2. Resource 1
Frankenstein (1931, James Whale)
I chose this film as my first key text for several
reasons. It is one of the first major studio horror
films of the sound era, preceded only by Dracula
(1931, Tod Browning). Frankenstein was considered
to be far scarier and more effective than Dracula,
and there was a great deal of controversy
surrounding the film. Frankenstein created both an
emotional and cultural impact upon its release and
has continued to be immensely influential and
iconic ever since.
3. Resource 2
Initial review of Frankenstein (The New York Times, December 5th
1931)
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9901E5D6143DEE32A257
56C0A9649D946094D6CF
In this article, the critic (Mordaunt Hall) described the audience
‘laughing to cover their true feelings’. This is a well-known
psychological phenomenon (see Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Test,
1963). This allows us to see how the audience experienced genuine
emotional fear at the sight of this film, and highlights how differently
audiences engaged with horror in the 1930s.
Hall describes Frankenstein as being superior to its contemporaries:
“(Frankenstein) is far and away the most effective thing of its kind.
Beside it "Dracula" is tame.”
4. Resource 3
Frankenstein DVD commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer
There are several pieces of invaluable information available from the ‘Universal Studios Classic
Monster Collection’ release of Frankenstein, such as:
• The ‘warning scene’ at the beginning of the film was added late into the
film’s production as a pro-active measure against religious opposition to
the film. This scene has become iconic in its own right, later parodied on
‘The Simpsons’.
• The film was heavily censored upon its release. The Motion Picture
Production Code (Known as The Hays Code) demanded that
‘blasphemous’ lines be removed, such as ‘Now I know what it feels like to
be God!’. The Hays Office stated “gruesome (scenes) that will certainly
bring an audience reaction of horror” should be removed. The film boards
of several states demanded significant cuts to the film to make it suitable
for release, notably the state of Kansas demanded 32 cuts to the film,
which, if made, would have halved its running time.
• The original ending, in which Dr Frankenstein dies, was changed after it
was poorly received by test audiences.
5. Resource 4
Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)
I chose Psycho as my second key horror text because it represents a major
milestone in horror filmmaking. While it can be argued that by today’s
standards, Psycho fits more neatly into the ‘thriller’ genre, it was marketed
and consumed as a horror film upon its release.
Psycho has been immeasurably influential, often cited as one of the greatest
films ever made. Psycho redefined audience expectations and had a huge
emotional and cultural impact.
6. Resource 5
Initial review of Psycho (The New York Times, June 17th, 1960)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/061760hitch-psycho-review.html
The critic, Bosley Crowther, advises that ‘you had better have a strong
stomach and be prepared for a couple of grisly shocks’ .
The writer describes the plot of the film as ‘melodramatic’ and says that the
‘denouement falls flat’. While this is by no means a popular view, it is
important to note as it illustrates how audiences were becoming harder to
scare. Had Psycho been released in 1931, it would have been
incomprehensibly scary.
7. Resource 6
‘How Psycho Changed Cinema’ – BBC Article
This article details the ways in which Hitchcock’s Psycho influenced modern cinema. It states that
the infamous ‘shower scene’ is ‘probably the most famous scene in film history’.
This scene is particularly important in the shaping of audience expectations and the creation of
an emotional impact with moviegoers.
Michael Brooke, ‘Screenonline’ curator at the British Film Institute, says ‘(Audiences) had never
seen anything quite like it before – the total shock of killing off a lead character a third of the way
in, and jut the complete feeling of disorientation’.
This article also offers some insight into why Psycho was filmed in black and white, when colour
was widely used in 1960 (and by Hitchcock in his earlier films). The choice to film in black and
white was made partly for budgetary reasons, but also because the shower scene would never
have gotten past the censors of the time. Mr Brooke says ‘The shower scene in colour in 1960
would have just been unshowable.’
The film was also one of the first major horror films to toy with the audience’s sympathies for the
antagonist. The film switches to the point of view of Norman Bates, and invites the audience to
sympathise with him, this influenced a great many horror films and created a greater impact
when the final ‘twist’ is revealed.
8. Resource 7
The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
I have chosen The Exorcist as my third key film for my research project. I have chosen this
because it is a relatively rare example of a ‘blockbuster’ horror film. Few horror films have had
such a wide cultural impact, and this cultural impact was a direct result of the visceral emotional
impact it had on audiences.
Upon its release, The Exorcist was a cultural phenomenon. People queued outside cinemas in an
almost unprecedented fashion, and The Exorcist is widely considered to be the scariest film ever
made. It is the combination of both its cultural and emotional impact that make The Exorcist
perfect for my research project.
9. Resource 8
Initial review (Roger Ebert, The Chicago Tribune, 1973)
Roger Ebert, one of the most respected film critics of all time, describes The Exorcist as ‘one of
the most powerful (films) ever made’.
Notably, in this review Ebert posits that ‘it may be the that times we live in have prepared us for
this movie’. This is particularly relevant to my research as each of my texts were considered one
of the scariest films of their time, but each film is notably more intense than the previous one. It
is an undeniable fact that throughout the 20th century, film audiences became more used to
seeing horrifying things on the screen and thus harder to scare.
Roger Ebert describes The Exorcist as ‘a direct emotional experience (Friedkin is) attacking us
with’ and ‘a frontal assault.’
10. Resource 9
‘Film In Context: The Exorcist’
http://www.historytoday.com/nick-cull/exorcist
This article by Nick Cull describes the fears that The Exorcist exploited.
The film was so effective with audiences because it tapped into a multitude of modern fears:
• Inter-generational conflict
• Fears of inadequate parenting
• The corruption of innocence
• The loss of faith
• Loss of control over one’s own body
• The safety of the home being violated
• Xenophobia (It is interesting to note that in the film’s prologue, in which Father Merrin (Max
Von Sydow) discovers the threat of evil, takes place in Iraq.)
• Male-on-female violence, sexualisation, puberty and rape