Horror films are a strange phenomenon, aren’t they? Why on earth would anyone spend an hour or so of their life watching a film with the express intention of making themselves terrified? From its emergence in the 1890s, the horror film genre has remained hugely popular and although what scared audiences then may make us laugh now, one thing remains curiously certain; we love to be scared, and we willingly pay for the privilege.

It’s not easy to put your finger on what exactly is so alluring about horror films, but the thrill and fear that engulfs your body during peak panic-inducing scenes is undeniably addictive. The adrenaline rush that is triggered by this fear is exciting because it is a controlled fear. We know that nothing bad is going to happen to us but we still get to experience the primal reaction to danger that is otherwise rare in our modern lives. The tension that is generated by the terror, shock, and mystery in horror, combined with the knowledge that what we are watching is fictional creates the psychological space where we can enjoy the rush and wait in anticipation for the next zombie to jump out when we least expect it.

Our fascination with horror stretches back as long as stories have been told. Horror storytelling was (and remains) an art form. Instilling fear from a story that may be illogical or surreal whilst simultaneously making a bold comment on how society functions is a theme that has stood the test of time. Even if we no longer sit around a fire listening to the masterminds with their gory tales, horror has made itself right at home since the advent of film. Since their beginning, they have evolved immensely, and with every new decade comes a new wave of horror film fanatics looking for something original to scare them witless. In the words of Stephen King, one of the greatest horror storytellers of all time, “If movies are the dreams of the mass culture… horror movies are the nightmares.”

George Méliès, a French director, is awarded with having made the first ever horror film, complete with the devil, a bat, a skeleton and a cauldron. The House of the Devil was released in 1896 and lasts just over three minutes, which was considered very ambitious for the time! Undoubtedly, literary horror tales greatly influenced the formative years of the genre, with Frankenstein hitting the screen in 1910 and The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923. Two of the first and most notable films born from Germany’s expressionist movement were the silent horror films The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922). The latter, although silent, premiered with a darkly romantic live orchestral score by Hans Erdmann. They not only explored dark and forbidden themes, but also offered parallel anxieties that contemporary society experienced. Nosferatu was not simply a scary story about vampires that wreaked havoc in a town, but also provided a reflection on the constant worries of premature death, the Great War and the Great Flu.

The quality of films in the 1930s and 1940s benefited greatly from special effects and increased investment in the genre. Monsters took cinema by storm during these years and in 1933 audiences were shocked to see an enormous monkey atop the newly built Empire State building in King Kong. Universal Studios then took it upon themselves to bring the classics of Frankenstein and Dracula onto the big screen. They didn’t stop there, however, but went on to turn them into franchises. They weren’t satisfied with Son of Dracula (1943), House of Dracula (1945), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939) or even The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) and even developed crossover films. Following the success of Werewolf of London (1935), they conceived Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) and even mixed well known faces from comedy with horror, creating Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). Unsurprisingly, audiences grew tired of these rehashed classics.

The post-war period changed the game completely. No longer did people fear vampires or werewolves, and themes relying on the supernatural just didn’t cut it anymore. Instead, contemporary uncertainties were the perfect source for horror films. This innovative period saw a rise in scientific discoveries, a greater understanding of the mysteries of Earth and even exploration of outer space. Horror responded with invading aliens from space (War of the Worlds, 1953), sea monsters (The Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954) and radioactively mutated creatures (Tarantula, 1955). Nuclear energy was also evoking widespread concern, hence the arrival of Godzilla in 1954. In the US, the fear of foreign invasion spread like wildfire as the Cold War trudged on. Subsequently, reflections of these fears can be seen in The Blob (1958). Perhaps the biggest and deadliest concern during the 1950s was the rise of mighty feminism, which undoubtedly shaped the bizarre horror that was The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958).

The following decade experienced a kind of horror film boom. People started going to the cinema so often that in order to meet the demand for fresh horror thrills, a huge amount of low budget films were produced. However, a fantastic few did stand out, most notably Night of the Living Dead (1968) by George A. Romero, which initiated the zombie trend. It begins with the corpses of a graveyard reawakening in search of human flesh, soon surrounding an abandoned house with people seeking refuge. One by one, those inside are picked off as the zombies break in. The film scared audiences galore. With a simple plot it cost a mere $100,000 to make, but grossed in $30 million,both nationally and internationally. The social revolution of the time inspired directors to push boundaries with more violence and sexuality on screen than had previously been tolerated, the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) being an icon of this evolution.

The supernatural came back in full swing during the 1970s and 1980s, but this time round horror themes were notably much darker than those of the 1930s and 1940s. The Exorcist was hailed as the scariest movie of all time, and was the second most popular film in 1973, reflecting the eager appetite for horror. It was one of the first films to feature a ouija board which later became a common tool in paranormal horror. Involving a possessed girl who performs obscene and vulgar acts that can’t be stopped even after two priests attempt an exorcism to rid her of the demon, The Exorcist was considered the pinnacle of pure cinematic terror.

Psychological horror came into its own in the 1990s, with unnerving characters and disquieting plots. Rather than stone-cold fear, audiences were engulfed with constant uncertainty. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) is a disturbing entry into this movement. Manipulation is rife as imprisoned cannibal and former psychologist, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), uses his eerie power of persuasion over FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), offering information on a separate case in return for her deep and disturbing memories. The most unsettling aspect is that the viewer, to a certain point, likes Lecter. He is intriguing, smart and amusing, and this multifaceted persona replacing the unequivocal bad guy/monster in horror films was an unnerving evolution. Misery (1990) contains a similarly unsettling relationship between the protagonists. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), self-professed “number 1 fan” of author Paul Sheldon (James Caan), finds herself nursing him back to health after discovering him in a car accident near her secluded home. She is one of the most terrifying and confusing characters I’ve witnessed on screen. In an instant she jumps from anger and torturous violence to sincere kindness and concern in an attempt to keep the revered author in her company. Sheldon must also resort to mind games in a desperate bid to escape.

The 2000s have brought horror films to a new level of terror, thanks to a great development in special effects. The Cabin in the Woods (2012) brought a wide array of monsters to life to torment a group of college students in a lake-side forest. The monsters that grace the film would not have been possible in previous decades, they are utterly terrifying and include a ballerina with a menacingly mutated mouth for a face and an enormous bat-like creature with an insatiable thirst for blood.

One thing I do lament in our era, however, is the decline of the zombie genre. Zombie apocalypse mixed with comedy seems to be popular with the emergence of Zombieland (2009) and Warm Bodies (2013), the latter being so positively ridiculous that I have to recommend it. There are some great new horror films released this year that put those who say horror is dead to shame. As we approach Halloween, get into the festive spirit by taking a look at IT, Get Out, Annabelle: Creation and It Comes at Night.

Horror films are constantly evolving, each decade bringing new ideas, themes and trends, ranging from downright bizarre to utterly terrifying. Who knows what novel frights are waiting for us…