How Horror has Changed throughout History?
As we start to look at the changes that Mass Media and the Horror Genre have caused to one another, I would like to start with early horror pieces. I would like to examine the Gothic Fiction and Gothic Horror that was part of the 18th century. With pieces such as The Castle of Otranto leading to popular subgenres that have their own focus points. Which gave way to titles that shaped not only Horror, but other forms of media, like Frankenstein and Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of The House of Usher. These pieces of media would lay the groundwork for what Horror is today. Soon enough these classics will be adapted into film once technology has caught up. Leading us to classic horror films such as Dracula (1931) and later The Haunting of Hell House (1959).
Film Explosion
With all of these pieces aligned, people such as George Melies which made Le Manoir du Diable which had the use of special effects. Shocking audiences of the early 19th-century, what came from the 1920's and 30's were known as the golden age of horror. A few releases such as Nosferatu and The Mummy. After this, it's more of a journey through the decades, the genre taking on real world problems that were previously ignored. Finally, reaching my favorite time for the Horror genre was the 1980's and 90's. Cult Classics such as the Halloween and one of my favorites The Evil Dead. However, there was also examples of repetition and one franchise emerged to both shed light and make fun of a lack in creativity. The Scream franchise was one that was not afraid to show the genres weak points, and this helped grow the following of the Horror genre into a more accepting light.
Recent Awards
With further technological advancement we are now able to come to a point in the horror genre that we can recreate even the most intense scenes with practical effects or CGI. This pushes us into the modern day of horror with movies such as Hereditary and Terrifier. It also pushed for more creativity with less focus on the effects, making movies like Nope from Jordan Peele. A Business Insider article, Every Horror Movie Ranked That's Won an Oscar Ranked by Critics, helps us find the movies who were seen as the best of the best in film. It also tells us that only 18 movies have earned to award, and special respect to The Silence of The Lambs which earned 5 Oscars on its own. I feel that at this point the Mass Media has taken a liking to the Horror genre once we were able to show the more artistic side that we have needed for so long. That if the most renowned critics can pick the genre out of the sea of film that more and more people will want to watch and enjoy. These are the ways both Mass Media and Horror have affected one another.
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