THE POPULARITY of horror is rooted in the fact that the genre reflects the collective consciousness of the public as shaped by shifting social circumstances. Through the world of horror fiction, writers and film directors have used metaphors to project the complex fears of society into their work. Whether it is tapping into the natural, human fear of the unknown, the uncomfortable thrill that comes from witnessing violence on screen, or metaphorical uncanniness that leave you awake at night, horror as a genre is valuable in its way of recording and reflecting the prominent anxieties of our time.

Monsters in the night

   Unpredictability in a constantly changing world was a familiar sensation for those who lived in the Victorian era, as they were experiencing the technological revolution of their time. There was little distinction between the genre of horror and science fiction because the “magical” effects of scientific advancements, such as the discovery of electricity, were considered by the public to be just as frighteningly mysterious as the supernatural. As such, one common theme that defined Victorian horror was the sense of terror deriving from the helpless awe of being faced with an unfathomable force of technological advancements.

   For example, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde channels the supernatural into the fear of the “unknown.” The fact that the book refuses to specify the scientific mechanism behind the procedure of separating Hyde from Jekyll does not allow its readers to fully understand the creature that is Hyde; in fact, we find that the most terrifying thing about Hyde is not his evil nature, but the fact that we do not know what he is capable of—or, more specifically, how Hyde’s mysterious scientific transformation “contributed” to the construction of his morality. Similarly, the damned monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein incites within the audience a sense of dread as the creature is the first of its kind—an “unnatural” being created by the fusing of corpses, birthed through a baffling, near supernatural process of science unable to be understood by the readers of the time. Such unfamiliarity adds fuel to the fire, so to speak, urging the audience to expand their fearful imagination into the answerless abyss. Moreover, the existence of Frankenstein symbolizes a radical yet deviant newness that goes against traditional religious beliefs which claim that science cannot grant men the powers to perform seemingly impossible, near god-like feats. This could have been a reflection on the skepticisms and awe the Victorians, in their highly orthodox and limited scientific knowledge, felt toward rapid technological discoveries.

   The defining factor of these stories is that what little is known about the monsters and the scientific process through which they came to existence are enough to inspire fear. Owing to the unpredictability of their actions and intentions, the readers expect harm from these creatures largely due to the natural human tendency to fear things that cannot be immediately understood. The Victorians lived in a time where rapid scientific advancements were reflected in the daily lives of the public; the most obvious examples being the steam engine-operated trains and photography. To a layperson, such technology may have seemed to bring seemingly impossible and magical ideas to life, prompting people to come up with ways to explain their perspective of the world using ghostly pseudoscience[1] and spiritualism.

The ubiquity of crime

   The golden age of American Hollywood horror in the 1970s and 80s are characterized by the theme of “ordinary victims in extraordinary situations” or “extraordinary murderers in ordinary situations.” As the genre deviated from European influences of traditional monsters such as the vampire, the subject of horror became one that is closer to home. By contrasting the grotesque images of a monster or crime scene with the ordinary nature of the victim, fear is derived from the fact that anything can happen to anybody.

   One example of the ubiquity of evil among the ordinary is shown in the comedic horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space, which is a cult classic low-budget film directed by the Chiodo Brothers. The main scare factor of this film is the fact that murderous clowns from outer space are everywhere, hiding in innocent looking carnival booths or inside a victim’s house. The oblivious nature in which the people treat these clowns allow them to blend into the public and effortlessly pick out their victims, thereby creating a stark contrast between the element of the “ordinary”—the victims—against the “extraordinary”—the perpetrators.

   The “killer walking among us” trope featuring criminals who hide in plain sight may have largely been inspired by the frenzied rise in serial killers in the United States. Research suggests that during the period between the 1960s and the 1980s, there were at least 200 serial killers operating in the United States alone[3]. During this period, the popularity of slasher films[4] was enjoying its peak due to the public’s fascination of the chilling dynamic between “the absence of security” and “the abnormality of an individual” who is capable of committing unspeakable murders[5]. Adding on to this public interest, the advent of believable special effects and prosthetics were also a significant contributor to the development of slasher films during this era[6]. Fake blood and gore in a slasher film became a spectacle of its own as the 1978 film Dawn of the Dead, directed by Zac Synder, paved the way for film prosthetics. The novelty of these techniques, assisted by the news stories of infamous serial killers, would have undoubtedly made a deep impact on the audience’s imagination.

   Ironically enough, the popularity of horror films can also be associated with the anxiety level of the general public. Psychological benefits of horror films stem from the fact that the audience is given an opportunity to explore their own fears in a safe environment; such movies also provide individuals a sense of comfort by helping them deem their own fears as “fictional.” It is also said that horror films, due to their black-and-white simplicity of moral values such as good and evil, bring a sense of clarity. According to the famous horror fiction writer Stephen King, scary stories “urges us to put away our more civilized and adult penchant for analysis and to become children again.” Indeed, the 1980s were a time where there were various social issues that presented anxiety, as evidenced by the “stranger danger” program that started in the 1970s, economic uncertainty, the prospect of a nuclear war, and so on. It is possible that the cultural tension of the era was projected into a violent imagination presented within slasher films.

   Another characteristic of slasher films is that there is most likely a “last girl standing” at the end of the film who is nominated to exterminate the offender or perish herself at the end of the movie. The “final girl” theory of Carol J. Clover states that this character is given the “privilege” of survival due to her moral superiority, which often refers to her refusal of worldly pleasures such as sex or drugs[7]. Observing films such as Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Clover identifies this tendency as the dynamic where the “pure, virgin princess” must defeat evil: a response to the 1970s and 1980s teen youth culture and sexual freedom. The heroine stands out as the “traditional” character who does not partake in the activities of the “cool kids” and stays sexually reserved. With an interview with The Yonsei Annals, Michael Szalay (Prof., Dept. of English, University of California) remarked that “Although it is difficult to state that a single, defining political movement or legislation had an impact in the trend of horror fiction, Clover’s ‘final girl theory’ can be identified with the backlash against feminism in the 1970s in a sense that the girl is faced with all these terrible incidents.” The presence of a helpless girl as a victim in horror movies can be interpretated in both feminist and anti-feminist perspectives, with the former pointing towards the fact that the girl is given the power of action against her offenders, and the latter referring to the fact that her sexuality is muted by her chaste values and her portrayal as an androgynous character.

Metaphorical horror

   In the 21st century, horror has become a device that provides suspense and discloses different themes or subjects that are relevant to the audience. This has made it common for horror to pair up with other genres to create a premise in which the horrific situation takes place. The fact that modern horror is often presented in conjunction with a wider range of genres that help reveal the cultural atmosphere of the society is a contributing factor behind why horror has become more mainstream.

   One of the themes that are spotlighted in the 21st century is the need for a sense of community. According to an article in Vox, horror films of the 2010s can be associated with the cultural mission to find “a shared language, a shared myth, [and] a shared community.” The advent of internet communities and social media has not only brought like-minded people closer together, but it has also contributed to dividing the public into “us” and “them” on various aspects such as political agendas, social backgrounds, and even preferences in cultural taste. Emily St. James, the writer of the article, points to the Ari Aster film Midsommar as an example of horror films reflecting the desire for a community. In the film, there is a stark distinction between the outside world and the Swedish commune where a seemingly innocent midsummer celebration is taking place. As sensible and ordinary the outside world may be to others, Dani feels isolated as she is left alone to grieve for the death of her family and to work through a toxic relationship with her partner. In contrast, the commune, despite its clear signs of abnormality, provides a tightly knit community willing to accept Dani as one of them. According to Maria Lattila’s article Midsommar: A Study of Grief, Community, and Femininity, the film is about “Dani’s search for a sense of belonging, home and family in the midst of horrendous waves of grief”—a feeling of loss so powerful and deep that her decision to stay with the Swedish cult goes against typical sense and logic. What triggers a fear response in the audience, along with the horrifying rituals of the cult, is the fact that Dani is seen to be descending into madness where her extreme desires to belong in and be comforted by a community prompt her to entirely lose her sense of self.

   In addition to the emphasis on community, the “new wave of horror” in the 21st century is characterized by the metaphorical expressions—in a physical, and often monstrous, form—of the nameless hardships found in daily lives. Szalay explains that “in the United States, there has been a rise of African American horror film directors in the last ten years (...) and recent horror draws its power from everyday realities of black life in America. It is different from the traditional horror genres where the monster is some unnamable thing or something that is feared but not directly confronted.” Unlike the 20th century slasher films where the “ordinary” victim is contrasted with the extraordinary monster, the horror films of the 21st century uses the monster to embody the cruelty and evil of real life in physical form. Examples of this can be found in the movie Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele. Being a psychological horror film about the Armitage family kidnapping and selling black people through possessing their minds, the movie hints at various racial problems of the United States, especially of the white liberals who, while claiming not to be racists, has false assumption that racial equality has been reached in the country[8]. Peele portrays the feeling of not being able to experience true acceptance in certain circles as a racial minority, as well as being invalidated by “colorblind” people who refuse to acknowledge that there are different life experiences for different races.

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   By looking at the different types of horror that were popular in each era, it is possible to gain valuable insight into the mass psychology of the general public that is specific to a certain time period. However, one question remains as to what the genre of horror will look like in the years to come. Although we do not know what novel territories horror will venture into, it can be assumed that the genre will shift and evolve to respond the haunting anxieties that will newly emerge among the next generation. Fear plays an important part in the shaping of the social atmosphere as well as our individual lives—as long as darkness lives on, audiences will never cease to be fascinated by the portrayal of horror in the arts.

[1] Pseudoscience: Assertions or findings made through seemingly scientific, but false observations; examples include phrenology, which claims that the shape of a person’s head determines their personality

[2] Vantage

[3] BBC

[4] Slasher films: A sub-genre of horror that features violent murders, most commonly committed by a blade

[5] Film Inquiry

[6] Skill Set

[7] In Their Own League

[8] Medium