Evolution of supernatural horror

1950s

• Films were inspired by WW2, ie. new breed of monsters, human faces attached to evil

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

• A millionaire entices five unlucky souls into his haunted mansion with the promise of a cash prize if they can survive the night.
• This version is all about the quick shock and overnight survival of the fittest. 

1960s

• Films made on low budgets 
• Debunk old taboos and explore new ways of perceiving sex and violence
• A number of ghost stories hit the screen in the early 1960s
• Black and white photography and minimal special effects.
• These films can be seen as a reaction against the elaborate creature

Carnival of souls (1962)

• The evolution of supernatural films has developed because unlike House on Haunted Hill from the last decade, this decade focuses on the eerie atmosphere and special effects.  

Rosemary’s baby (1968)

• Again, this film focuses on the eerie atmosphere and explores new ways of perceiving sex and violence
• Starts bringing in a sense of evil 

1970s

• Films were made dealing with contemporary society issues and addressing psychological fears

The Exorcist (1973)

• The special effects (created mechanically, on set, rather than added in post production) are combined with deft cinematography and exemplary use of sound (awarded an Oscar). 
• The Exorcist marks the beginning of a new part of a cycle in the genre.

1980s

• This era focuses on evil spirits/possession

The Evil Dead (1981)

• The Evil Dead focuses on five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a remote wooded area. After they find an audiotape that releases a legion of demons and spirits, members of the group suffer from demonic possession, leading to increasingly gory mayhem.

2000s

• The 9/11 event that happened in 2001 changed global perceptions of what is frightening, and set the cultural agenda for the following years. The film industry, already facing a recession, felt very hard hit as film-makers struggled to come to terms with what was now acceptable to the viewing public. 
• Originally, Ghost Ship was a relatively bloodless psychological thriller as opposed to a more blatantly supernaturally-themed film. Most notably, much of the film's gore is absent from the screenplay. 

Final Destination (2000)

• Final Destination marks a significant shift. By the end of the 1990s the slasher/killer was played out as a horror trope. The new millennium brought with it a new unease, a feeling that the evil in the world cannot be contained inside one masked, wise-cracking human. Step forward the most ancient and enduring of human adversaries: Death.

The Ring (2002)

• This film is about a journalist who must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it. It was the beginning of a ‘possessed object’ era which has created a trend and also brings in the dangers of technology.