how events have changed the way monsters are portrayed in horror films

1. POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON HORROR
In the first half on the 20th
Century the EXTERNAL
MONSTER dominated the genre – they are outsiders who
threaten communities.
It is observed that these monsters can be seen to
represent specific cultural fears of the time, for
example:
 The threat of invasion generated by global
political uncertainty between the two wars (1918 –
1939) is reflected in the external monster
 The fear of the way science could be used in a
destructive way in the post-war ‘atomic age’
after the dropping of nuclear weapons on Japan is
reflected in the man-made monster

2. The idea of the INTERNAL MONSTER dominates modern
horror.
The shift from the external to internal may indicate
some of the fears and preoccupations that dominate
contemporary society:
 World War II showed that mankind was capable of
horrific acts; the genocide of the holocaust for
example. Rather than fearing outsiders this has
caused the culture to fear other humans – even
those within their own community
 Public understanding of psychology has increased
since the 1950s, particularly ‘abnormal
psychology’. This has added to the cultures fear
of other people who could look ‘normal’ but think
and behave in dangerous ways
 Modern society has become less actively religious.
Therefore ‘evil’ is often perceived as a possible
or even inherent human trait rather than something
that comes from elsewhere