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[ Friday, Oct. 30, 1998 ]
Horror films slash way through history
By KATHRYN GRAHAM
Collegian Staff Writer
As Marion Crane enjoys a hot shower away from the cold rain pouring outside, her muscles begin to relax and her eyes close in surrender to the onslaught of water. At this vulnerable moment, the filthy shower curtain suddenly rips open. Without a moment’s hesitation, a knife descends upon Crane’s naked body. Soon, the only sound is the trickle of the bloody water flowing into the drain. Memorable scenes such as this one from 1960's Psycho make horror one of the most popular genres in American film-making today. The elements of horror movies are used time and again because of the powerful lasting effects they have on audiences. "You have to realize that there is a difference between horror and terror," said Pat Trimble, instructor of integrative arts. "The terror scares you right away and leaves while the horror lingers. You can't escape it -- it haunts you." From the early work of Béla Lugosi in Dracula to the contemporary teen slasher movies such as Friday the 13th, horror films have spooked people with the same concepts, but new factors have been added.
ILLUSTRATION: Lela Kometiani and Stacy Olenoski
Yet the popularity of horror films continues, especially with the recent release of movies such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, as well as their sequels.
The following four films are examples of influential movies that advanced the horror industry and provided a foundation for a new breed of scary movies.
Its characteristics, so original for their time, are still used in films today, if only to imitate the creepy touch Hitchcock brings to his setting, characters and story lines.
The special effects are remarkable for the time in which The Exorcist was made and bring to life its lasting and often disgusting images.
In her cult role as Regan, Blair spits out green vomit, turns her head 360 degrees and moves objects around with her mind.
These striking visuals of Satanic possession leave an enduring impression on viewers.
Halloween's disturbing stalker image proved interesting enough to audiences to provide material for sequels. It became the first horror movie to jump into the sequel race with several follow-ups, including the recent Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later.
The entire Halloween series is, for some, one of the most unforgettable in the history of horror.
"I get really disturbed by the whole horror genre," Jeannie Im (junior-nutrition) said. "I've been scared since my older sisters made me watch that Halloween series."
With Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson writing and horror genius Wes Craven, of A Nightmare on Elm Street fame, directing, Scream's instant success was no shock.
The combined talents of Williamson and Craven created some memorable original moments in the film such as the classic scene where a roomful of teens debate the characteristics of a great horror movie, using Halloween as a reference.
