The Horror Genre Contextually Damian

The Horror Genre Contextually

In this essay, I will be discussing the context of horror film from the 1920s to present day from silent horror to present day and how it has changed the horror industry so much from how it used to be

German expressionism in horror started in the early 1900s such as ‘Son of Frankenstein’ by using lighting and camera angles to intensify people’s reactions from seeing a horror movie from that time as it was new in the world. This took the world by storm and it brought more film directors to the genre. These directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Wiene and F.W. Murnau portrayed the state of Germany at that time. At that time Germany was a poor country and this was conveyed by the use of dark lighting and dark and moody atmospheres. The basis of horror films was set by “The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, which is viewed as the template of all horror films.

In the 1930’s Hitler came to power which led to many German directors and filmmakers departing from Germany to the United States and they took their techniques, and ideas with them. This inspired more directors in Hollywood to develop German Expressionism in their own style. This can be seen in films such as “The Big Sleep” by Howard Hawks, and “Psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock, which was filmed in black and white, even though most films were now being shot in colour. The “Big Sleep” comes under the genre of “Film Noir”, which was influenced heavily by German Expressionism.

Tim Burton is recognised as the filmmaker most influenced by German Expressionism.  The 1980s and 1990s were a very successful time for Tim Burton via films such as “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Luau” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. “Edward Scissorhands” is a true classic in the German Expressionist style. This is represented by the fact that Edwards Scissorhands looks similar to Dr Caligari. By using similar makeup styles in the film this gives the effect of horror as it makes the viewer uncomfortable.

Tim Burton uses a variety of camera angles which are similar to those used in German Expressionism. In the film “Corpse Bride”, Tim uses Dutch angles, various close-ups and wide shots, similar to those used in Dr Caligari from the early 1900s. Also, Tim Burton has taken another idea from German Expressionism, by making some of his films in the style of Noir.

Robert Wiene created “Doctor Caligari”. His intentions were to use weird camera angles to get the point across as in the 1920s they didn’t have sound or music and the use of colour to emphasise that its horror, Compared to today's horror film to make it more dramatic like in “The Conjuring” the use colour and sound to scare the viewers. This is to set the aspect and tone for horror, to get into, and disturb, people’s minds.

The use of lighting and props throughout the horror genre is associated with a knife, blood, sharp objects, ghosts and dark. This sets the tone for the theme of horror and it has taken a century to get a much better horror movie such as The Conjuring. This is done to unsettle to the audience and to scare them. The film uses the contrast of dull and abrupt colours, this is to give the audience a representation of the gore, this visual effect is extremely helpful for people who are deaf.

In “The Conjuring” the film uses a camera technique that is called over the shoulder shot. This is extremely useful as it focuses on a specific character/characters and it allows the viewer to be in that place at that time. Also, the film uses pan up and pan down movements, to give the effect that the viewer is the monster.

 In conclusion, the horror genre has been heavily influenced by German Expressionism. Even with the introduction of colour, with the release of “The Curse of Frankenstein” in 1957, German Expressionism can still be seen in horror films a century later. This can be seen in films like “The Conjuring”, “Corpse Bride” and “It”. Modern-day films have elements of German Expressionism by using similar camera techniques, editing techniques, costumes, props, colour contrasts and lighting. Overall, I think that German Expressionism has helped horror to develop into what it is today.

References/Bibliography

IMDb. (2019). The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019]

IMDb. (2019). The Conjuring (2013) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/?ref_=nv_sr_3?ref_=nv_sr_3 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

IMDb. (2019). Corpse Bride (2005) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121164/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

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IMDb. (2019). It (2017) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

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IMDb. (2019). Psycho (1960) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/?ref_=nv_sr_3?ref_=nv_sr_3 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

IMDb. (2019). Tales That Witness Madness (1973) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070770/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

IMDb. (2019). Edward Scissorhands (1990) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099487/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

IMDb. (2019). Beetlejuice (1988) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].

IMDb. (2019). The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].