Horror movieshave always been a significant part of Hollywood,dating back to the silent era,when German expressionism dominated the genre with films likeNosferatuandThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.When the talkie era began, horror became a dominant genre, withUniversal horror monsters dominating the box office.
DraculaandFrankensteinarrivedin 1931, and by the 1940s, everything fromThe Wolf MantoThe Invisible ManandThe Mummyhad made their debut in horror cinema. However, their reign at the top lasted only a little over a decade, and it all ended due to one thing.World War II led to significant changes in horrorcinema.
World War II’s Real-Life Horror Made Universal Monsters Obsolete
The War’s Horrors Made Universal Monsters Not So Scary
World War II began in 1939, but the United States chose to remain disconnected from the war, with many in the country considered isolationists. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, America joined the war in 1941, and the draft sent many young men overseas. By this time,all movies began to change, none more so than the horror genre.
World War II had two effects on horror movies. It took away a significant amount of money from these productions, and it created a sense of horror in American moviegoers that overshadowed vampires, werewolves, and supernatural creatures. Mass deaths on the battlefields, extermination camps, and, eventually, the big bomb made these monsters less frightening.
The loss of money led to B-grade horror films by previous icons, such as Bela Lugosi (Dracula) and Boris Karloff (Frankenstein). The Universal Monster movies also suffered a considerable decline in quality at the time. However, this also led to a change in horror in the 1940s, with the best coming from Val Lewton and RKO.
Lewton produced movies likeCat People,I Walkedwith a Zombie,andThe Leopard Man,which eliminated supernatural monsters and created a more cerebral and human monster in their place. These movies, made between 1942 and 1946, marked the beginning of a gradual shift in horror, with the war causing terror to become a new staple of the genre.
Hollywood Transitioned From Monsters To Sci-Fi Horror Following World War II
Alien Invasions & Giant Monster Movies Symbolized The War & Fear Of Outsiders
Thanks mostly to things like the extermination camps and the atomic bomb, the form ofhorror moved away from the supernatural and into the area of sci-fi.There was also a sci-fi slant in Universal horror, asFrankensteinandThe Invisible Manwere both firmly rooted in the concept of mad scientists.However, the 50s had a different sci-fi feel.
Instead of mad scientists, it was either the world creating the horrors through things like atomic bombs and nuclear testing, or it was otherworldly aliens, which was a stand-in for the idea of Germany and Japan attacking other countries in World War II. During the 1950s, the classic Universal Monsters almost entirely disappeared.
In its place were movies likeThe Thing from Another World(1951), which blended the concept of an invasion of another society with the Cold War and the communist scare.More invasion monster movies arrived,such asThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms(1953),Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956), andThem!(1954).
The introduction of world-destroying monsters, an apparent fear left over from World War II.
The change here was the introduction of world-destroying monsters, an apparent fear left over from World War II.Between these alien invasions and giant monster movies,as well as a new horror genre featuring ghosts that represented the dead and lost in the world after the war, horror had a new face, all created from the war’s aftereffects.
Japan Helped Master Giant Monster Movies After The Atomic Bomb
Japan Created Godzilla Based On World War II’s Bomb
This led to the creation of the one monster that completely combined the fears of World War II with the new sci-fi horror movies that had replaced the old-school monsters. In 1954,Japan created its giant monster movieGojira.Known in the United States as Godzilla, this monster emerged as a direct result of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan.
The fear in Japan was greater than anywhere else. While America celebrated the end of the war after dropping the bombs, millions of Japanese people died as a result. The fear of anothernuclear holocaust in the country led to Godzilla’s rise, and he stood for years as a sign of what happens when science leads to destruction.
Hammer Horror Finally Helped Monsters Return To Prominence
Hammer Horror Brought Back Dracula & Frankenstein A Decade Later
It took many years after World War II for anyone tofind the original Universal Monsters scary again.What is there to fear from a blood-sucking vampire or a werewolf when the real world has shown that everyone can die if someone orders just one bomb to be dropped on their city? However, time often heals fears, and soon the original monsters returned.
In 1955,Hammer Horror began making movies,although these originated in Britain, not the United States. The company felt it was time to revive classic horror, and after starting with smaller films likeX: TheUnknown,they finally brought back the old Universal Monsters.
In 1957, 12 years after World War II ended,Hammer Horror brought back Frankenstein’s MonsterinThe Curse of Frankenstein,and then, in 1958, they resurrected the vampire inDracula.With Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee signed to deals, this British movie company brought the classic monsters back to the forefront once again.
Wars Have Always Changed How Fans View Horror Movies
Real-World Horrors Will Always Change Horror Movies
The idea thatWorld War II changed the face of horroris something that has occurred during most of the wars involving the United States over the years. During the Vietnam War, the popularity of monster movies died again and was replaced by more dirty, personal horror withThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandHalloween.
The Iraq War in the 90s also saw a slowdown in silly monster movies, such as theFriday the 13thandNightmare on Elm Streetmovies, because they were no longer as scary as wars. It seems that when Americans encounter real-world horrors that are scarier than fictional monsters, horror movies will always face a time of change.
Old-school monsters likeDracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man will always exist,and they will continue to be revived for new generations. However, thanks to real-world horrors resulting from wars and other atrocities, horror constantly changes to deal with what people are really scared of. It changedhorror moviesduring World War II and will change them again in future conflicts.
