A tribute to horror films... just in time for Halloween!

It's that time of year again. Trick or treaters everywhere, candy by the boat loads and costumes from the elaborate and clever costumes to the put together at the last minute costumes. But to be honest my favorite part of Halloween is the movies. They can range anywhere from the family oriented movies like Hocus Pocus or the more horror style of movie like Nightmare on Elm Street.  I prefer the horror style of movie this time of year.

Now none of these films would be around if it weren't for the pioneer of horror films, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. Many of his films are considered to have established the benchmark for horror films. Almost every horror film can have at least one of their cinematography techniques traced back to one of Hitchcock's films. During their time, movies such as Psycho and The Birds terrified audiences. With clever cinematography and editing techniques, Hitchcock was able to strike fear into the hearts of audiences all over the world. Never before has a movie been able to strike emotions into an audience quite like Hitchcock can.






But in recent years horror films have somewhat strayed away from Hitchcock's style of horror. There are still traces of the same kind of scare factor Hitchcock was known for but now horror films are aiming for what I like to call "Gross-factor." By that I mean they will do everything they can think of to absolutely disgust and shock an audience. Instead of making us jump out of our seats with fear, horror films now a days make us cringe in our seats. Some examples include, Ithaca College's own Dan Heffner's Saw series, The Hills Have Eyes series, and The Human Centipede series.  I believe that these films are redefining the horror genre. The Gross-Horror films strike fear into it's audiences by grossing them out beyond their wildest imaginations.

Lastly, scary movies have become a part of Halloween more than ever. Iconic horror film characters such as Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street, Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th , and Michael Myers from Halloween have all become regulars as Halloween costumes.
You can't deny the impact that horror films have on people when deciding on what they want to be for Halloween. Its amazing the influence a movie can have on people.

 

Enjoy your trick-or-treating and watch a good horror film or two with your candy this Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone!