Screen History: The genre of horror in film applies to a ‘contemporary art form’ stemming from the roots of gothic literature which supplies ‘mass aesthetic stimulation’ through prompting a combination of fear and entertainment from its audience. This is often accompanied by fictional creatures such as vampires, demons and ghosts (Carrol 1990, p.1-2). When the narrative surrounding disembodied spirits or ‘ghosts’ is present, it usually accompanies the haunting of a house. Usually the principal surrounding the narrative involves the intrusion of initially unidentified chaos and destruction from within the house or home (Paquet-Deyris 2013). The late 1970s to early 1980s is often accredited as the prime time for the success of the haunted house sub-genre in film (Nakagawa 2017).
Following the major commercial success of The Amityville Horror in 1979, having grossed over $80 million with the box office in the United States, mass audience attention had gained the sub-genre with continued critical acclaim throughout during the 80’s (Levin 2011).
The Evil Dead – Having since gained recognition as a ‘cult classic’ for its low budget production since its release in 1981, it is well known for cultivating the demonic possession and ‘the haunting of the cabin in the woods’ horror tropes (Lavery 2009, p. 217–218). Despite the controversial use of body horror affecting some of its commercial potential (Hantke 2004, p. 126), director Sam Raimi is often credited for normalizing body horror and ‘an inventive and imaginative approach to sound and effects’. This would eventually inspire many future independent filmmakers to overcome their obstacles of budget or inexperience (Egan 2011, p. 40-41).
Poltergeist – Also being considered an iconic ‘cult classic’, having earnt the eighth-highest-grossing film within its year of release in 1982 (TheNumbers 1997), Poltergeist is known to audiences for its innovative use of high budget cinematography and ILM’s special effects (Ebert 1982). It also popularized the narrative of the fictional interaction between the ‘real world and supernatural dimensions. Poltergeist is often referred to as a staple, and often a standard, of the haunted house sub-genre (Paquet-Deyris 2013).
Beetlejuice – Following in the footsteps of its successful predecessor’s, Tim Burton achieved commercial success in 1988 through its use of body horror elements and use of special effects when presenting a narrative of ‘the real world and the land of the deceased’. Unlike The Evil Dead and Poltergeist, however, Beetlejuice is acclaimed for its welcoming of a more comedic approach to the sub-genre (Howe 1988).
The sub-genre then having then reached its peak through multiple varying approaches to success, was then open to becoming parodied towards the end of the decade. This outlines the reflectionist approach, the idea that genre’s in film reflect having served its primary function to society within a period of time, seeing the sub-genre to gradually decline until if or when it could become relevant again (Burke 2016).
