Genre Development | Part 3 | Classical

Contents:

• Genre Development | Part 1 | Introduction
• Genre Development | Part 2 | Primitive
• Genre Development | Part 3 | Classical
• Genre Development | Part 4 | Revisionist
• Genre Development | Part 5 | Parodic
• Genre Development | Part 6 | An Overview

Films that fall within the Classical category are the ones that are created when the genre is at its peak. This is when the genres characteristics have been fully defined, and when people know what to expect when they sit down to watch a horror film. There have been many films made during this era, with two of the most famous film makers being Alfred Hitchcock and George A. Romero.

Alfred Hitchcock is known as being the filmmaker that really understood the genre that he was working with and knew how to incite terror into his audience. One of the most famous of his films is the film Psycho, in which a secretary steals $40,00 from her employers client and ‘goes on-the-run’, ending up in a motel. A clip from the film can be seen below:

There have been other classical films that have been made over the years that have shocked and terrified its audiences. One such film, The Shining is infamous for just this reason.

It follows a family who are stranded in an isolated hotel for the winter, Where an evil presence influences the father to become insane and increasingly violent towards his wife and son. The most well-known clip of the film can be seen below:

Because this film is so infamous, it has influenced a number of other films and television shows to remake and parody the story line. One of these include the popular series The Simpsons. This version can be seen below:

There are some of the most well-known Classical horror films. The Classical type of horror films really connected the audience with the genre, scaring them more than they had ever been whilst watching a film.