evolution of horror

[sleepaway]

I always thought it was interesting how the 1931 Frankenstein was seen as so shocking at the time and people fainted. As has been mentioned, it's because people did not have access to the type of images it was showing. Similar to island of Lost Souls - it's difficult to understand how that was so controversial.

Also, if you think that in the UK Tobe Hooper's Funhouse was original on the Video Nasties list and is currently now only rated a 15! The Terminator was an 18 certificate when I was growing up and is also now only a 15. Now doubt one day it will be deemed as a PG.

I've also found as a viewer that different films can be more effective via different medias. Some movies I find harder to watch on the big screen (the Final Destinations for example) while others are far more enjoyable watching in the same way. Cinema sound systems may have something to do with that, sometimes the scares are not visual at all the audio just comes out of nowhere and becomes its own jump scare. I don't recall that happening until quite recently, not as much anyway.

I still feel some of the creepiest films are older ones. The Exorcist still creeps me out. I still find it uncomfortable watching Jaws.

[Sculpt]

I would ask... what aspect of horror movies do you want to observe for it's evolution?

Techniques evolved with technology, special effects, music, lighting, etc.

Horror topics, what people were anxious/scared of, has changed, or evolved, if you will, with changing times... such as advancing sciences, hypnotism, war, savages, voodoo, plagues, seances, ghosts, organized crime, fascism/communism, ed gein, helter skelter, atomic bombs, government abuses, aliens, corporate control, gacey, terrorism, etc.

Types of scares, as far as, the unseen, revealing something horrible, visual monster, jump out of the closet, and gore... I'd suggest those were tied to the first two evolving factors: tech and what people were currently anxious about.