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CHAPTER II. HORROR MOVIES INDUSTRY

IN AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHY:

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

Horror movies of the 1950s-1960s

In the 1950s horror industry was «invaded» by mutant monsters and aliens and now they are regarded as the perfect metaphors for the dangers of nuclear war that was overhanging then. Perhaps two most basic horror films of the 50s were «The Thing from Another World», directed by Christian Nyby in 1951, and «Five», directed by Arch Oboler in the same year. «Each film dealt specifically with a major horror science-fiction theme: «The Thingfrom Another World» with the idea that there exists life on other planets that could threaten life on earth; and «Five»with the idea that the earth could be virtually destroyed by the atomic bomb and subsequent radiation» [6, p. 70]. In conclusion, both horror films dealt with the extraterrestrial: «The Thing from Another World»dealt with its creature from outer space, and «Five» dealt with its re-creation of an earth deprived of those things such as civilization, flora and fauna. The Thing, the outer-space creature was something to be feared: a monster in the best horror tradition.

«By the end of the decade, the fear of nuclear exposure was beginning to ease, and use of the concept in cinema became more playful» [15, p. 1]. That’s when «Attack of the 50 Foot Woman» (1958) was released. In this movie, the heroine underwent radiation from an alien visitor, which caused her growth up to 50 ft. Rather than hide in the house (which isn't an option anyway), Nancy decides to take advantage of her size to avenge her unfaithful husband Harry and his young lover. Though camp by even by 1950s standards, «Attack of the 50 Foot Woman» was daring enough to explore the consequences of nuclear exposure on human bodies - one of the great concerns of the age - and went on to propel a few remakes and parodies.

The 1960s was a dawn of horror films often referred to as «horror of personality», which implied that all horrific events were caused by an insane person without the help of supernatural powers, one of the glorious films of that kind is «Psycho». Psycho is a lunatic Norman Bates, which keeps his deceased mother in the basement and believes that she is still alive. Therefore, many symbols of death are present in «Psycho, for instance, «the taxidermy birds are representative of the dead mother in the home and Bates’ schizophrenic attempts to keep her alive after death» [4, p. 259]. «Nothing more clearly suggests the extent of Alfred Hitchcock’s ongoing influence than the legacy of «Psycho» (1960), quite possibly the single most influential film of the past half century: like Norman Bates’ mother, it just refuses to lie down and die.Psychoopened in the summer of 1960 to mixed critical reactions but immediately began to break box-office records, rapidly developing into a national phenomenon. «Psychotapped into the American subconscious, provoking faintings. walk-outs, repeat visits, boycotts, angry phone calls and letters» [3, p.19]. The film includes several of the best scenes in the Horror Movie history, the most prominent of which is the bathroom scene where the main heroine gets stabbed by kitchen knife with an accompaniment of high-pitched screeching sounds. It’s extremely powerful and complex psychological thriller. Psycho is the "mother" of all modern horror suspense films – on its own it propelled an era of 'slashers' with blood-letting and shocking killings (e.g., «Homicidal» (1961), «Еhe Texas Chainsaw Massacre» (1974), «Halloween» (1978). Though this was Hitchcock's first real horror film, he was mistakenly referred to as a horror film director ever since.



Another Hitchcock’s ultimate classics is «The Birds», which shows us a terrible story of infuriated birds, attacking little town that interlaces with another one, a story about relationship between a beautiful young woman and an attractive, charismatic man. Comparing this film with contemporary motion pictures it’s becoming obvious that «The Birds» lacks special effects, but the effect it has on the viewers is remarkably special. Hitchcock is a master of playing with our minds, reviving our deeply buried fears. In this case, birds are the image of unknown evil, hunting human beings, we can’t explain their frenzy. It’s noteworthy that no soundtrack was used, and that’s what makes the atmosphere even more sinister.

Contemporary to «The Birds»in 1963, the horror-of-Armageddon film «The Day of the Triffids» was an inventive film based on the novel by John Wyndham. In this film, a meteor shower causes the proliferation of triffids, which are ravenous man-eating plants. Ultimately there is a happy ending as the triffids are killed by seawater. Other films of this period include «The Deadly Bees» in 1967, which used bees as the object of proliferation and «Eye of the Catin 1969, which used cats.

As the box office went wild over animals, the genre flourished. The next notable film in the genre was «Night of the Lepus»(1972), in which huge rabbits ravage countryside. «Night of the Lepus»tried to take advantage of many of the same elements as «The Birds», in that the rabbit is essentially a lovely creature, although the creators made the rabbits fifteen feet tall (and the mouth of a gigantic rabbit is peculiarly unnerving). «Night of the Lepus» opens with documentary scenes of men killing rabbits and then builds gradually to a climax where giant rabbits kill men.

Much the same is suggested by 1972’s «Frogs», starring Ray Milland as the ultimate victim. In this film, the cast members are gradually killed by a variety of animals in this mutated ecological niche: there is asphyxiation by smart lizards, bites from poisonous rattlesnakes, attacks from crocodiles and alligators, electric shocks from eels, a successful snapping by a hungry sea turtle, and a heart attack induced by frogs that subsequently eat their victim. Again the structure is similar to that of «The Birds», with all the action taking place around one main house.

The milestone in the history of zombie horror, «Night of the Living Dead» is a 1968 independent zombie film directed by George Romero. It’s a story about the enigmatic reanimation of the recently deceased, and the attempts of the living to save their souls while hiding in a farmhouse and seeking to escape in a car. Here humans’ lives are put into risk by the unpredictable but merciless attacks of an unexplained supernatural force. «In «Night of the Living Dead», the people trapped together in the house have no previous connections, and differences in race or class (plus the plurality of males in the story) create havoc by exacerbating people’s inability to cooperate or trust one another» [8, p. 66]. «Philosophically, «Night of the Living Dead» is just nihilistic. Structurally, it works the same, although what proliferates in this film is not the principle of death, but the living dead: dead who arise to kill the living. Starting slowly, the living dead gradually increase their numbers by geometric progression, and when they are quite suddenly vanquished and the hero emerges from his besieged house, the horror of the living dead is replaced by another horror: the inhumanity of the living; the hero is killed anyway by ignorant police men» [4, p. 74].

A classic horror movie «Rosemary’s Baby» (1968)pertains toa kindof horror film where the evil is concealed in a child.Theplot is quite predictable: newlyweds move to a new flat and soon wife starts feeling that their neighbors belong to some kind of a demonic sect. And her suspicion is confirmed when she gets pregnant from a dark creature that seems to come in her dream. Later on, she gives birth to a child that turns out to be a son of Devil and in the end evil is victorious. It’s worth attention that, according to Patti Bellantoni, the author of «If It’s Purple, Someone’s Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling». The colors in this movie play an important role in the perception of the characters and the events. For instance, yellow is the color of the trusting innocence, red is used as a warning signal and pale blue as a color of powerlessness.

 

Horror movies of the 1970s-1990s

 

As the 1970s arrived, a theme previously brought up in «Rosemary’s Baby», tiptoed to the screen again. Then, people weren’t scared anymore by extraterrestrial creatures or infuriated animals, the horror was often associated with small, cute, sympathetic and mistakenly underestimated beings - evil children. It was the era of the creepy child. But while the child was on the throne, some other horror sub-genres thrived as well, the most prominent horror movies are presented further.

Spine-chilling visuals and disturbing images found their place in «The Exorcist» (1973), an adaptation of the novel by William Peter Blatty of the same name. «The Exorcist» is a classic of horror film. It’s is clearly an example of enormous success: numerous Academy Award nominations, critics’ high appraisal, members of the audience passing out in screenings. The plot is simple: a far-famed actress lives happily with her 12 year old daughter Regan, a kind and loving child, until a day when the girl’s behavior transforms into an unexplainably rude and nasty one. Then Regan gradually becomes completely possessed by the demon and her mother pleads for the help of two priests to get the devil out of her. This film indeed extensively shows dreadful details of the girl’s possession. Indeed, this film is a food for thought. On the reflection, the possession of a teenager by the demon is an appropriate metaphor for the rebellious spirit of the young people in the beginning of the 70s in the USA. Here’s what Stephen King writes about the film: «It is a film about explosive social change, a finely honed focusing point for that entire youth explosion that took place in the late sixties and early seventies. It was a movie for all those parents who felt, in a kind of agony and terror, that they were losing their children and could not understand why or how it was happening» [12, p. 104].

«The Omen»(1976) is one of the most notable films of the seventies. The film’s portrayal of a child as the monster by nature was groundbreaking, while the girl in «The Exorcist» was only possessed and could be rescued, Damien in «The Omen»was the Antichrist, fathered by the Deviland born of a jackal, and therefore intrinsically and irredeemably evil. «The film’s other key innovation was the spectacular death sequences it offered, including one of horror cinema’s most awe-inspiring decapitations» [3, p. 236]. This film succeeded commercially and was followed by several sequels – «Damien» (1978), «The Final Conflict» (1981) and «The Awakening» (1991).

One of the key horror films of the 1970s is Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s «Carrie». The story deals with a girl named Carrie White, the miserable daughter of a religious fanatic. «Because of her weird clothes and timid behavior, Carrie is the butt of every class joke; the social outsider in every situation. She also has a mild telekinetic ability which intensifies after her first menstrual period, and she finally uses this power to "bring down the house" following a terrible social disaster at her high school prom» [12, p,106]. This film is regarded as one of the most financially successful King’s adaptations.

Tobe Hooper’s «The Texas Chainsaw Massacre»is one of the most important of all 1970s American horrorfilms. «It presented in a particularly clear form characteristic horror themes of the period, especially in its focus on the monstrous family and its general sense of American society being in a state of dysfunction. More significant is its quality as a film for it manages to be both artful and utterly relentless» [5, p. 312]ю In this story young people have a drive to the countryside where they’re hunted and murdered by the family of psychopaths, the most memorable of which is an overweight chainsaw-brandishing masked madman who goes by the name of Leatherface. The symbol featured in this film is the mask, it’s often used to conceal evil. Masks are devoid of movement, except for the eyes, which makes them unnerving, like doll faces. In «The Texas Chainsaw Massacre», Leatherface wears three different masks (made from human skin) that reflect his mood or victim. It should be noticed that a considerable number of 1970s’ horror films dealt with the events happening in countryside. The common thing was travelling from city to some «serene» place in search for fun, emotional rehab or refuge. But a road usually leads unfortunate travelers to the terror or, most likely, death instead.

The film that still never fails to terrify the viewers is «Jaws» (1976), a masterful, breathtaking, realistic horror film that revives the most primal of fears - what unseen creature lurks below the dark surface of the water. The tagline for the tensely-paced film is pretty simple but accurate - «Don't go in the water» «It kept a lot of shark-hysterical ocean-swimmers and 1975 summer beachgoers wary (similar to the effect that Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) had on shower-taking» [23]. The story is set in a fictional coastal town with a peaceful name Amity, where all the rest-takers are terrified with Great White Shark, coming out of the blue and tearing apart a little boy. Spielberg's film was a huge summer box-office blockbuster in the mid 1970s, although the filming suffered technical problems (the film was dubbed "Flaws" by the crew). «This was voted the sixth scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly» [25].

A peculiar and unique motion picture of eccentric director David Lynch, «Eraserhead»(1977) is surrealistic film that can be compared to Luis Bunuel’s masterpiece «Un chien andalou». «Eraserhead» is certainly very unconventional representative of horror genre. Though it lacks the furthest resemblance of logic, it’s rather fascinating. «From its first frame to its last, "Eraserhead" plays like a long, irrational, disturbing dream. And hardly an image in the film is not both expressive and dreadful whether the odd hairdo of the protagonist, which looks like the eraser on a pencil, or the oddly demonic baby, which looks like nothing ever seen before, except in a forgotten nightmare» [6, p. 210]. «The world of Eraserhead is, before anything else, a world of extremes: extremes of image, situation and sound which together evoke extremes of feeling, whether of alienation, revulsion or even of laughter. Some viewers also claim to see humor in the protagonist’s perpetually worried visage in the face of nightmarish industrial landscapes, miniature theaters of horror, bizarre in-laws and a monster baby. To be sure, this is not a laughter of guffaws, but a deep-seated amusement» [11, p. 2].

«Halloween» (1978)helped to establish the slasherfilm as an important format in American horrorcinema and also made young actress Jamie Lee Curtisa horror star. However, the sequelsit generated did not always capitalize on its reputation and its achievements. «The original was innovative and atmospheric in its depiction of killer Michael Myers returning to his hometown and causing mayhem. "Halloween II" (1981), which was co-scripted and co-produced by Carpenter but directed by Rick Rosenthal, appeared at a time when many of the conventions introduced by Carpenter — the emphasis on startle effects, the killer coming back to life just when everyone thinks he is dead — were fast becoming cliches, and consequently the film did not stand out from its fellow slashers. A Carpenter-devised plot twist revealing that the Curtis character was the killer’s sister was potentially interesting but this idea was not developed until later in the cycle» [8, p. 153].

«Alien» (1979) is 20th Century Fox's extremely frightening, science-fiction horror film with the tagline "In space, no one can hear you scream", introducing us to a ravenous, menacing, extraterrestrial monster. This tense, claustrophobic, action-packed film without any tedious dialogues presents very suspenseful, abundant of thrills and shocks, and very decent special effects for the 1970s. It’s noteworthy that the protagonist of the film is female, a strong, tough, resourceful heroine played by Sigourney Weaver as her first major film role. «Director Scott claimed that three films were influential in shaping Alien's vision - the two sci-fi classics: Lucas' "Star Wars" (1977) and Kubrick's 2001: "A Space Odyssey" (1968)» [23]. The film was Best Visual Effects Oscar-winner, and several Awards nominee. It’s deservedly considered as classic.

The greatest vitality in the period among Hollywood’s basic genres was unquestionably found in horror and fantasy/science fiction. «Unlike the other genres, horror has been disrespected one in which few front-rank directors regularly work. This was certainly true at the turn of the decade, especially with the emergence of the ultra-violent slasher films like "The Driller Killer" (1979), "Schizoid" (1980), "Maniac" (1980), "Terror Train" (1980), and "He Knows You’re Alone" (1980). These and others offered, graphically detailed frenzy in stories built around delirious mass murderers slaying victim after victim. In fact, slasher films produced several popular monsters in a series of franchise productions, and they have become classics in the genre» [17, p. 18]. The most popular were Freddy and Jason. Freddy was the demonic spirit of a child molester who was burned alive by vengeful parents and now intrudes in the dreams of teenagers to bring them the pain and destroy them. This he did in the never-ending series of «A Nightmare on Elm Street» films.

The 1980s saw the unbridled rise of consumerism. Materialism achieved the cult status. But the fear of being left behind in rampant race for wealth and luxury retreated when AIDS crept into the world and a new ominous threat began to loom. In the movie industry, special effects kept up with imagination. New advances in movie production supplied new realistic forms of human body’s destruction. Therefore, with these new tools, horror film makers devotedly tackled the creation of 80s’ fear embodiment. The 1980’s was the period of body horror’s reign.

«The Shining» (1980) is one of Stephen King’s adaptations that’s criticized by the author but considered as Stanley Kubrick’s finest. The story is set in a secluded hotel where the family of a new caretaker heads to for winter passing. Predictably, the hotel turns out to be haunted and a 9-year-old son of the protagonist starts seeing horrific visions due to the psychic gift that’s film named for. But the boy is not only one seeing ghosts, the father of the family is convinced by ghost waiter to take measures against «disobedience» of his son and wife. After gradually becoming absolutely insane, he attempts to murder his family, but in the end he freezes lost in the maze placed in a hotel’s yard. «Mazes and labyrinths have often appeared in horror to heighten the protagonist’s lack of control, they offer many opportunities for sudden surprises around the corner, trap doors, circular action, and a sense of improbability for escape»[4, p. 3] In our opinion, the most memorable scenes of «The Shining» are the blood river rushing through a hall, a seductive young woman turning into an old decaying crone and a sudden appearance of two creepy twin girls, The image of delirious, mischievous and furious Jack Nickolson staring through the broken bathroom door has become classic.

It must be noticed, that the most popular demonic horror film of 80s was the remarkably peaceful «Poltergeist» (1982), a film that shows suburban American life as predominantly good and diabolic spirits as anomalous and. «The optimistic ending of «Poltergeist»contrasts strongly, for instance, with the pessimistic finals of «Rosemary’s Baby» (1968) and «The Omen»(1976), all of which suggest that “good” is irrevocably imperiled and that evil will have an even greater victory down the line» [6, p. 206]. The most notable symbol used in the movie is light. «Light can symbolize many things, such as hope, transition, escape, but in this case it symbolize death (“Don’t go into the light!”)» [4, p. 2]. Also some other common death symbols were exploited in this memorable movie, such as coffins erupting from the earth and skeletons.

In 1982 a film by the director of «Halloween» John Carpenter was released, this influential movie is called «The Thing». It takes us to an American scientific expedition in the frozen wastelands of the Antarctic, where scientists face the blood-thirsty shape-shifting alien that acquires the appearance of the people that –rips apart. Back in the 80s it was considered as a commercial failure and suffered a scarcity of positive reviews from critics, but nowadays it’s among the most high-rated and admired motion pictures in the history of the genre. The most valuable elements in «The Thing» are the haunting score composed by Ennio Morricone that sets the suspenseful atmosphere, the overwhelming amount of gore and plenty of detached and torn away body parts that would feast the eyes of the most demanding horror fan.

An excellent example of harmonic blend of horror and humour is body horror movie «The Re-Animator» (1985) with an amusing tagline: "Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders... and another one in a dish on his desk" [25] and it already gives us a basic image of the film: a gifted scientist finds a way to bring the dead bodies or body parts to life and seeks to prove his genius by bringing up living beings with the help of numerous human’s remains and glowing green serum. There’s only one problem: they are always eager to kill anyone. That’s how the intelligence can drag some people into an ebony abyss of madness. One of Variety’s critics writes: «Picture has a grisly sense of humor, and sometimes is so gross and over the top the film tips over into a bizarre comedy», and we think that this description is extremely suitable for it.

With a considerable budget and a team of talented stars by his side, body-horror master David Cronenberg was enabled to realize his potential in «The Fly», a story of a man accidently transformed into a fly. «The Fly» featured a notable performance from Jeff Goldblum and instantly became a classic. «At the time, The Fly» was interpreted by some as an allegory of the Aids epidemic, though Cronenberg himself claimed his version was about the aging process, saying "we've all got the disease - the disease of being finite". Nevertheless, the story of a fit, healthy young man witnessing his body slowly eroding resonated with audiences fearful of a new epidemic» [15, p. 4].

«Beetlejuice» (1987) directed by Tim Burton is a rare example of comedy horror released in the 1980s.It presents a story about a cute couple that met their early death in a car accident and were destined to be confined in the walls of their own house forever as ghosts. Things get even more complicated, when the house is sold to a dysfunctional family including arrogant and bitter wife, obsessed with her foolish sculptures she considers as the masterpieces, obedient husband and a morbid teenage Goth girl .That’s when the eerie fun begins with the appearance of human-exorcist Beetlejuice who comes to the rescue, but has much more hideous plans about the family, than the deceased couple does. The film features an exquisite Burton’s style, both hilarious and scary images and many unconventional scenes.

Oneof Stephen King’s immortal classics, «Pet Sematary», was brought to big screen in 1989. It’s an atmospheric and unsettling film about the power of an ancient burial ground that causes a string of unfortunate events in Creed’s family. It all starts with a death of cat that belongs to the protagonist’s daughter, when her father is forced to use the magical power of the place to resurrect the animal by burying him there. The chain of ominous events includes the death of little son of the main character and his further appearance as a soulless tiny monster killing the neighbor and his own mother. Every minute of the film is penetrated with a spirit of desperation and unpleasant premonition. This film’s message seems to be «Sometimes dead is better» as Jud Crandall, the neighbor, said. We presume that this movie does teach that there’s a reason for everything and one mustn’t defy nature for it can avenge in a macabre way.

«Child’s play» is a supernatural horror series of the 1980s – 90s that’s accompanied with a tagline «You'll wish it was only make-believe. Andy Barclay has a new playmate who is in no mood to play». The antagonist of the film is Charles Lee Ray, a dead serial killer which, thanks to a voodoo ritual, transports his soul into a popular «Good Guys» doll. Bought by a mother seeking to make her little son happy, he reveals himself to the boy, Andy, as Chucky. While unsuspecting woman is engulfed in her everyday life routine, the vicious doll manages to murder several people including a babysitter. And even when the horrible doll is finally destroyed, unfortunately, it’s not the end. The series has several installments and goes on for almost two decades. Dolls have appeared often in horror storytelling, that’s why they have become very symbolic. The incompatibility of a child’s toy and danger can make it unnerving, as dolls normally represent happiness, innocence, and nurturing. Yet their distorted human qualities, such as oversized heads and eyes or exaggerated features, can make them particularly eerie, especially when the doll turns out to be not as motionless and lifeless as it’s believed.

After a decade of blood rivers, torn away body parts and massacres, audiences were becoming indifferent to gore. Frightening people in the 1990s no longer dealt with external forces but internal disarray, no longer about mountains of corpses but isolated, tormented individuals. «To a back-drop of a rising unease about the 'cult of the self' perpetuated by 80s consumer culture, horror films looked to an old source of inspiration with a new, generation-X intelligence: the 90s were all about the good, old-fashioned serial killer» [15, p. 5].

In 1990 a series of Stephen King’s adaptations continues with psychological horror «Misery» James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, an injured writer held prisoner by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, skillfully played by Kathy Bates, then a film newcomer. Our first view of Annie is from a menacingly low angle, already suggesting she is dangerously unbalanced. Although, from the first glance she seems to be warm-hearted, caring and considerate hostess, later she transforms into cold-blooded, fearful and dangerous lunatic. By the end of «Misery», Annie is disclosed as a serial killer, having murdered not only her father, but some other people under her care as a nurse, «"Misery" does contain one truly original, horrifying scene: when Annie hobbles her hostage by breaking each of his feet with a sledge hammer and then immediately afterwards tells him with shocking incongruity, “God, I love you”» [6, p. 130].

«Misery» paved the way for «The Silence of the Lambs» in 1991, which became one of the most successful films in Hollywood history. Before this motion picture, horror films, even when successful, have rarely won respect or awards at the time of their original release. For instance, «Psycho», definitely one of the greatest, most impactful films of the American cinema, won not a single Academy Award in 1960. «The Silence of the Lambs», on the other hand, won five overwhelming Academy Awards—and in each of the five major categories: best film, best director, best actor in a leading role, best actress in a leading role, and best adapted screenplay. The Silence of the Lambscombines the horror genre with the police procedural — Jodie Foster playing Clarice Starling, an FBI agent assigned to capture Buffalo Bill, a vicious serial killer. Not only is it notable that the protagonist is a woman, but she is a woman given no traditional love interest. Certainly her untraditional interest is the serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter, the brilliant elderly prisoner who gives her clues to catching Buffalo Bill. And yet it is her cannibal contact that seems more dangerous. «Anthony Hopkins, as Hannibal, gives an understated performance of such great stillness and power, that the American Film Institute in 2003 picked Hannibal Lecter as the single greatest villain in the entirety of the American cinema, followed — not surprisingly — by Norman Bates from "Psycho"» [6, p. 131]. Jodie Foster, as Clarice performs artfully showing vulnerability, strength and intelligence, and it was noted by American Film Institute by choosing Clarice the 6th greatest hero of the American cinema.

Another example of a film about killer, though a ghostly one, is «Candyman»(1992). «It’s an exploration of the genesis and interpretation of myth, as it circulates across differing boundaries of class, race, and gender in Chicago. A cult horror film, the film is unusual in that it links a supernatural tale to the horrors of a racist past and the poverty and urban segregation of many African Americans today. The story of Daniel Robitaille, a young man who was mutilated and lynched in 1890 and whose eponymous spirit haunts contemporary urban spaces in Chicago, «Candyman» foregrounds how uncanny space bears the memorial trace of repressed historical traumas rooted in an American history of racial violence and murder. As national allegory, «Candyman»foregrounds the ways in which memorial dread erupts in the topographical and mythological circulation of an urban legend that depends upon a specific ritual of incantation and invocation that is voluntary» [21, p. 59].

«Interview with the Vampire» released in 1994 with a tagline «Drink from Me and Live Forever», is a fascinating adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel. It invites us to the world of night creatures, the immortal ones who’s destined to wander through centuries, draining one human after another. But the protagonist of this story, played by Brad Pitt, is not like the others vampires, because he refuses to take innocent people’s lives. Throughout the film he narrates about his afterlife full of journeys, wonders, memories, loss, pain, hunger and, of course, adventures. All the actors perform nicely, especially Tom Cruise, playing elegant, charismatic and blood-thirsty . What makes this motion picture so remarkable is the unforgettable atmosphere and locations. Also It’s always pleasant to see a classic type of vampires, so alluring, seductive, flawless, soulless and so deadly beautiful.

In 1999 M. Night Shyamalan, a very talented director, released a memorable horror film «The Sixth Sense» starring Bruce Willis who plays a psychiatrist. Throughout the film he is dealing with a case of a little boy who is visited by dead people. Though terrified by ghosts at the beginning, boy comes to realize that they are harmless and seeking only salvation or justice as in the case of the girl poisoned by her stepmother. Considering his work done, Willis’ character leaves the boy and comes home, where the shocking and unpredictable final takes place, it dawns on him that he has been dead for several years, after shot made by his patient who claimed he hadn’t helped him at all. The final scene is deeply touching — Willis speaks to his mourning wife, admits that he has accomplished what was required to free his soul, closes his eyes and let the heavenly light take him away. We found out that there is a recurring symbol in this motion picture; in this case it’s a red color. If we watch the film attentively, we see that the visage of a thing of this particular color precedes the emergence of ghostly beings, «Red is such a visceral presence in this movie that we have no choice but to become reactive. It becomes our guide to a twisting journey through emotions we can’t anticipate because their causes are often unseen» [2, p. 19]. Also little boy Cole involuntarily uses the energy of red to defend himself (his red clothes, red tent, red toy soldiers, red-robed statue of Jesus). We believe that this movie leaves a trace in everybody’s soul and mind.

The last film of 90s we’d like to tell about is «Sleepy Hollow» directed by the genius Tim Burton. It’s an exquisitely stylish gothic scary tale, narrating about young constable Ichabod Crane (played by Burton’s permanent comrade Johnny Depp) who is heading to a remote gloomy town Sleepy Hollow, to investigate the series of mysterious murders that have taken place there. The protagonist has to face with a truly merciless creature, Headless Horseman, whose victims are found dead and beheaded by the sword. We must admit that this film is a rare gem, a really arresting story wrapped in irresistible visuals and powered by chilling scenes and breathtaking action. Besides, the film has a unconventional love story interlaced with the nightmarish events, including eighteen decapitations. All in all, «Sleepy Hollow» is compulsory for the view for any gothic horror’s fan and a perfect example for all directors, regardless of genre.

Contemporary horror movies

 

Before we carry on discussing horror films, we must note that the horror pictures of nowadays sometimes has nothing in common with the ones that were released in the 1970s or 1980s. Perhaps, it has to deal with the overpowering impact of corporations and dictate of the producers, but the truth is that in the last decade the outnumbering horror films are about not too smart teenagers being slayed by the maniac. Though they’re not completely disastrous, they are like a bubble gum for eyes, just a way of spending evening, movies to forget about in a few days. Films like «Jennifer’s Body», «Prom Night», «Scream», «I Know What You Did Last Summer», «Piranha 3D» feature paper doll characters, brim with clichés and have rather feeble aesthetics. Their effect predominantly relies on the suddenness of murderer’s appearances which is regarded as one of the most pathetic and overused approaches of scaring the audience. But nevertheless several directors managed to film qualitative and compelling motion pictures that are included in the lists of the best horror movies in such a popular internet portal as rottentomatoes.com

«After nuclear beasties, families and children that kill, gory excess and singular psychopaths: what's left that can possibly scare us? The defining event of this decade in the Western world was the morning of September 11th 2001, when people turning on news were forgiven for thinking that they'd already tuned into a horror film of some kind. The panicked shock emerging from great clouds of smoke and those images - played over and over - of planes ripping into the twin towers of New York City, instantly created a new language in horror» [25]. With the menacing Unknown now looming ahead, horror movies have begun to emphasizethe fragility of the human existence and the mysteries of our life.

The beginning by the 21st century is marked by releases of several high-rated horror movies. Firstly, we’d like to mention, «The Others», a psychological horror film directed and written by Alejandro Amenábar. Nicole Kidman stars as Grace, a deeply religious mother of two little children suffering from a strange allergy to sunlight. They are living in majestic mansion on the English coast and patiently waiting for the father of the family to return from World War II. «The rare disease of her children, Anne and Nicholas, makes Grace to set a rule of having only one door open in the house at a time. One day Anne begins claiming to see ghosts, Grace at first believes her newly arrived family of eccentric servants to be responsible, but chilling events and visions soon lead her to believe that something supernatural is indeed going on» [26]. The movie is regarded as a very atmospheric one and it’s abundant of suspenseful moments, that’s why, despite that it’s slow-paced, the viewer isn’t likely to find himself bored. We think that the most tremendous part of the film is its final, because it surprises or, sometimes, shocks anyone who witnesses it.

One of the most successful franchises of the 2000s is «Final Destination». These stories about consequences of escaping from death made millions of horror fans sit down in front of big screen every time a new installment was released. Though the basic concept of every film is the same, the originality of it compensates repeating plot. One gets absorbed into this intense and dreadful nightmare, where characters are scared to make any move, because the death wants them to pay for escaping their final moments, and she can wait just round the corner. Every scheme that death had planned was to be executed in exploded plane, in the hideous car crash in amusement park etc. But dodging her plan wasn’t a salvation, because she wanted revenge and it is ruthless. Since there is a plenty of characters, that are destined to die, that’s watching them and knowing that anyone will hardly survive makes the view of the film so peculiar. «Final Destination» is truly action-packed and full of moments that will make any dauntless one cringe.

Another horror series that gained numerous fans is «Saw». The franchise revolves around the fictional character of John Kramer, also called the "Jigsaw Killer" or simply "Jigsaw". He was introduced briefly in Saw and developed in more detail in Saw II. Rather than killing his victims outright, Jigsaw traps them in situations that he calls "tests" or "games" to test their will to live through physical or psychological torture. Despite the fact that John was murdered in Saw III, the films continue to focus on the posthumous influence of the Jigsaw Killer and his apprentices by exploring his character via flashbacks. «Jigsaw believes that those who survive his methods will be stronger people for it. He called him a kind of a deranged philanthropist» [24]. We’re sure that during the limited time given by Jigsaw to his victims to save themselves anyone of viewers had a feeling of experiencing this trial oneself, and somehow spiritually it’s possible to find a new lease of life by realizing the fragility of our existence and the relative powerlessness in a face of outward forces.

«In Danny Boyle’s low-budget apocalyptic thriller "28 Days Later", animal-rights activists raid a primate-research facility and unwittingly unleash a deadly virus. (As if the PETA people didn’t have enough bad press already.) The virus is called Rage, which sounds like a termite powder but, in fact, turns infected humans into frothing banshees with blood pouring from every orifice» [18, p. 2]. The zombies in «28 Days Later resemble» to those in «Night of the Living Dead», but their nightmarish speed makes the awkward staggerers in the movies of Romero look comical by comparison. These are zombies for sportive generation: The living dead are no longer walking—they’re jogging.

Another long-awaited present for zombie fans, a debut picture by Zack Snyder, «The Dawn of the Dead» invaded cinema theatres in 2004. It’s the «re-envisioning» of 1978 sequel of «Night of the Living Dead». Predictably, the city is infected with a mysterious plague that turns the newly dead into homicidal maniacs. Banding together with a group of fellow survivors, characters take refuge in a suburban mall among which are ex-marine cop, street-thug turned family man, and a handful of other lost souls. «At its best when dealing with the claustrophobic reality of being surrounded by cannibal ghouls, Snyder's film delivers plenty of tense action set-pieces while upgrading the lumbering blue-skinned zombies of the original into living dead, Olympic-standard sprinters who'll stop at nothing to get their hands on human flesh» [7, p. 6].

A representative of horror genre that is definitely not for cowards is «The Descent» (2005). We can presume that the one who endure this nightmare to the end is a hardcore horror fan, because this film in particular is overloaded with nausea-inflicting images. The beginning of the film is peaceful several dauntless extreme-loving women prepare to descend into a new found grotto and investigate it, but later their enthusiasm immediately dissolves when the way up is blocked by stones. But desperation, darkness and hunger can’t be called trouble comparing to the presence of ravenous eyes that are watching heroines. The thing is that in the shadows monstrous predators are hiding and all they seek for is flesh. Long-awaited vacation turns into a blood-curdling terror, there’s nowhere to hide, no one will come to the rescue. The hope fades away as the girls are torn apart and eaten one after another. The symbol that’s presented in this movie is light «The women are trapped in virtual darkness underground and light is their only friend as the creatures are blinded by it. Light and dark are often used thematically to represent good and evil, hence the horror of the night and the hope of a new dawn if you’ve managed to survive » [8, p. 57].

In 2007 a short story of Stephen King was transformed into a masterful horror movie named «1408». It’s a story about a Mike Enslin, an author who writes about paranormal and yet assured that there’s nothing unavailable for human’s perception, no ghosts, phantoms or afterlife. He’s famous for dispelling superstitions and his latest project as usual deals with it. He arrives to notorious Dolphin Hotel, where the manager warns him not to enter room number 1408, but, of course, Mike defiantly gets the key and nonchalantly enters his future torture chamber. It should be noted that in this case «torture» is psychological rather than physical. «Now, as is the case with many of life's most profound epiphanies, the writer who thought he knew it all is caught entirely off guard at the precise moment he least expected it. Subsequently faced with undeniable proof of an afterlife, Mike may have a best-seller on his hands if he can simply survive until sunrise» [26].

In 2009 Sam Raimi’s horror movie «Drag Me to Hell» a young woman working as loan officer evokes the wrath of aт evil gypsy by refusing to prolong her home loan. Determined to impress her boss and get a desirable promotion at work, Christine Brown says «No» when mysterious old woman literally starts pleading for mercy at her feet. In revenge for being publicly shamed, the gypsy casts the ominous curse of the Lamia on her unlucky target, turning Christine's life into a nightmare wide-awake and if she fails to break the curse, she'll be tortured by the demon for three days before literally being dragged to hell. The director of Spider-Man accomplished a sheer success with this movie reaching 92% of «fresh» reviews on rottentomatoes.com, We must admit that it’s a deserved score, mainly because one rarely encounters a horror film that freaks the viewer out and at the same time makes him laugh at its utter craziness and foulness.

Now we’d like to mention a vampire movie that helped to reanimate the right image of night creature after the emergence of sparkling vegetarian vampires of «The Twilight Saga». This movie is called «Let Me In». «It is the tale of an eerily beautiful 12-year-old vampire named Abby, who moves into a dreary apartment complex with her keeper of sorts, an older man posing as her father and there befriends a boy named Owen, an outsider living in terrible fear of his classmates' bullying» [16, p.1]. Though the description presented above may seem too sugary and Twilight-like, in reality it’s much more tense and cruel. It’s the case when the villain (Abby) provokes sympathy and seems frail and vulnerable despite her monstrous entity and the massacre she brought with her arrival. In this story, there is a surprising evidence of how firm the bonds of friendship can be, especially when a friend is a protective immortal heroine.

«Prometheus» (2012), gray-toned cruel, cryptic, and frightening adventure movie about a search for the origins of humanity on a distant planet is the second science fiction horror film of Ridley Scott and is a prequel to the first one, «Alien». «It’s a different sort of experience: a stately, somewhat plodding but endurable science-fiction saga that opens with the dawn of life on Earth and closes with mad carnage and a mystery even more troubling than how we humans got here» [25].This was truly “the new flesh,” a dissolution of the boundaries between man and machine, machine and alien, and man and alien, with a psychological invasiveness that has never, thank God, been equaled» [26].

We can’t leave unmentioned several TV series that won viewers’ hearts (sometimes brains) and repeatedly made them stick to the screen and distracted them from their work and studies. First of all, we’d like to bring up the great and powerful series called «Supernatural». In short, the main characters of the story are Winchester brothers travelling from one state of America to another to fight supernatural evil in all its shapes and forms. Of course, this description doesn’t hold a candle to the grand adventure we have experienced by the side of courageous and charming Dean and Sam, and even after seven gripping seasons we still have a way to go.

A zombie feast, «Walking Dead» is a series where police officer leads a group of survivors in a dilapidated world flooded by zombies. «Walking Dead» exploded in terror and action and became one of the most popular series among contemporary horror enthusiasts. But even people indifferent to horror films and the undead get obsessed with «Walking Dead» and engorge an episode after another.

And the last addictive serial film for us to mention is «American Horror Story». What makes this particular one so peculiar is that every season is centered on the brand new story but with the same actors playing completely different characters from the previous season’s ones. Another likable fact about «American Horror» is that every character is flawed and, therefore, their actions are unpredictable and no one can tell who’s going to be the one to cause chaos.

 

Now that prosperous contemporary directors have the whole tremendous horror legacy at their service, it’s hard not to take advantage of exploring the highlights and the failures of horror movies of the past to begin a new era, an era sustained by experience accumulated through decades. With the approaching scheduled releases of remakes inspired by such movies as «Carrie», «Pet Sematary» and «Texas Chainsaw Massacre», the only thing left for horror enthusiasts to do is to hope that the movies will be enhanced versions of originals.

Nowadays the horror genre is overloaded with similar products, mainly because every theme is depleted and nearly every scare-approach is overused. Sometimes we realize that during the whole view we were keeping ourselves from yawning due to the obtained immunity to the recurring scenes. What can be ever invented in the horror industry? Who knows, maybe a decade later we’ll experience 5D horror movies, feeling the death breath on our back, walking through ghosts, fighting the evil beings. Perhaps, 2D and 3D horror films will become so obsolete, that the new generation won’t be ever attracted to watching them. But right now the horror fans are thankful for the hours of the extreme entertainment they passed, and we can state with confidence that they’re valued, maybe not for too long, but now they are.

 

 

Thus, in this chapter we have come to the following conclusions.

1. The 1950s horror industry was influenced by the fear before the nuclear war, a danger of which was overhanging then.

The key horror movies of this period were «The Thing from Another World», directed by Christian Nyby and «Five», directed by Arch Oboler.

Thanks to the release of the legendary Hitchcock’s movie «Psycho», the 1960s were a dawn of horror films often referred to as «horror of personality», which implied that the main source of evil was a mad person.

Also, the theme of animals’ frenzy was developed in the 1960s thanks to another Hitchcock’s classic movie named «The Birds», which inspired such films as «Frogs», «Night of the Lepus» and «The Deadly Bees».

Besides, not only animals invaded the screen but, unfamiliar for this period creatures, zombies, brought to our world by George Romero’s «Night of the Living Dead».

2. The 1970s were clearly the age of sinister children due to the ongoing sky-high status of such movies as «Carrie», «The Exorcist» and «Omen», movies which featured whether a teenager or a kid with the destructing abilities.

The beginning of slashers’ era also pertains to the 1970s, to be precise, to 1978, the year of release of «Halloween», directed by John Carpenter, a horror movie which propelled the emergence of such series as «Friday the 13th» or «The Nightmare on the Elm Street».

The other remarkable representatives of the horror genre produced in the 1970s are natural horror «Jaws» and a surrealistic «Eraserhead».

As for the 1980s, the most popular sub-genre was body horror, presented by such films as «The Thing», «Re-Animator» and «The Fly», made in the best traditions of cinematographic massacre and distortion.

The 1980s’ noteworthy movies about ghosts are psychological horror movies «The Shining», directed by Stanley Kubrick and Tobe Hooper’s «Poltergeist», and a comedy horror «Beetlejuice», directed by Tim Burton.

The 1990s were marked with the comeback of serial killers, for example, the serial murders’ theme was included in «Misery», «The Silence of the Lambs», «Candyman» and «Sleepy Hollow».

Besides, psychological horror «The Sixth Sense» starring Bruce Willis and a gothic horror «Interview with the Vampire» are praised as well as the movies about serial killers mentioned above.

3. Talking about the contemporary horror movies, it’s hard to distinguish the most popular theme featured in horror products of nowadays, since there are a lot of them released every month. But the very beginning of the 2000s was the period of movies centering on the destruction of human body and the frailness of our existence, for instance «The Final Destination» or «Saw».

The ghost theme turned out to be very wide-spread too, it was included in such movies and serial films as «The Others», «1408», «Insidious», «Supernatural», «American Horror Story» and many others.

The development of the horror genre goes on, and there’s a perspective of a a new dimensional horror films’ emergence, but until then we still have the whole horror legacy to experience.

 






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