The History of Horror Films
The horror genre dates back to silent films of the early 1900s.
The first horror movie was a silent movie premiered one hundred and twelve years ago. The 1908 film, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is not available for viewing today. There are no known copies. The Werewolf is another horror movie created during this time with no copies. Edison Studios released Frankenstein in 1910:
During the 1920s, more silent horror films were made, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1922), and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) and Blackmail (1929).
Adaptations of the silent films Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), and Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde (1931) were made with sound.
During the 1930s, the word horror began to be used to describe the genre. At the same time, there was public outcry around releases of horror movies. One movie, Freaks (1932), was cut extensively due to the highly disturbing content. The movie was banned in Great Britain for thirty-six years after its release. The…
