2. Silent films gave audiences a new way to experience terror, on a different medium. Expressionist paintings inspired early horror films due to their surreal dark imagery. Darkness and shadows were important features within horror films at the time, and they are still a prominent feature in the horror genre today.
3. Nosferatu The first silent horror film containing vampires, in 1922, was Nosferatu. The fear was created by the costume and make up, and facial expressions shown by the characters. The main character, Count Graf Orlok, had a “devil-rat face” which was unforgettable and unnerving. It also made use of silhouettes and shadows, as shown in this clip.
5. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari This film was a German expressionist classic. This film created fear by its use of scenery which included twisted alleyways and cramped rooms, which connote feelings of claustrophobia. Characters ran up the stairs and into blackness out of sight, causing suspense. This is shown in the next clip. It was brought to Hollywood in the 1920s, and it influenced the period of classic horror films in the 1930s.
7. These two films show audiences can be scared without the use of dialogue, and instead the use of lighting and media devices can bring fear to the audience. A non-diajectic soundtrack will also help create feelings of suspense and tension without the characters speech having an input.
