"The Evolution of Horror Movies"

As a small child, one of the first emotions we express is fear. Fear of the dark, afraid to look
under our bed, and fear of the unknown is not only terrifying but also exhilarating.
The horror movies of today have evolved in that earlier horror flicks contained much less
blood and gore. One of the classics, 'House on Haunted Hill' starring Vincent Price debuted
in 1959 and terrified audiences without showing any gory details. Instead, the director
played on our fear and let the audience use their own imagination. The master of horror
Alfred Hitchcock knew how to manipulate and shock his audience by merely using camera
angles and special lighting, creating eerie shots of terror that panned in and out quickly on
his subjects. Who can forget the original ‘Psycho’ (1960) or 'The Birds' (1963) they are still
horrifying to watch.

Again I have mentioned a very small fraction of Horror classics, but I think you get the
idea. In 1999, Mr. Night Shyamalan 'Sixth Sense' debuted and received rave reviews from
audiences and critics alike. Although Shyamalan opted to include a few explicit scenes of
gore, but for only minor seconds, it still possessed much of the same elements as its counter
classics. The same classic style of the past can be said about M. Night Shyamalan's 2001
'The Others'.
 
Again, I have mentioned just a few of what I personally feel will stand the test of time as far
as horror classics go. I remember the first time I saw the original 'Halloween' it was 1978 and
just into a few minutes of the movie I was hooked. John Carpenter used our childhood fear
of the boogeyman, and one of the most celebrated holidays of the year to entice our
underlying insecurities in the fear of the unknown and the supernatural. I was hooked!
And then there is director, Rob Zombie's version - I must say, and I think many would agree, the director could have left out much of the slice and dice scenes, and it would have still been a terrifying horror flick.

Oh well, each to their own. One thing for sure there is plenty of horror flicks to choose
from, and with such an enormous variety, one is sure to find a favorite!