Visual Storytelling in Early Horror Films

= Trodovs 8 props = Hybrid/Subgenre =Sound = Camera Work = Binary opposition = Lighting = Narrative
The first Horror movies (1920):
Silent film offered the first typical horror movie in 1920. The visual appearances of the first horror movies were vital in making the movies appear
realistic to the audience as there was no audio. However, important stereotypical features of modern horror, such as darkness and shadows were
impossible to represent at the time, so most horror movies were filmed in daylight, which would seem surreal to an audience today. Although, some
features of the first horror movies would be portrayed as surreal to an audience of today, the early admissions to the genre helped establish many of
the codes and conventions still recognisable today (e.g. monsters). Rely heavily on the use of lighting as the films were black and white, this portrays
a binary opposition. Most of the films also consist of equilibrium and portray the enigma code to tell the narrative as there was no sound.
DATE FILM NARRATIVE CHARACTERS TECHNIQUES THEMES AUDIENCE APPEAL
1919
The Cabinet
of Dr
Caligari
Set in a fictional North German
town. An eerie exploration of
the mind of a madman, pitting
an evil doctor against a hero
falsely imprisoned in an
outrageous shelter.Enigma
code- who’s the real hero?
Represents equilibrium as
something goes wrong and is
solved in the end.
False Hero =
imprisoned
character
Villain = Madam/
doctor
Running time: 80 minutes. The narrative
is presented through a frame story. Most
of the plot is presented as a flashback.
Cutting between scenes. Shadows are used
dramatically within the film, so that the
audience doesn’t know which character
is sane.Highly based on the visual to tell
the narrative of the film. As there was no
sound at the time of the film. This means
that the binary opposite of the lightingof
the film was used to help tell the narrative
of who the characters were.
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
The film was certificated
at a U, this means that
they film was able to be
viewed by anyone, as it
had no age restriction. It
appealed to its target
audience through the use
of the narrative, such as
the equilibrium and
enigma.
1920
The Golem
Abundantly symbolic narrative
from Jewish mythology. A giant
clay monster that stood by to
save the Jewish citizens of Prague
from the anger of the emperor
who accused them of the
ritualistic murder of children.
Represents equilibrium
throughout the film, also portrays
enigma as it creates suspense of
who killed the children.
Villain = Emperor
Hero= Clay monster
False Hero =
Emperor
Running time: 70 minutes. Binary opposite
of black and white. The contrast of the
colours represented the hero, false hero
and villain.Again, it was based on the visual
to tell the narrative as there was no sound.
Hybrid: Horror/
Fantasy
SEE PAGE 10
Target audience are
aimed at Jewish people as
it is apart of Jewish
mythology. Certificated at
a PG, which means that all
ages are admitted
however, some scenes
may not be suitable for
younger children. Appeals
to it audience through the
enigma code and the
change of equilibrium.

Horror movies 1930s:
Horror movies were reborn in the 1930s. The arrival of soundhad now been introduced and added into the films. The dreamlike imagery of the 1920s was
now being made more realistic. Sound added an extra dimension to horror, as the films became more representative. The music used helped to build
suspense (enigma) to the audience. The film creators emphasised on the use of costume. During the 1930s there were two main actors known as Bela
Lugosi and Boris Karloff. However, though sound had been introduced characters were still portrayed as over theatrical with the heavy special make-up.
Similarly, with the 1920s the horror genre still consisted of the heavy use of enigma and equilibrium to narrate the film. Nonetheless, there was still no
colour within the film so the film still relied heavily in the binary oppositeof black and white.
DATE FILM NARRATIVE CHARACTERS TECHNIQUES THEMES AUDIENCE APPEAL
1931
Dracula
A normal citizen and Van Helsing
put a vampire preying on the
weak and innocent through his
paces.
Villain = Dracula
Hero = Van
False Hero =
Jonathan
The movie practically invented the concept
of land of swirling mists, howling wolves,
frightened peasants and crumbling castles.
Lighting is used in contrast to one another,
however, this is done to represent the
binary opposite of night and day
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
The film appeals to those
who enjoy watching the
supernatural and surreal.
A sense of enigma as
there’s Trodovs 8 props
theory so the audience
are suspicious of who the
hero is.
1931
Frankenstein
Dr. Frankenstein is a scientist who
pieces together human body
parts to create the monster
‘Frankenstein’s monster’ and
after it accidentally killed
someone everyone wants rid of
it.
Villain =
Frankenstein
Franketeins monster was made to be a
scary terrifying monster through use of a
hard suit. When Frankenstein’s monster is
created the light is specific on the
darkness, this is also done by the type of
camera movements. The use of binary
opposition is created through the lighting
to portray Frankenstein whether its good
or bad.
Hybrid: Horror/
science fiction
SEE PAGE 10
Again the film appeals to
though who enjoy the use
of using a film for
escapism (uses and
gratification theory) as
wit drags away from the
normality that we live in
through the use of
costume and computer
generated images.

Different countries now had different views on horror. American horror in the late 1940’s started to look at wartime horror whereas this type of horror
wasn’t allowed in Britain. The 1930’s horror market had dealt with well-established fictional characters whereas the 1940’s then dealt with the
internalisation of the horror market. Horror film characters now had people’s primitive animal instincts peeking through, throughout the 1940’s. This
therefore, created a new aspect of horror with the hint of further escapism (uses and gratification theory) that the audiences were able to attach to as of
the supernatural features such as a ‘wolf man’.
Date Film Narrative Characters Techniques Themes Audience Appeal
1941
The Wolf Man
A practical man returns
to his homeland, is
attacked by a creature of
folklore, and infected
with a horrific disease his
disciplined mind tells him
cannot possibly exist.
Villain = The creature of
folklore
Damsel in distress = The
helpless man
Running Time: 70 minutes.
We don’t see an on screen transformation
until the last 10 minutes, which is created
by costume and props. He takes off his
shoes and only then do we see the lap
dissolve method. Afterwards we do see
him transform back using the standard
technique. When the wolf man is present
the film turns darker than before even
though it was still dark previously. This
represents binary opposition between the
lighting.
Hybrid: Horror/
Drama
SEE PAGE 10
It appeals to those who
enjoy watching films to
escape (uses and
gratification theory)
from the normality of the
world, as the film
portrays aspects of the
supernatural. The film
was also certificated at a
U, which means that the
film would be certificated
for all viewers.
1941
Cat People
The story is that of a
woman named Irena who
believes she is cursed in
the sense that she will
turn into a giant feline
creature if she
consummates her
marriage.
Damsel in distress = Irena
Villain = giant
feline/marriage
Running time: 73 minutes
The story is a narrative telling of Irena’s
story. Heavy use of shadows as this allows
people to make up their own mind about
what happened in the film, this would also
cause suspense and mystery (enigma code)
as the audience question whose shadow is
whose.
Hybrid: Horror /
mystery / Romance
SEE PAGE 10
This film would be for
those who enjoy the
escapism (uses and
gratification theory) of a
film. It would also be for
those who enjoy a
mystery and sense of
suspense as of the heavy
use of shadows.

The 1950’s evolved two eras of horror films. The first was wartime horror with real wartime villains such as the person who developed the atom bomb,
death camp leaders and mad scientists developing new weapons. In these times horror films were degraded to B-list as people were too hung up on
widespread colour and trying to diminish the posing threat by television. The second is mutant horror with films such as Godzilla being made.
1954
Godzilla
American nuclear
weapons testing results
in the creation of a
seemingly unstoppable,
dinosaur-like beast.
Villain = Godzilla Running time: 96 minutes
We see a stuntman in a monster suit for
the most part but there is the stop motion
technique used in one scene to create
some of the monsters movement scenes.
Less lighting used apart from during the
storms mainly around when Godzilla
appears. Holds a significant amount of
computer generated images (CGI).
Hybrid: Drama/
Horror/ science
fiction
SEE PAGE 10
Again it appeals to those
who generally enjoy films
to escape (uses and
gratification) as of the
computer generated
imagery. It would also
apply to those who may
not enjoy horror but
enjoy watching science
fiction.
1959
The Haunted
House on the
Hill
Eccentric millionaire
Fredrick Loren and his
4th wife, Annabelle,
have invited 5 people to
the house on Haunted
Hill for a "haunted
House" party. Whoever
will stay in the house for
one night will earn ten
thousand dollars each.
False Hero= Fredrick Loren
Villain = Haunted house/
Fredrick Loren
Running Time: 93 Minutes
The effects of the house being haunted as
well as the ‘monster’ in the house show a
poor form of editing. Lighting is generally
used more at the start of the film. This film
would also hold computer generated
imagery to bring the ‘monster’ to life.
Hybrid: Horror/
Mystery/ Thriller
SEE PAGE 10
Those who are interested
in watching films with a
type of game show sense
will enjoy watching this as
of the aspect of winning
money. The film appeals
to a wide range of
audience as of the
different elements of
genre it has within it.

The 1960s brought about a different kind of horror; psychological horror. As seen before in films such as ‘The Haunted House on the Hill’ psychological
horror brings a new thrill to the audience and a new way for the audience to view a horror film. Post war rumblings about females and homosexuals meant
horror films gave them an outlet to vent feelings and visions. This coupled with being more open to on screen nudity, bloody violence and other things that
challenged social morals gave us 1960s horror.
1960
Psycho
A young woman steals
$40,000 from her
employer's client, and
subsequently
encounters a young
motel proprietor too
long under the
domination of his
mother.
Villain = The young
woman
Running Time: 109 minutes
The film is shot through 50mm and 35mm
lens cameras which mimicks the human
eyesight. Helping to further involve the
audience. The lighting is extremely close to
that of normal lighting although it seems
harsher during pivotal scenes such as the
shower scene.
Hybrid: Horror/
mystery/ Thriller
SEE PAGE 10
This film would apply to
those who like things less
obvious and where they
are questioning the
narrative throughout the
film, which gives a sense
of enigma, as what
happens is not obvious. It
would apply to a wide
range of people as of the
different aspects of other
genres such as mystery
and thriller.
1963
The Birds
A wealthy San Francisco
socialite pursues a
potential boyfriend to a
small Northern California
town that slowly takes a
turn for the bizarre
when birds of all kinds
suddenly begin to attack
people there in
increasing numbers and
with increasing
viciousness.
Villain = birds
Damsel in distress =
socialite
Clever use of photography. Extremely
bleak lighting where the children are
concerned. But lighting is increasingly
sharp when the birds attack.
Hybrid : Horror/
Thriller
SEE PAGE 10
SEE ABOVE

The 1970s brought back the grim brand of horror movies after the optimistic brand of horror movie, which was the decade of 1960 with its sexual and
cultural revolutions. The main feature in the 70s seemed to be childbirth, the gruesome by product of sexual encounters and the contraceptive pill. Children
are a big feature in horror films from childbirth to developing defects caused by the pill or other sources.
1973
The Exorcist
When a girl is possessed
by a mysterious entity,
her mother seeks the
help of two priests to
save her daughter.
Helper = Mother
Villain = the possession
Damsel in distress = the
little girl
Although it was cut out, the contortionist
performing the spider walk scene was
shown to be a great piece of work except
it showed a few cables when she was
walking down the stairs. Also, life size
puppets were made for Linda. Very dark
and eerie. Left a lot in suspense
(enigma).
Hybrid: Drama/
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
This would appeal to an
audience who enjoy
aspects of a drama and
the supernatural due to
the possession. It would
also appeal to those who
enjoy a sense of
adventure in films as of
the stages needed to go
through to overcome the
possession. Due to the
film being supernatural
an audience who watch
films to escape (uses and
gratification theory) will
also enjoy it.
1975
Jaws When a gigantic great
white shark begins to
menace the small island
community of Amity, a
police chief, a marine
scientist and grizzled
fisherman set out to
stop it.
Villain=great white shark
Heroes=marine scientist,
fisherman and police chief
Point of view camera angles are used
making the movie all that more eerie.
Not much specialised lighting used as the
movie is partly underwater. The enigma
built up when the great white eyes its
prey is the great success of this film and
the 3 setting out to stop the shark are
clueless leading them to all the more
eerie and suspenseful moments.
Hybrid: Horror/
Thriller
SEE PAGE 10
This film would interest
those who enjoy looking
into and the
characteristics of sharks.
There is also a sense of
enigma in the film as the
audience won’t know
what to expect, so would
therefore find interest in
that.

In the 1980s the special effects finally caught up with the violent and gory scenes horror films had been using. Technical advances in the field of
animatronics, and liquid and foam latex meant that the human frame could be distorted to an entirely new dimension, onscreen, in realistic close up.
Wolves made another appearance in the early 1980s.
1980
The Shining
A family heads to an
isolated hotel for the
winter where an evil
and spiritual presence
influences the father
into violence, while his
psychic son sees horrific
forebodings from the
past and of the future.
Damsel in distress = family
Villain = evil presence/
father
The film has multiple flashbacks and
uses them to foreshadow events. The
lighting is bright and then suddenly
turns dark a lot of the time. This
portrays a binary opposition within the
lighting.
Hybrid: Horror/
Mystery
SEE PAGE 10
This would appeal to a
type of audience that
enjoy the supernatural
and psychological aspect
of horror films. The
enigma of the film is
caused by the evil spirit,
which means the
audience are able to
interact with the film
being an active audience
as they try to figure out
why it had happened.
1982
The Thing
A shape-shifting alien
that assumes the
appearance of the
people that it kills
confronts scientists in
the Antarctic.
Villain = alien Running Time: 109 minutes
Took about 3 months to shoot on 6
artificially frozen sound stages. The
thing is always shown as dark because
they aren’t truly his form.
Hybrid: Science
fiction/ Mystery/
Horror
SEE PAGE 10 SEE ABOVE

In the 1990shorror had seemingly got tame and amused people rather than scared them. In the 90s we go back to psychological horror and big budget
remakes of classics such as Frankenstein and Dracula.
1991
Silence of the
Lambs
Fledgling FBI agent tries
to track down trophy
hunting serial killer with
the aid of jailed
psychopath.
Villain = serial killer
Hero= Jailed psychopath
Donor = FBI agent
False Hero = FBI agent
A serial killer being tracked by a
psychopath means psychological horror
but for the viewers they connect with
why he kills them.
Hybrid: Thriller/
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
This would appeal to an
audience who enjoy a
sense of action and
mystery within their films
as they are active within
the film to find who the
serial killer, which also
brings the sense of
enigma. However, it is
targeted at those who are
18 and over, which could
potentially lessen
viewers.
1995 Se7en Two detectives, a rookie
and a veteran, hunt a
serial killer who uses
the seven deadly sins as
his modus operandi.
Villain = Serial Killer
Heroes = detectives, rookie
and veteran
More psychological horror than
anything and employs use of modus
operandi. Not much lighting technique
used although shadow is used heavily
toward the end of the movie.
Hybrid: Crime/
Mystery/ Thriller/
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
SEE ABOVE

In 2000 the publics opinion had changed. The new century brought a warm fuzzy horror. The monsters have had to change. Gone were the lone
psychopaths of the 1990s, far too reminiscent of media portrayals of bin Laden, the madman in his cave. As the shock and awe of twenty first century
warfare spread across TV screens, cinematic horror had to offer an alternative, whilst still tapping into the prevailing cultural mood.
2000
The Final
Destination
After a teenager has a
terrifying vision of him
and his friends dying in
a plane crash, he
prevents the accident
only to have death hunt
them down, one by one.
Hero = young teenager
with the vision
The film has multiple flashbacks and
visions. There are a lot of sharp changes
in the lighting, contrasting from light to
dark. This also portrays binary
opposition. The teenagers in this movie
can relate with the audience but instead
of being hunted by anything that can be
seen heard or felt, they are hunted by
death.
Horror
SEE PAGE 10
This film would appeal to
those who again enjoy
the supernatural aspect
of visions. It will also
appeal to those who
enjoy a sense of enigma
throughout their films as
of the constant
questioning they will
have about whether the
people survive. This film
would be used to escape
and entertain (uses and
gratification).
2002
28 days later
Four weeks after a
mysterious, incurable
virus spreads
throughout the UK, a
handful of survivors try
to find sanctuary.
Villain=Virus Running Time: 113 minutes
No flashbacks but dreams do take place
as he is in a coma and these show past
events. Use of lighting is limited. Jim
goes through many different phases as
first his psychological horror is that all
of the UK is dead, then seeing the last
remaining people turn on him or die.
Hybrid: Horror/
Science fiction/
Thriller
SEE PAGE 10
This film would appeal to
all who enjoy science
fiction, thriller as well as
horror. As it is rated an 18
it isn’t suitable for those
under that age as of the
content. However, an
audience would
potentially use it to
escape and entertain
(uses and gratification
theory).

STEREOTYPICAL THEMES/CONVENTIONS OF;
- Horror = Good vs. Bad (e.g. monster vs. Human) portrays binary opposition within the themes of a horror film. There almost certainly seems to
be revenge of something, such as one being possessed and their friends/family undertake revenge on that given person/object. From the 1960s
films took an edge on psychological horror, from this the sense of belief and religion was introduced, most of the time to cure those of the
possession. There is always an aspect of the supernatural, for instance, those with visions or ghosts or a dimensional world etc. The themes of
the horror genre mainly give of logic of suspense, which would represent the theory of enigma. The horror theme also relies heavily on the
characters explaining and representing feeling so the audience are a aware of what to feel, for example, if the character was frightened it would
be portrayed clearly and evidently at that given time, being the main object, this gives the horror genre more realism as its the normality to be
scared of someone with a gun for instance.
- Mystery = The hero is generally someone who has a very high authority, for instance, one who is policeman, contrastingly the villain is someone
who may be of the same authority but is not revealed until the end of the film. Most of the time there are false heroes, to get the audience
active and involved within the film. The film is mainly based around a sense of enigma (suspense). There is also always a victim, someone who
is generally killed by the villain. Mystery films tend to stay as close to realism as possible so that the audience are able to relate to the film.
However, the genre is almost certainly mixed with another genre, such as horror. The films always start with an established equilibrium.
- Science-Fiction = The theme of science-fiction generally tell something about the future of technology, it generally involves true fiction laws and
things that are currently being researched within science. Mainly set in a different dimension/world/space. Some films use science-fiction to
help inform (uses and gratification theory) the audience of what the world could possibly turn out to be. The genre doesn’t focus heavily on
characters as much as the focus is on situations and specific events.
- Thriller = The aim is to create suspense (enigma) and make the audience active within the film. Violence is almost certainly involved within the
theme of thriller. It most of the time reveals the work of the police or fire brigade. The resolution will be rational than through a supernatural
sense. The hero and the villain both share some of the same characteristics.
- Drama = Drama has a theme of interacting mostly with the characters emotions; they rely heavily on this to tell the narrative of the film. In
most drama films the audience are able to identify (uses and gratification theory) in some way with the characters. Some drama films try to be
very theatrical and over exaggerated to involve the audience further with the characters and to lead them through the emotions that the
audience are feeling.
- Crime = Crime is seen as a highly dramatic film, it mainly focuses on the life of prison and those involved within it. Most crime films try to tell
the narrative of the prisoner and portray vivid images of violence. A lot of the time crime films have sub-genres or a hybrids with other films.

CONCLUSION;
Overall as represented above horror films have significantly changed over the years, from no sound to sound, from dramatic characters to hidden villains.
Horror is a genre that is portrayed as very popular in the film industry, with over thousands of films going back to the 1920s, considering there was no
sound horror was one of the few genres able to conduct a narrative that was able to entertain (uses and gratification theory) the audience without the
confusion of what was happening. During this time the use of lighting was heavily significant as it was used to distinguish between the good and the bad
(binary opposition). Nonetheless when sound was introduced it brought a new dimension to the horror industry, lighting was less focused on and
characters were being ever more important to tell the narrative. More hybrids and sub-genres were therefore being introduced within the horror films to
give it an entire new outlook. From the 1960s psychological horror came into films a lot more, such as the ones represented above. This would give the
audience even more entertainment (uses and gratification theory) as they were always through a sense of suspense (enigma) throughout the film, most of
the time until the end; this introduced numerous flashbacks and various camera movements. It also relied heavily on what the audience were able to feel
from the characters, if they were able to identify (uses and gratification theory) with them then the film was going to be a success. Every film that has been
mentioned uses the narrative theory of equilibrium and enigma, by doing this the films are a lot more entertaining (uses and gratification theory).
BIBLIOGRAPY;
- http://www.youtube.com
- http://www.imdb.com
- http://www.lovefilm.com

Visual Storytelling in Early Horror Films

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