EXPLORING CINEMA’S GENRE: HORROR

HOW TO MAKE BOX OFFICE WITH FEAR

Since the beginning of cinema, one of the numerous times retold stories has been that of the fantasy and horror genres. Enthrall the spectator by means of fear-filling events has the curious outcome of a wish to repeat this strange experience.

Down the history lane

Let’s go back to its origins. Le manoir du diable had its premiere in 1896, a short no longer than 4 minutes. Directed by the revolutionary father of cinema Georges Meliès, it’s considered the first horror movie of all time. In his revolutionary technique, Meliès introduced elements and effects never seen until then (now they’d make you laugh). At the time, it caused hysteria among the audience and absolutely terrified them.

His contemporaries saw the furor caused by horror novels, which led to numerous adaptations to the silver screen. Around that time, in 1912, a production company called Universal — founded by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass & Charles Baummann, among others — which specialised in Westerns, started showing an interest in adapting horror stories during the 20’ — after creating professional studio film…