 – 1960.
Horror films date way back from times of myths and legends, ghost stories have been around since the dawn of time from all around the world parents telling children stories around campfires or passing on legends from generation to generation. However the roots of horror came from a genre of literature in the late 1700’s. Writers in both Britain and America developed Gothic Horror, the name partly refers to medieval buildings that the stores often took place in.
Horror films learnt to scream in the 1930’s when sound was added in the late 1920’s. The first hit was Dracula directed by Tod Browning in 1931which was then followed by Frankenstein with Boris Karlof which was also done in 1931 then followed by The Mummy in 1932. However Horror was almost forgotten as patriotic and war films took its place, however American War time horror movies were created but banned in Britain, Horror movies were created solely for the entertainment of the domestic audience. Alien and monster movies were merely created to reduce the nations fear during the cold war by using the TV as a distraction from all the devastation being caused.
In the 1960’s Alfred Hitchcock, made on of the most memorable horror movies of all time Psycho, the Manson family murders soon followed the release of Psycho in 1969 which altered the publics perception of horrible. A number of ghost stories hit the screens in the 60’s which only required the audience to suspend some of they’re beliefs and possibly work from a position of skepticism.
Some of the most notable American horror stories were Phantom Of The Opera and The Hunchback Of Notre dame which both starred Lon Chaney.
