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The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
1.3. The Development of Horror Genre in Cinema
In spite of some fluctuations in certain periods, horror film is the only kind in which
people have never lost interest (Abisel, 1995:11), as horror cinema has rather exciting and
even worrying genre of films compared to other basic type of seventh art, it was introduced to
the cinema history with a little delay, (Scagnamillo, 1996:67) but it was among the most
demanded genres in the 70s and the 80s. Horror films are films which are not affected by the
crisis in the cinema industry and costing very low and preferred all over the world. Although
they are European originated, American cinema enriched its varieties. Horror films do not
have very absolute links with the history and geography of a country. Therefore, each country
produced their own horror films (Abisel,1995:117).
According to Abisel (1999: 137) the birth of horror genre coincides with the introduction
of the cinema. It is certain that “the first horror film” was “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat”
(Louis Lumiere, 1895) as it feared people badly.” This experience which created fear and
excitement in people would be one of the techniques to be used in horror films. In the very
early years of the cinema short films of Méliés who tried to create a fantastic world used
codes unique to horror films. In many short films made in this period, although elements of
horror were used very intensively, the aim was to do with ethical expectations rather than
instill fear. Scognamillo (1995: 68) regards the films in this period as the animation of novelsespecially
those of gothic literature and claims that fear almost takes place indirectly.
Metaphysical, social and individual fear is brought to the cinema was brought to cinema
by Expressionist German cinema. According to Abisel (2009: 153), after the World War I
when German films broke the boycott by allied force made and appeared before the viewers
in big cities like New York and London, they were met with surprise and fascination. On one
hand, these films attracted attention with camera usage, lightening and stylized decorations,
on the other hand it was affecting viewers with it themes like destiny, death and crime.
Robert Wiene’s film titled as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is regarded as the most
important example from Expressionist German cinema. According to Scognamillo (2005: 76),
German cinema shaped fear and gave some themes to it. The rise of horror genre in
Hollywood cinema started with the introduction of sound to the cinema, the cult films of this
genre “Dracula, Frankenstein, Murders in the Rue Morgue” were made in these years. The
rise of horror films started to slow down during the years of World War II when there were
real threats to frighten people: war and concentration camps. In the 1950s, horror films went
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