Horror movies are one of the most popular genres in movie history, through time the element of horror has changed from what’s scary and what is not. In older, classic horror a simple vampire or werewolf would have frightened the audience for weeks. Have them check under their beds and bolting their doors. The first-ever movie classified as horror was made in 1896  “The Haunted Castle”  also known as “The House of the Devil.” In this film, the devil himself appears and sends spirits and ghouls to torment the residents of the home. It wasn’t until 1910 that the world’s most famous horror movie surfaced and it sparked the fascination of the audience. Soon after, Mary Shelly’s book Frankenstein finally hit the screen. The movie has a more physiological and mystical edge to it, giving us our first-ever movie monster.

As more bone-chilling films came out, it seemed that simple jump scares and unsettling elements were not enough. In 1920 the sight of blood splattering or any type of gore was too much for the audiences. It was always highly censored in the films and never relied on this type of scare for their movies. The most popular and well-used scare in theme parks, haunted houses, and especially scary movies is the “jump scare.” It is one of horror’s finest elements and it is often the thrill and edge viewers or participants look for. Just the moment of rushing adrenaline when your mind goes blank and all you can do is react. There are many ways to reach for a scare, but one must be careful of how deep they go down the rabbit hole, for being scared to death is really a thing!

 Horror took its rise in the 80s, the low-budget yet gory films were more accessible, therefore being able to build a fan base. Such classics as Evil Dead, Poltergeist, and Predator hit the big screen. Capturing the audience’s attention with their skin-crawling storylines and outstanding actors. Tommy Lee Walllance is the director of the well-known Halloween, featuring the infamous Michael Myers as its slasher protagonist. This film had a strong female lead, Laurie Strode played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Starting the film at only 17 years old, she continued to grow as a character through the years as the movie gained sequels. Horror-slasher movies often have stereotypes for each of their characters such as the jock, nerd, comic relief, and the girl who more often than not isn’t the brightest character. Although more horror in the 1980s began to come out, female leads started to become popular. Such as in the films Nightmare on Elm Street, April Fools Day, Chopping Mall, and Swamp Thing. 

Horror movies throughout the years continue to change, with audiences deciding what is horrific and what doesn’t make the cut. In modern 2022, film remakes such as Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween Ends are the new classics that are coming out as even today’s directors are retracing steps of great movies of the past.