History of horror
1960s
Perhaps no decade had more seminal, acclaimed horror films than the '60s. Reflecting the social revolution of the era, the movies were more edgy, featuring controversial levels of violence ("Blood Feast," "Witchfinder General") and sexuality ("Repulsion"). Films like "Peeping Tom" and "Psycho" were precursors to the slasher movies of the coming decades, while George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" changed the face of zombie movies forever.
1970s
Social issues of the day were tackled, from sexism ("The Stepford Wives") to consumerism ( "Dawn of the Dead") to religion ( "The Wicker Man") and war ( "Deathdream"). Exploitation movies hit their stride in the decade, boldly flouting moral conventions with graphic sex ( "I Spit on Your Grave," "Vampyros Lesbos") and violence ( " The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Hills Have Eyes"), the latter reflected particularly in a spate of zombie movies ( "Dawn of the Dead") and cannibal films ( "The Man From Deep River"). The shock factor even pushed films like "The Exorcist" and " Jaws" to blockbuster success. Amid the chaos, the modern slasher film was born in Canada's "Black Christmas" and America's "Halloween."
1980s
Horror in the the first half of the '80s was defined by slashers like "Friday the 13th," "Prom Night" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street," while the latter half tended to take a more lighthearted look at the genre, mixing in comic elements in films like "The Return of the Living Dead,"
1990s
The early '90s brought unrivaled critical acclaim for the horror genre, with "The Silence of the Lambs" sweeping the major Academy Awards in 1992, a year after Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Best Lead Actress for "Misery" and Whoopi Goldberg won for Best Supporting Actress for "Ghost
Perhaps no decade had more seminal, acclaimed horror films than the '60s. Reflecting the social revolution of the era, the movies were more edgy, featuring controversial levels of violence ("Blood Feast," "Witchfinder General") and sexuality ("Repulsion"). Films like "Peeping Tom" and "Psycho" were precursors to the slasher movies of the coming decades, while George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" changed the face of zombie movies forever.
1970s
Social issues of the day were tackled, from sexism ("The Stepford Wives") to consumerism ( "Dawn of the Dead") to religion ( "The Wicker Man") and war ( "Deathdream"). Exploitation movies hit their stride in the decade, boldly flouting moral conventions with graphic sex ( "I Spit on Your Grave," "Vampyros Lesbos") and violence ( " The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Hills Have Eyes"), the latter reflected particularly in a spate of zombie movies ( "Dawn of the Dead") and cannibal films ( "The Man From Deep River"). The shock factor even pushed films like "The Exorcist" and " Jaws" to blockbuster success. Amid the chaos, the modern slasher film was born in Canada's "Black Christmas" and America's "Halloween."
1980s
Horror in the the first half of the '80s was defined by slashers like "Friday the 13th," "Prom Night" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street," while the latter half tended to take a more lighthearted look at the genre, mixing in comic elements in films like "The Return of the Living Dead,"
1990s
The early '90s brought unrivaled critical acclaim for the horror genre, with "The Silence of the Lambs" sweeping the major Academy Awards in 1992, a year after Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Best Lead Actress for "Misery" and Whoopi Goldberg won for Best Supporting Actress for "Ghost
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