Holiday  Features

The thrill of being scared is something people have sought for hundreds of years. Whether that's through stories, poems, plays, film, or haunted haunted houses, there's always been gateways to being spooked. But I think it's fair to say that horror movies from 40 years ago were less scary than they are today. However, what about horror films 70 years ago or 100 years ago? How has the horror film genre changed from when it started in 1890 with “Le Manoir du Diable”? I’m going to be analyzing one movie from a certain decade and then comparing the films to see how they influence each other while also creating fresh, new ideas to keep audiences coming back.

Le Manoir du Diable (The house of the devil), released in 1896, is a black and white silent film written and directed by Georges Méliès and thought to be the first horror film ever made. This film follows a man that has an encounter with the devil as he explores a mansion. The devil torments the explorer by using magic and supernatural creatures that attack him until he eventually picks up a cross off the wall and uses it to scare off the devil.This is a very simple film, which is expected considering its age. It's all filmed on one set and has no more than a few actors in the whole movie. It uses simple, practical effects to create visuals for the magic used by the devil throughout the film. An example of these effects is the fake bat on a string used to show the bat that the devil transforms into, which is thought to be one of the first examples of a vampire in a film. Although this is technically a horror film, audiences were not scared by it- at first. In the book Universal Monsters: Origins, Christopher Ripley states, "If Méliès was shooting for terror, he fell short of the mark. Initially the film was amusing to its audience, rather than terror-inducing.” Although this film didn't do a great job at actually creating a sense of horror for the audience, it definitely set the stage for one of the best film genres of all time, especially for the movies that followed in the next 50 years.

Dracula, released in 1931, is the first of the Universal Monster movies, all released in the early to mid 1900’s. The Universal Monster movies are one of the earliest examples of a cinematic universe, which has become a popular trope in the film industry, especially with superhero movies. This film follows Dracula and his assistant, Renfield, after they travel to London to inhabit his new castle. But things go left as Renfeild gets arrested and Dracula starts to terrorize the city by sucking the blood of young women. This blood sucking catches the attention of vampire hunter Van Helsing, who is enlisted on a mission to put an end to Dracula’s blood sucking killing spree. This film follows the popular theme (at the time) of using vampires to spook the audience, and does a much better job at it then Le Manoir du Diable. This film actually has some creepy moments throughout, even if it still has the simple effects that Le Manoir du Diable did. Unlike Le Manoir du Diable, this movie has a beautiful and large set full of cobwebs and real animals like armadillos, raccoons, and bees. One animal they did not have access to is bats. They still use the method of putting a fake bat on a string and moving it up and down to replicate the movement of a bat flapping its wings, but these bats do look much more real than the one in Le Manoir du Diable. Another theme that this film carries from Le Manoir du Diable is the idea of using religious themes as a weakness for the antagonist. As stated by ThisIsHorror.com: “it is easier to utilise religion as it ties in with [horror] quite nicely. Also, the fact that the Bible itself is full of horrific stories of death, retribution, and blood-letting, so it's an easier fit than any other genre out there.” The theme of religion continues to be very prominent in horror movies, even today. 

Psycho, written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1960, is widely considered to be the first slasher film of the genre. Slasher films went on to be the most popular subgenre in horror creating iconic characters such as Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy Krueger. This film follows Marion Crane after she steals $40,000 (about half a million today) and flees the state to start a new life with her money. After almost crashing due to her sleepiness the night before, she decides it’d be a good idea to stop at a motel and sleep for the night. But things quickly take a turn for the worse after Norman Bates, the psychotic man that runs the motel, kills her and hides her body along with her car in a swamp near the hotel. The rest of the movie follows Marion’s sister and Marion’s boyfriend as they try to figure out what happened to her after she fled the state. This is an amazing movie with strong acting, great cinematography, a beautiful and dark environment, and a shocking twist at the end of the movie that makes the already terrific film so much better. Twist endings went on to be another popular trope in horror movies, especially with the scream franchise in the 90’s and 2000’s. Something that was yet to come into the genre up until this point is any kind of gore or visual violence. This is due to the laws put on the film industry in the early 1900’s that made it difficult to depict violence of any kind. These laws, called “The Hays Code, deemed what would be acceptable and unacceptable for moviegoers (Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana).” In 1954 the film industry realized they had their 1st amendment right to say and do what they wanted in their movies and the Hays code was lifted. This film is one of the first horror movies to have on-screen kills with blood and visual violence. Although it's not as gory or bloody as movies are today, this movie was pretty out there for the time. After the Hays Code was lifted, filmmakers started “daring to tear down the puritanical shields of what was considered "appropriate"(slashfilm.com.). There are 2 on-screen kills in this movie, one of them being the iconic shower kill. That kill along with the twist at the end of the movie is what solidified this film as one of the most iconic movies of all time.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, released in 1974, is an all American psychological horror/slasher film directed by Tobey Hooper and co-written by him and Kim Henkel. This movie follows a group of friends going on a road trip down south. After stopping at an abandoned house to explore the area a bit, they quickly find out that this little town is run by a family of cannibals that want nothing more than to kill and eat them. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, although technically being a slasher, truly stands out with the psychological terror it produces in the third act. For nearly 30 minutes of straight screaming, chasing, and disturbing scenes, the final act of this film works up a truly real sense of horror for the audience, all while still having hilarious moments of pitch-black comedy due to the cannibalistic family’s erratic dynamic. The inspiration from the family in this movie can be not only seen in other horror films, but also in video games. In fact, just about every single crazy, killer family in any media from the past 50 years is probably heavily inspired by this film, but nothing can quite live up to the original title. Jason Zinoman, writer for The New York Times, states “[Texas Chainsaw Massacre] has been stubbornly hard to imitate in comparison with peers like “Night of the Living Dead” and “Halloween,” which spawned entire genres.” Even with its difficult imitation level, this movie is still one of the most influential slashers of all time due to it being one of the first movies to have a “final girl.” A final girl happens whenever there's a group of friends or family in a horror movie and everyone dies but one girl, the “final girl.” Final girls have been a thing in practically every slasher film since this movie hit theaters in the 70’s, it's gotten to the point that people can easily guess who the final girl will be in the first few minutes of a movie. This movie’s final girl was made solo by the iconic character “Leatherface,” the killer who made chainsaws scary.  A character so popular that he’s been added to video games, parodied countless times, and even straight up ripped off. This movie is one of the early slashers that helped lay the groundwork with how the subgenre works; with everything from stupid characters to memorable killers, this movie is truly a 70’s slasher film. 

The art of creating horror, although frequently attempted, is not an easy feat. That's why it's so amazing to see done, no matter how good the piece of media is. Watching all of these movies has helped show me how something like a simple silent film can grow into a whole culture of fear and terror. People love being scared and that’s why the genre was able to grow from a 4 minute silent film to a terror-inducing killing spree. This experience has shown me that even a movie from the 1930’s can spook me a little bit, and it's only up from there.

Works Cited

Hackett, Ygraine, and Ygraine Hackett. “Censoring Fear: 7 Hays Code Horrors.” Fangoria, 3 August 2022, https://www.fangoria.com/censoring-fear-7-hays-code-horrors/.

“Religion Won't Save You: Religious Tropes in Horror Films.” This Is Horror Podcast, https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/features/religion-wont-save-you-religious-tropes-in-horror-films/.

Ripley, Christopher. Universal Monsters: Origins: The legends behind the world's greatest cinematic monsters. Eskdale and Kent Publishing Limited, 2016.

Zinoman, Jason. “'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and the Lessons Few Horror Films Get Right (Published 2022).” The New York Times, 18 March 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/movies/texas-chain-saw-massacre-x-ti-west.html.

Halloween is an important holiday around the world and people celebrate it in different ways. “Many people believe that Halloween originates from an old Druid festival called Samhain. But according to at least one expert, that might not necessarily be the case.” (The History of Halloween: Why We Celebrate the Spooky Holiday). Many people have a lot of beliefs about why we celebrate Halloween, whether it be for fun, dressing up, the parties, or taking on the spooky stories told around the holiday, but that can be far from the truth. The Halloween traditions go back centuries.

What Did Halloween Originate From?

Halloween has been around since the early 1900’s and has still been one of the most mysterious holidays around the world. A lot of Celtic lore is behind Halloween and originally started in the United States in the late 1800’s because of the Celtic religion. “According to Kelly, Halloween took root in the U.S. sometime around the 19th century, when the Irish immigrated to America, bringing their traditions and celebrations, including All Saints’ Day, with them.” (The history of Halloween: Why We Celebrate the Spooky Holiday). All Saint’s Day was celebrated by the early settlers of the United States, honoring the lives of those who journeyed to heaven. Even though All Saint’s Day was celebrated on November 1st, a new holiday emerged with the date set back 1 day and the name, Halloween!

What Do Other People Do To Celebrate the Holiday?

In the United States, people celebrate Halloween by dressing up as their favorite characters, monsters, or pretty much anything. People go door to door saying “trick or treat!” and being gifted a piece of candy. In St. Louis, kids do the same thing but instead of saying “trick or treat,” they tell a joke to get a piece of candy. Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Latin America, where people dance and sing and have fun on this holiday. “In Mexico, Latin America and Spain, All Souls’ Day, which takes place on November 2, is commemorated with a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of October 31. The celebration is designed to honor the dead who, it is believed, return to their earthly homes on Halloween. Many families construct an altar to the dead in their homes to honor deceased relatives and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, samples of the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks, and fresh water.” (Halloween Around the World). In Ireland, people do the same thing as people do in the United States. But after they are done Trick-or-Treating, they play games all night long and bake pastries for everyone to enjoy. “After trick-or-treating, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At the parties, many games are played, including “snap-apple,” a game in which an apple on a string is tied to a doorframe or tree and players attempt to bite the hanging apple. In addition to bobbing for apples, parents often arrange treasure hunts, with candy or pastries as the “treasure.” (Halloween Around the World). Many other places like China, Japan, England, France, and many others celebrate Halloween with festivals or games that were introduced by immigrants making homes in new lands. Carving pumpkins is another tradition many people like to do. They are known as Jack-O-Lanterns. You will carve out a face or a design on a pumpkin and put a light in it. Many families will get together and carve their Jack-O-Lanterns for fun. It is said that the practice of making Jack O'Lanterns came from an Irish myth: “A man named ‘Stingy Jack’ invited The Devil to have a drink with him. Sting Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced The Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to pay for his drink. Jack decided to keep the money and put it next to a silver cross which prevented The Devil from escaping. Jack freed The Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year… The next year Jack tricked The Devil into getting a piece of fruit. Jack carved crosses on the tree so The Devil Couldn’t come down, he made The Devil promise that he wouldn’t bother him for 10 more years. Later, Jack died and God wouldn’t allow Jack into heaven and The Devil wouldn’t allow him into Hell. He sent Jack off into the Dark Night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal in a carved turnip and has been roaming the Earth ever since”  (​​How Jack O’Lanterns Originated). That is where the name and traditions came from.

Why Do People Dress Up on Halloween?

Way back people originally started dressing up to ward off spirits. It was believed that the spirits that had passed would come back to their homes. So people would dress in costumes and light fires. It was believed the spirits wouldn’t leave until the next date of November 1st. Today, people may not know the original reasons people wore costumes for Halloween. Nowadays many young kids and even some adults dress up to have fun. They go to parties or trick or treat. Some people just dress up to pass out candy. Even though many people may have forgotten the original traditions of Halloween, when they celebrate it, they’re still connected to the past. 

Halloween is known all over the world. Many people celebrate it in different ways. There are many different traditions almost every culture follows. The traditions we may follow now aren't too different from the ones in the past. Of course, we have adapted and picked up new traditions. There are traditions we keep like passing out “goodies” and dressing up. There are so many fun ways to celebrate Halloween and everyone celebrates differently.

Bibliography

Eye, Eleanor. “A Global Celebration: 12 Unique Halloween Traditions from Around the World | Interpro.” Interpro, https://www.facebook.com/interpro.translation .  18 Dec. 2023. 

“Halloween Around the World ‑ Traditions, Celebrations & Activities.” HISTORY, https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/halloween-around-the-world .  Accessed 21 Oct.2024.

“How Jack O’Lanterns Originated in Irish Myth Before We Carved Pumpkins, the Irish Chiseled Creepy Faces onto Turnips.” History, History News, 27 Sept. 2024, https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins 

| Justine Lofton. “Up North Historic Village to Transform into Halloween Attraction for One Day Only  - Mlive.Com.” Mlive, 14 Oct. 2024, https://www.mlive.com/life/2024/10/up-north-historic-village-to-transform-into-halloween-attraction-for-one-day-only.html 

Why Do We Celebrate Halloween? | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-celebrate-halloween  Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.

(This article contains horror concepts that could possibly scare readers. Read at your own discretion.)

INTRO

“If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.

God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby because it sure as hell has heard you” (Backroom Original Post).

WHAT IS THE BACKROOMS?

The Backrooms is described as a 600 Million Mile/Infinite (Depending on Fandom.) long complex of hallways and rooms, with repeating Yellow Wallpaper, Moist Carpet, and the Humbuzz of Fluorescent lights.

A terrifying combo of Liminal Spaces, and an Inescapable infinite prison. While it varies depending on what you follow, in many cases it is said that there is something in there with you… listening.

THE ORIGINAL

It is a normal day in 2018, and on a  random forum board on 4chan, there is a new post, reading: “If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms…”

While you shrug and scroll away, little would you know this post would spark one of the most well known horror concepts on the internet just a while later. The opening text in the intro of this article is what sparked the creation of thousands of videos, a movie, hundreds of games, and hundreds of thousands of fans.

THE WIKIS

In the Backrooms community, there are two main Wikis that people follow. The Wikidot, and the Fandom page. While they don't have many noticeable differences, I will list them here: (Level Count, Level Systeming, Monster Count, Lore, Sublevels, and “Groups” in the  Backrooms.) Now, in the wikis. the Backrooms are a ginormous complex of an incomprehensible amount of levels, each varying in complexity, concept, monsters, and atmosphere. But they do all stick to one main concept: Liminal Space. The base level is always the original concept, but it is debated in the communities if it should have a monster or not. While these are the most popular and well known community of the Backrooms, they are also usually deemed the least scary.

KANE PIXELS

The Kane Pixels Backrooms series is a series about a company that opened a portal to the Backrooms, and their shady business and research of “The Complex”. It also features “Found Footage” showing tapes that were collected by the Company. Now most of these Tapes are recorded in the Analog Horror Format, which is the same format as other popular series and movies such as: The Mandela Catalogue, The Blair Witch Project, V/H/S, Gemini Home Entertainment, and many more. This series was one of the reasons the Backrooms had a MAJOR blowup in 2022, despite it still being big before.

(Photo sourced from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo)

THE SEARCH

While the Backrooms are mainly known for the scary levels and monsters, a separate community well tied to the Backrooms community had sprouted. It turns out that the Backrooms photo actually couldn't be found, and its original source and its location in the world had seemed to be lost. For years, people have been looking for the original photo, but it had always been drawing back to the one post on 4chan from 2011, of scary liminal photos, until one day, someone made a breakthrough. While looking around on old image boards, they found an even older post of the original image, in which the photo linked on the post, the original Backrooms image, had a code in its file name. Using this code they were able to trace the year the photo was taken, what camera, and more. Using this data they found and plugging it in to some websites they found a result on The Wayback Machine. The website they found was an article from 2002 of a furniture store being remodeled into a remote control race car venue. While there were only 2 images found, one of them was actually the original Backrooms image! After further research and a few days the actual location turned out to be 807 and 811 Oregon Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The actual business is called Bob's Hobby/The Revolution Raceway.

BOB'S HOBBY

The Revolution Raceway, also known as Bob's Hobby, is a raceway establishment in Wisconsin. In the photo below, is the owner Bob Mazza.

(Photo sourced from: https://wtaq.com/2024/06/19/into-the-backrooms/)

In 2002 while remodeling the old furniture store, he and his friend would take photos in which he would upload the photos to a lost online site, which would eventually lead to

someone picking up the photo 16 years later and causing the start of the entire community!

(For more info on this subject, view this website: https://wtaq.com/2024/06/19/into-the-backrooms/)

THE CONCLUSION

In the end, it honestly truly surprises me how much info, popularity, ideas, and so much more can be pulled from just a simple image of some yellow rooms. I'm hoping in this article you found useful info, and decently interesting facts about the horror concept that is the Backrooms!

(p.s., you should check out Kane Pixels series, it is genuinely terrifying at  some parts  and also very interesting!) 

(Photo sourced from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms)