The first version of supernatural events appeared in several silent short films created by Georges Melies "Le manoir du Diable" in the 1890s. This is credited as the first horror film. It tells a story about an encounter with a devil its main purpose is to create amusement from the audience rather than fear. But because of its themes of the devil it can be classified as the first horror film.
The word "Horror" began to be used to describe the film genre in the 1930s and this is where Universal pictures began a Gothic horror film series which combines fiction, horror , death and romance. Some examples of gothic horror are Dracula by Toby Browning's in 1931 and Frankenstein by James Whales in 1931.
With the advances in technology in the 1950s and 60s horror films shifted form the Gothic to contemporary concerns like humanity overcoming threats such as alien invasions and deadly mutations in humans and animals for example Godzilla(1954).
In the 1970s and 80s there was a release of more films with occult (knowledge of the paranormal) like The exorcist(1978) which has been rated the best horror film of all time. Its a supernatural film directed by William Friedkin, the plot of the film is about a demonic possession of a 12 year old girl. This film made $193 million in the box office.
During the 90s this is where slasher style films became popular in the horror genre. Slasher films is a sub-genre of horror and involves a violent psychopath murdering several victims with bladed tools. Examples of these type of films are Halloween(1978)and A nightmare on Elm street(1984).
During the 2000s this is where there wasn't many releases of horror films and only remakes of old horror films like the extended version of The Exorcist(2000).
In 2010 this is where a popular rise in horror TV series began for example "American Horror Story" where each series focus on a different topic for example Coven and Asylum. Other TV series like the "Walking Dead" which shows life during a zombie Apocalypse. Even in the 21st century the horror genre still uses themes like supernatural presences e.g "paranormal activity" that began in the 1890s.
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