Horror

Key Aspects of a Horror Film Horror films are films that try to elicit responses of fear, horror and terror from the viewers. They frequently are centred around the supernatural and unexplainable and usually have only one central villain. They often contain violence, however not always graphic.

Examples of Classic Horror Films

Nosferatu The first vampire ever on screen, Nosferatu follows the story of Count Orlok, a direct rip off from the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, And sued upon release. The defining scene is when count Orlok is just about bite our heroine when a ray of light comes through the curtains and burns him to ash. ,

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari A silent film, One of the first to use flashbacks. It tells the tale of the deranged dr. Caligari and his faithful sleepwalking servant and their relation to a string of murders in a German mountain village. After the protagonist of this story and his girlfriend investigate the murders it is revealed that doctor Caligari is the head of the local insane asylum and is the cause of the murders, he kidnaps the protagonists girlfriend and attempts to kill her. The twist in the tale is that the protagonist, his girlfriend and also the sleepwalker are all inmates in an insane asylum and dr. Caligari the owner of the asylum they occupy. It was a fantasy.

Psycho Marion’s employer asks her to take $40,000 in cash to a local bank for deposit. Desperate to make a change in her life, she impulsively leaves town with the money, determined to start a new life in California. As night falls and a torrential rain obscures the road ahead of her, Marion turns off the main highway. Exhausted from the long drive and the stress of her criminal act, she decides to spend the night at the desolate Bates Motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates, a peculiar young man dominated by his invalid mother..... Famous for the shower scene.

Examples of Newer Horror films

The Ring The story of a video tape that kills all who watch it one week after viewing. The protagonist of this film watches the film without any knowledge of this curse then the film focuses on the strange events that take place following her mistake. After finding out about the curse her and her ex-husband set about stopping it from taking effect.

The Shining Jack Torrance becomes the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel up in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Jack, being a family man, takes his wife and son to the hotel to keep him company throughout the long and isolated nights. During their stay strange things occur when Jack’s son Danny sees gruesome images powered by a force called “The Shining” and Jack is heavily affected by this. Along with writer’s block and the demons of the hotel haunting him Jack has a complete mental breakdown and the situation takes a sinister turn for the worse. Considered by some as the best horror film ever made.

The Exorcist “Based on a true story”, this film follows the arrival of a priest (also a psychologist) to a quiet suburban home where reportedly a girl is possessed. She exhibits strange power such as great strength and levitation. After concluding that she is indeed possessed he brings in another priest, this one well versed in exorcism and the two try and set about driving the spirit from the girl before she dies. Very graphic for it’s day.