Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Five Films that Laid the Foundation for the Horror Film

Friday, October 26, 2018, By News Staff
Share
College of Visual and Performing ArtsCulturefacultyfilmsresearch
man walking up steps

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920, dir. Robert Wiene). Source Credit: British Film Institute

The term “horror film” first appeared in public usage in 1931 after the release of Tod Browning’s “Dracula.” But that doesn’t mean monsters and mayhem were not regularly seen on the silver screen during the silent era.

Kendall Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, explains how horror crept into the earliest of movies.

“Early filmmakers relied on existing cultural stories and mythology to make their short, silent films understandable,” says Phillips, whose book “A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema” (University of Texas Press) was published earlier this year. “While late 19th-century American audiences were a diverse mix of cultures, languages and religions, stories about ghosts, devils and witches were well known to almost everyone.”

Phillips also notes that early films were not shown in movie theaters—they didn’t arise until 1905.

Kendall Phillips

Kendall Phillips

“Before 1905, audiences saw films at carnivals or vaudeville shows or, very commonly, at magic shows,” Phillips says. “So, movies and magic were intertwined from the very birth of motion pictures.”

Some early horror films might seem a bit silly to today’s audiences, but audiences back in the day may have had a different experience. “Audiences of the time probably watched these films with a mix of wonder, laughter and a bit of fright,” Phillips says.

Phillips points to five films, which he covers in his book, “A Place of Darkness,” that helped to shape the notion of fear on film:

  1. “Le Manoir de Diable” (1896, dir. Georges Méliès). “Less than a year after the first motion pictures were projected for an audience, French magician and pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès produced this short film packed with almost every trope of the classic horror film: a crumbling castle, witches, devils and a menacing bat!”
  2. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1908, dir. Otis Turner). “Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 book became an instant American classic. The novel quickly spawned a popular stage adaptation and it did not take long for filmmakers to pick up on the story’s popularity. William Selig’s company produced the first known adaptation and spawned numerous others. Stevenson’s story of dual personalities was adapted for the screen at least eight times before the popular 1931 adaption starring Frederic March.”
  3. “Ghost Breaker” (1914, dir. Cecil B. DeMille). “What’s a good horror film without an intrepid hero? While there were many films that portrayed a brave American exploring the unknown, one of the best early examples is DeMille’s adaptation of the popular Broadway play by Paul Dickey and Charles Goddard. The hero, Warren Jarvis, is a tough Kentucky adventurer who must brave a haunted Spanish castle to retrieve a fortune and win the hand of the damsel in distress. A popular remake of this film starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard was released in 1940.”
  4. “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920, dir. Robert Wiene). “The impact of this strange German film can hardly be underestimated. While Hollywood bosses and some audience members hated this film’s heavily Expressionistic imagery, critics and others found it a refreshing way to use the medium of film to create psychological imagery. Caligari would have a huge influence on the way horror was filmed for years to come.”
  5. “The Monster” (1925, dir. Roland West). “Like a little laughter mixed in with your screams of terror? Then thank this Lon Chaney film for perfecting the mix of madcap comedy and creepy atmosphere. West’s film would provide the blueprint for the comedy thriller that would be perfected in films like Paul Leni’s 1927 ‘The Cat and the Canary.’”
a man in armor looking at couple

“Ghost Breaker” (1914, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)

These films can still evoke a sense of the creepy—and an appreciation for the early art of filmmaking.

“Unfortunately, the 1908 version of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ and the 1914 ‘Ghost Breaker’ are now lost films,” Phillips says. “But people can definitely find the others and some, especially Caligari, continue to stand up as both scary stories and impressive works of cinematic art.”

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Activities for the Weekend of March 4-7: Get Involved, Stay Safe, Have Fun!
    Thursday, March 4, 2021, By News Staff
  • Message From Chancellor Kent Syverud
    Thursday, March 4, 2021, By News Staff
  • Final Report of the Board Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion
    Thursday, March 4, 2021, By News Staff
  • Stadium to Reopen to Fans Saturday, March 6
    Thursday, March 4, 2021, By News Staff
  • University’s Service of Commemoration to Be Held Virtually on March 16
    Thursday, March 4, 2021, By News Staff

More In Arts & Culture

Burton Blatt Institute Hosts Poetry Reading

The Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach at the Burton Blatt Institute welcomes critically acclaimed poet, torrin a. greathouse, for a virtual poetry reading on Thursday, March 25, from 7-8 p.m. ET. greathouse, transgender and cripple-punk, is a recipient of…

Community Folk Art Center: A Welcoming Place for All to Discover Art, Culture and Community

The Community Folk Art Center (CFAC) has been a vital part of the University and city for nearly 50 years—a hub of art, cultural understanding and community. “CFAC is a bridge between the Syracuse University community and the local community,…

Community Folk Art Center Launches Black Arts Speak Film Series

The Community Folk Art Center (CFAC) celebrates Black lives and voices in a new short film series, Black Arts Speak (BAS). Each episode of the series will feature a different Black artist and share their work, experiences and perspectives. To mark…

School of Architecture Professor Wins a 2021 Emerging Voices Award

Lori A. Brown, professor in the School of Architecture, is among the eight selected winners to receive a 2021 Emerging Voices award from The Architectural League of New York. Each year, the award spotlights individuals and firms based in the…

Volunteers Needed for SU Libraries’ Virtual Living Library Event

Syracuse University Libraries will host its annual Living Library event during National Library Week on Wednesday, April 7, from noon to 5 p.m. via Zoom. Participants will have the opportunity to talk to “living books”—volunteers from the broader Syracuse University…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.