Culture is one of the universal definers of human behavior. Culture is defined as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Cultural diversity in America is what really makes our country so great. I am an example of this diversity. I am a mixture of Irish, German, British, and Native American. Being associated with all of these cultures has given me a difficult time in choosing just one to talk about. I finally decided on what I truly feel that I am. I am an American.
There are many influential industries in America, but none are as influential as the entertainment industry. Movies and Television have been one of the most popular cultures in America for decades. The motion picture business is a multi-billion dollar industry. I have always been a big movie buff. Ever since I was young, I would sit down for hours and just watch movie after movie. It is actually a career I have considered pursuing.
The first public showing of a motion picture was on April 23, 1896 at the Koster and Bials Music Hall in New York City. The event was hosted by Thomas Edison which also showcased events such as a comic boxing exhibition, surf breaking on a beach, and two dancing women. Not only did Edison host the event but he also invented the motion picture projector (America’s Library).The motion picture started in the mid-seventeenth century. A Dutch scientist named Christiaen Huygens was able to make lifelike images on a screen in 1659 (Digital History). He did this using a “magic lantern,” which is basically a slide projector. It would project images from transparencies. This was usually done with a simple light source such as a candle or sunlight.
The next big invention for the motion picture industry was the Thaumathrope, which was the first attempt at an optical illusion. It was invented in 1824 by Dr. John Ayrton Paris. Over the next fifty years, many new inventions to assist the evolution of the motion picture was made. Starting with the Fantascope, which is also known as Phenakistiscope. The Fantascope was invented by Joseph Plateau. This invention was designed to simulate motion. In 1834, the Daedalum was made by British inventor William George Horner. The Daedalum’s purpose was to move photographs or drawings using a rotating drum with a crank. The Daedalum was later named the Zoetrope in 1867 by William Lincoln. In June of 1892, one of the world’s first film studios was established. The Limelight Department was established in Melbourne, Austrailia where some say it produced the world’s first feature length called “Soldier’s of the Cross,” which was made in 1900 (Timeline).
Movies were commonly found in wax museums, amusement arcades, music halls and traveling fairs by the 1900s. Movies made before the late 1920’s were made without any sound. The well-known film “Nosferatu,” the story of a disturbing and truly scary looking vampire and the man trying to kill him is a good example of one of these films. This was known as the “Silent Era” of motion picture history. Up until the early 1900s, the movie industry was only popular in France and Italy. It wasn’t until World War I (1914-1918) when the European film industries took a step back, and American film industries or well known as “Hollywood” took over as the movie power of the world. The name “Hollywood” was established because almost all of the films made were made in California specifically Hollywood, California. It was a small village that accepted the film companies with open arms, which is why they kept coming back to make more movies.
The “Golden Age of Hollywood” began from the late 1920s when the production of silent films were ended until the late 1940s. The United States reached what is still the greatest output of films annually at 800 films. A film from this time period that is still considered a classic today was Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” which came out in 1938. It is considered by many as one of the most “colorful costume dramas, swashbucklers, and romantically-tinged adventure films in film history (Film Site).” Some of the other successful films of this era were Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), King Kong (1933), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Gone with the Wind (1933), Citizen Kane (1941), and Casablanca (1942).
I, personally, am a big fan of horror films. The Horror film industry has the biggest cult following of any other type of genre in film today. While horror films are almost always criticized by critics they are arguably the most popular and profitable genres in the industry. While some films in the early days were considered to be horror, the genre really did not begin until the 1930s. American film companies, particularly the well-known Universal Pictures began producing horror films at this time. Films such as The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man were made (Greatest Films). These films gave audiences around the world thrills that the did not get from any other type of film. They also included an element of science fiction that had not been seen by the viewing audience until these films came out.
Universal continued their trend of making successful horror films into the 1940s with the most influential and popular werewolf movie of all time The Wolfman. They also continued to produce more sequels to the Frankenstein series. The horror film industry saw a rise in production from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. The 1960s saw the debut of the “physcological thrillers,” starting with Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Physcological thrillers continued to be the flavor of the decade with “The Haunting” and “The Innocents.” Alfred Hitchcock continued to make successful films with another popular film among horror enthusiasts in “The Birds.” Another trend that started in the 1960s were the increasing amount of gore in these films. Massive amounts of blood and dismemberment of body parts became popular during this time period. The most influential films, which has been the motivation for all of the zombie movies of the modern era was made in the 1960s; George A. Romero’s 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead.” It was later preserved by the United States National Film Registry due to it being “culturally historically or aesthetically significant.” This film was considered a psychological thriller with gore and moved the genre further away from the gothic theme of the early days.
Many of the remake’s of today’s classic horror films were made in the 1970s. Evil children and the devil possessions were popular during the 70s. The 1970s also brought the horror industry its first true box office smash in “The Exorcist” in 1973. Even after thirty years of existence the film is still considered one of the scariest movies of all-time. “The Omen” was made in 1976. It is one of the movies that was recently remade. As well as Tobe Hopper’s cult-classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” George A. Romero continued his zombie films with “Dawn of the Dead,” the sequel to his “Night of the Living Dead.” Another movie that has recently been remade. The 1970s also saw the debut of one of the biggest names in the business, horror author Stephen King. His books began to make it to the big screen, first with Brian DePalma’s “Carrie” in 1976. While this time period was one of the best in horror cinema history it wasn’t until the end of the decade when the most popular and influential horror film in the world was created. John Carpenter’s “Halloween” started the ever-so-popular “slasher” genre. Halloween went on to become one of the most successful independent films ever made.
The new slasher genre inspired the 1980s films such as another successful independent film in “Friday the Thirteen.” Wes Craven directed and produced the supernatural slasher “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” I actually have some inside information that I heard on a television special on horror movies and I would like to share with you about the movie. Wes Craven was inspired to make the film when he heard about a news report that a teenager had died in his sleep. The teenager was in fine physical condition, however he refused to go to sleep. Whenever he did he would violently shake and scream as if he was having an endless nightmare. Then one day, the teen fell asleep and just did not wake up. To this day, no one knows why or how the teen died. Pretty creepy stuff if you ask me. Sequels of Halloween continued to be made, and other popular horror films of today showed up such as Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” and Tom Holland’s “Child’s Play.” I had a doll back when I was a little kid that I used to play with all the time. That is until I saw the movie “Child’s Play.” That movie scared me to death and my doll looked exactly like “Chucky” from the movie. I still keep that thing trapped in my closet to this day.
The controversy of horror films grew to an all-time high. Protest broke out all across the world claiming that these films were wrecking today’s youth and making people want to go out and commit murder. I once heard a man involved in the genre respond to the protests. The man defending the horror film industries said that just because people were watching these movies does not mean that they will be more likely to commit murder themselves. He compared this to showing “Disney movies to convicts. Does that mean that they will be more likely to stop committing crimes?” Highly unlikely. To further his argument the man said that these films will actually have a reverse affect. When you see all of the disgusting gore and dismemberment of body parts it would make you not want to actually see those thing because of how disturbing it is. I actually agree with what he says. I really wish I could give him the proper credit, but I can not remember his name. The movie that caused the most controversy was “Silent Night: Deadly Night,” which involved a killer Santa Claus. The movie bombed in theatre’s a was eventually withdrawn all together because of all of the controversy that it caused.
Sequels to the Child Play and Leprechaun series continued into the 1990s. The slasher films of the 1980s also had sequels made in the 90’s. Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the Thirteen series continued to stay popular and produce sequels throughout the decade. Slasher films began to become stale and predictable. People started to lose interest in the genre all together until a real “scream” appeared in 1996. Wes Craven’s “Scream” rejuvenated the slasher film genre. Craven took the psychological thriller theme, mixed it with teens who were fully aware of the slasher concept to create one of the biggest box office hits in horror film history. It wasn’t the typical killer going around terrorizing teens theme, which is what made it so appealing to the audience.
The early 2000s saw a decline in the production of horror movies. The ones that were made did not make much of an impact in theatres. Desperate to get back to the glory days of scary movies, American producers went to the highly successful Japanese horror films to get the American public back on board. “The Ring” and “The Grudge” were introduced in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Many of the popular films from the 60s and 70s were remade in an attempt to bring back the horror movie enthusiasts.
In conclusion, today with the recent explosion of box office successes have the horror film industry bigger and better than ever. Films such as the “Saw” series, “28 Days Later,” Rob Zombie’s “House of 1000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects,” and Eli Roth’s “Hostel” have really hit it huge in the American theatre’s. I believe that the horror genre is continuing to grow as the years go on and this is just the beginning of things to come. I also believe that the film industry in general is fascinating and I would love to be apart of it one day whether it be writing, directing, or producing. It has always been one of the careers I have considered pursing even if it is only as a hobby.
Works Cited
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Tim, Dirks The Greatest Films. 1996. Online. 06 Nov 2006.
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S., Mintz Digital History. 2003. Online. 06 Nov 2006.
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Kristin, Thompson., and Bordwell David. Film History: An Introduction. : McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2002.
