by Natalie Creagh and Aurora Grisham
From blood-filled elevators and “One Wish Willows,” to that feeling of anticipation and caution, wondering what’s going to happen next, horror movies can be a crowd favorite to some or a nightmare to others.
Horror films have been around for many years and have also changed with how fear is portrayed and what the generations consider scary. So how did this all start, and how do horror films continue to evolve and frighten people?
The first horror film ever made was “Le Manoir du diable,” known in English as “The Haunted Castle” or “The House of the Devil,” in 1869 by George Méliès. The film included cauldrons, bats, skeletons, and ghosts, things that someone in 2026 wouldn’t be as scared of.
The first popular, full-length horror film was “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” Other iconic classics include “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, about a scientist named Henry Jekyll who, when testing out a potion, becomes his beastly alter ego, Mr. Hyde, terrorizing and killing the people of London.
Everyone knows and loves the classic films, such as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Carrie,” but new movies are constantly coming out, like “Obsession” and the newly-released “Other Mommy.”
Everyone has their favorite horror movie, and there are many to choose from. Let’s see what movies students and staff prefer.
Junior Kai Helton, who says he prefers the more classic horror movies, said his favorite horror movie is the 1996 “Scream.” Helton said that, if he had to spend a full day in a horror movie, it would be “Silence of the Lambs.”
Helton said, “If I wasn’t a main character, I don’t think anything would happen to me.”
“The Silence of the Lambs,” released in 1991, follows a young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling, as she hunts for a serial killer, “Buffalo Bill,” and seeks advice from the brilliant psychiatrist and insane cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The movie is a psychological horror, full of moments of fear and suspense.
On the topic of psychological horror movies, sophomore General McLain finds that psychological horror movies are interesting. The movie McLain would want to be in was the 2005 movie “The Descent,” a movie about a group of friends going on a gone-wrong cave-diving expedition. McLain said that he prefers classical movies, with his favorite being “The Conjuring.”
With classical movies, APUSH and government teacher Robert Russell said that his favorite is “The Silence of the Lambs.”
“I think it’s the most realistic horror movie I’ve seen,” Russell said.
Russell responded to what movie he would prefer to be in with The Silence of the Lambs, for the reason of finding FBI profiling to be very interesting and their process of finding serial killers. He said that he prefers classic horror movies like “Halloween” and “Carrie.”
English teacher Grant Vance said, “I’m a huge fan of the original ‘Halloween,’ and I did my college English thesis paper on ‘Scream.’”
Vance felt that, if he had to spend a day in a horror movie, he would pick “ Buddy,” a new movie released in August of this year. “I think it would be a fun one,” he said. The story follows a group of kids trapped in a “Barney and Friends” style world with an orange unicorn named Buddy, who takes a dark turn from the typical kids’ show.
Most everyone likes horror films, with horror being a universal theme. From psychological to thriller, horror is an undying genre that is being constantly revamped and the standards are constantly changing. From “Le Manoir de diable” to “Obsession,” there’s always something for everyone to watch.
