One of my favourite pop culture useless pieces of information that I know is the fact that trends in horror movies can tell you about the general fears of the world at any given time in cinematic history.
Sorta!
1940s - You have people still alive that remember Jack the Ripper, you have the Axeman of New Orleans and two world wars. The classics are being made for shock escapism and dark stalkers are also popular (usually trusting people turning out to be the enemy).
1950s - post-nuclear bomb. Giant monsters, or unknown blobs are the trend.
1970s/1980s - modern era begins, and serial killers are becoming known and prominent. Slasher films are the trend. The Cold War also drives the fear of invasion, so a few alien films come out in this time.
1990s - a horror movie lull, and lull in wars and disturbances.
2000s - fear of invasions and biological warfare. Zombie movies become the trend.
Here you go! It's just a random article, but it's a fun starting point. It outlines the ideas better than what I did above. Fears, politics etc all play a role.
Film has always been a reflection of our society. When world events occur or certain beliefs become widespread, they naturally shape our per
I literally did a 100k PhD thesis on this. I can recommend you a different scholarly book for every decade of American horror.
