Introducing the Horror Genre
Discuss the questions below with a partner and make a note of your responses.
1.
In your opinion what is meant by horror?
2. Look up the word horror in a couple of dictionaries. How do these definitions compare with
your own idea about what horror means?
3. What texts, images, emotions and ideas do you associate with the horror genre?
Do you enjoy horror texts? Why/ not?
4. Can you remember the first horror film you watched and how you felt about it? Describe
the experience of watching this film in as much detail as you can. How old were you? Did
you watch the film with friends? At home or at the cinema? What was the atmosphere like?
What made you want to see it? Were your parents/ carers aware that you were watching
this film?
5. Why do you think the horror genre is so controversial? Can you recall any horror films that
have caused media debates?
6. List at least five reasons why you think the horror genre is so popular. Do you think it has a
particular appeal for certain audiences? If so, who and why?
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Changes to the Horror Genre Over Time:
Dracula Case Study
Some critics and academics argue that, while the earliest horror films represent
concerns about supernatural but easily identifiable threats which have come
from elsewhere such as monsters, werewolves and mummies, the horror genre is now primarily
concerned with threats closer to home and less obviously ‘evil’, such as characters who may
appear to be typical neighbours but who are actually serial killers. However, it soon becomes
clear that it is not possible to view the horror genre in terms of a straightforward continuum
like this when we look at the number of recent films that re-tell old stories albeit in different
ways. Texts from the vampire sub-genre, particularly those dealing with the Dracula story, are
interesting as a key to investigating how the horror genre has changed over time because of
their lasting popularity but changing appeal. The first film about Dracula, Nosferatu made in
1922, was produced at the beginning of the history of cinema, yet films representing Dracula,
notably Dracula 2000, continue to be made in the present day. Although the Dracula story, first
written by Bram Stoker in 1897 but exploiting an already established tradition of vampire
writing, provides the source for hundreds of texts across different times and cultures you will
find that the focus, style, techniques and values evident in the texts are often radically
different.
The activities below will make you aware of the importance of the Dracula story in popular
culture and help you identify and account for the changes in the way it has been represented in
film over time. Once you have completed them you could try the same sort of activities with
another horror sub-genre or investigate the development of another genre altogether. Perhaps
you could look at different film versions of Frankenstein which, like Dracula, are based on a
novel (Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and first published in 1818) that has captured the
imagination of vast numbers of film-makers and audiences for generations, or consider how the
romance or western genres have changed over time. Remember that popular texts both reflect
and influence the social, economic and political concerns of the times and cultures in which they
are produced, as well as the film industry itself, and you will need to research these contexts in
order to account for changes within genres and any rise and fall in their popularity.
1.
You have one minute to draw a picture of Dracula in the box below
2. What do you think was the inspiration behind your picture of Dracula? Where and when have
you come across representations of Dracula? Compare your picture with people sitting close
to you – what features do your pictures have in common and why do you think this is? As you
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The Horror Genre
go on to explore different representations of Dracula in film think about which your picture
most closely resembles: Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film? Gary Oldman in Coppola’s 1992 film?
3. Compare posters, book covers or video covers of different versions of the Dracula story
(the video covers of Nosferatu and Bram Stoker’s Dracula make a useful starting point. You
can find examples of film posters on www.imdb.com or www.allposters.com).
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What different aspects of the story are emphasised and are there any differences in
style?
How is the character of Dracula represented if at all?
Can you account for these differences?
4. Prepare to watch the opening 5-10 minutes of two different film versions of Dracula
(Dracula directed by Todd Browning in 1931 and Bram Stoker’s Dracula directed by Francis
Ford Coppola in 1992 have many interesting points of comparison and contrast).
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Make a list of the similarities and differences you would expect to find between these
two films using the following headings: representation of Dracula, representation of
women, fx/sfx, filming/editing techniques, mise-en-scene, narrative.
Is there any significant variation in the titles given to the Dracula films you are going to
analyse?
5. After watching the opening of each film jot down anything you find interesting about it and
then try to analyse it using the key media concepts or frameworks outlined by your exam
board.
6. When you have watched both film openings once or twice identify similarities and
differences between them and try to account for these using the chart provided. You will
need to carry out research into the contexts of both films to do this exercise thoroughly
and you may wish to refer to the separate sheet outlining reasons why genres change over
time to help you.
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The Horror Genre
Dracula (1931)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
(1992)
Reasons for similarities/
differences
Representation
of Dracula
Representation
of women
Fx/SFX/
camera and
editing
techniques
Mise-en-scene
Narrative
Sound
Others
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The Horror Genre