Horror Films - A Scary Tradition

Almost everyone over the age of 18 has seen at least one horror movie at some point in their life. Some people liked it. Others did not. And some people can't get enough of them.

The horror movie is a specialized genre that has been evolving since the emergence of film as an art form and is often filled with creative energy and imagination. As diverse as horror films can be, the historical arc of the horror film falls into seven distinct periods:

Silent Era (1890s - 1920s)

Early horror was heavily influenced by literature and stage plays. Many films during this era were interpretations of classic horror tales. The first known horror film is the French short, Le Manoir du Diable (1896), directed by Georges Méliès. This era produced classics such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1922) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925).

Golden Age (1930s - 1950s)

The advent of sound brought about the Golden Age of horror films led by Universal Studios. Iconic films from this era introduced audiences to now-classic characters, such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932) and The Wolf Man (1941). Many of these films have had a lasting influence on horror as a genre.

Psychological Horror and Hammer Films (1950s - 1960s)

The mid-century years saw an increase in psychological horror, exemplified by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). The British studio, Hammer Film Productions, revitalized Gothic horror with color remakes of classic monsters, like The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), featuring horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

New Hollywood Era (1960s - 1970s)

This era saw more graphic and violent horror films like Night of the Living Dead (1968) by George A. Romero, which popularized the zombie sub-genre; Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1973) that dealt with demonic possession; while The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) gave rise to the slasher sub-genre.

Slasher and Body Horror (1980s)

The 1980s were dominated by slasher films like Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and the continuation of John Carpenter's Halloween series. Meanwhile, directors like David Cronenberg popularized the body horror sub-genre with films like The Fly (1986).

Modern Horror (1990s - 2000s)

The '90s saw the rise of modern, self-referential horror films like Scream (1996). The 2000s brought in a wave of "torture porn" or "gore-nography" like Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005), as well as the surge of remakes and adaptations of Japanese horror ("J-horror") films such as The Ring (2002).

Present Day (2010s - 2023)

The 2010s and beyond have been marked by a resurgence in critically-acclaimed, high-quality horror films that often carry social commentary, such as Get Out (2017), A Quiet Place (2018), Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019). Streaming platforms have also created fertile opportunities for a wide range of horror films to be produced and distributed.

Of all of the great and not so great horror films, here is my list of five highly-regarded films that you might consider seeing or seeing again:

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper

Screenwriters: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper

Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Gunnar Hansen

Storyline: A group of friends falls victim to a family of cannibals in rural Texas. The film's horrifying events are inspired by the real-life crimes of murderer Ed Gein.

Critical Comment: "Horror films don't get much more intense or unsettling than Tobe Hooper's grisly low-budget masterpiece." - Empire Magazine

2. Suspiria (1977)

Director: Dario Argento

Screenwriters: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi

Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Udo Kier

Storyline: A young American dancer enrolls at a prestigious German dance academy, only to discover that it harbors a deadly secret. The film is known for its vibrant color palette and haunting score.

Critical Comment: "Dario Argento's masterpiece is a dazzling, disorienting trip into a world of unspeakable evil and bizarre beauty." - Time Out

3. The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter

Screenwriter: Bill Lancaster (based on the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr.) Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Dysart

Storyline: A group of researchers in Antarctica is terrorized by an alien life form that can assimilate and imitate other organisms. Paranoia and isolation heighten the tension in this chilling sci-fi horror.

Critical Comment: "John Carpenter's The Thing is a peerless masterpiece of relentless suspense, retina-wrecking visual excess, and outright nihilistic terror." - Slant Magazine

4. Don't Look Now (1973)

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Screenwriters: Allan Scott, Chris Bryant (based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier)

Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania

Storyline: After the accidental drowning of their daughter, a couple travels to Venice, Italy, where they encounter two sisters who claim to be in contact with the deceased girl. The film is a psychological horror that explores themes of grief and loss.

Critical Comment: "Nicolas Roeg's mesmerizing film is an elusive ghost story embedded within an intricate, fragmented puzzle." - Sight & Sound

5. Let the Right One In (2008)

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Screenwriter: John Ajvide Lindqvist (based on his novel)

Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl

Storyline: A bullied young boy befriends a mysterious girl who moves in next door, only to discover that she is a vampire. The film is a tender, yet terrifying coming-of-age story set in the bleak suburbs of Stockholm.

Critical Comment: "Let the Right One In is a horror film that doesn't rely on genre clichés but instead delivers a haunting tale of friendship and young love." - Los Angeles Times

So, the next time you have a chance to see a horror film, take a second to realize that you are part of a tradition that has been around for over 127 years because something in the human psyche keeps pulling us back into a dark theater, filled with hundreds of strangers, all willing to be scared out of their wits in order to be entertained.