The 'horror' genre was created by English literalists in the 1700's consisting of one main theme: gothic horror. Gothic horror films often enticed audiences with their large, medieval castle settings, gloomy lighting and surprisingly low budgets.
Some of the earliest films that are an example of classic Gothic horror are films such as Tod Browning's 1931 'Dracula'; Count Dracula, a charming Transylvanian vampire count who moves to England and preys on the vulnerable.
Another classic horror film which is an example of early Gothic horror is James Whales's 'Frankenstein': a scientist scrounges among graveyards in order to collect body parts from the deceased and uses them to create his own monster.
Throughout the years, directors and producers of horror have grown out of the 'Gothic' genre and progressed onto creating more of a modern outlook on horror films, such as applying horror to situations in every day life rather than only filming in a gloomy Victorian/ Elizabethan setting such as the films above; take the 'Scream' trilogy for example: a completely fresh outlook and concept of horror as the films do not rely on any spooky, medieval setting to give it depth or make it frightening, instead the producers allowed the chilling story line to speak for itself.
Despite this, producers of horror are sometimes keen to return back to their Gothic roots by creating pastiche films such as "The Woman In Black" which takes place in the Victorian era (assumed by the mise en scene due to the old fashioned outfits) and shares Gothic horror's conventions such as medieval buildings and foggy, gloomy settings.
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