Cannibalism, Ghosts and Costume horror in Films

1. Cannibalism, Ghosts and Costume horror in Films

2. When did we first see cannibalism in films? • The first cannibal film hit the big screens in 1972, this then lead to a boom in the creation of cannibal films in the 1970’s which included titles like Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals and Mountain of the Cannibal God. •  Though Umberto Lenzi started the cannibal genre with his film Man from Deep River in 1972, it was not until Ruggero Deodato released his film Last Cannibal World in 1977 that the concept of cannibal films began to catch on.

3. The 1980’s • The 1980’s was the decade when the world saw just how far directors could take cannibal films, with the release of films like Eaten Alive, Zombie Holocaust and not forgetting the highly controversial Cannibal Holocaust. These films however were a large success with Cannibal Holocaust grossing £2million within the first ten days of screening before it was banned in many countries across the world.

4. The 90’s and 00’s • In the 90’s and 00’s we as an audience first met Hannibal Lecter on screen in The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel of the novel Red Dragon (released in 1981). We then see him again in the film ‘Hannibal’ (2001) where he becomes the main character. At this point many of the younger audience would not have possibly seen previous cannibal films so this would have been new for them. A prequel was later released in 2007.

5. When did we first see ghosts in films? • Ghosts in films can go back to the days of early film, however one of the first successful ghost films was ‘The Haunting’ (1963) which was re-released in 1999 under the same name and made $177,311,151 in the box office.

6. How ghost films have developed along side technology • Like all genres of film including horrors, the way they are produced have changed along with technology, and this has helped horror films around the sub-genre of ghosts because we can create more realistic looking CGI ghosts. This helps the audience get deeper into the plot. With films like ‘Sinister’ coming out in the near future that take advantage of the new technology available to use ghost films should become even more scary than those seen before.

7. Its not all about the scare factor! • Directors have not always chosen to go down the typical haunting route when making a ghost film, we have seen films that range from comedy to romantic ghost genres, and the 1970’s gave this to the audience. We saw screen depictions of ghosts diverge into distinct genres of the romantic and horror. A common theme in the romantic genre from this period is the ghost as a benign guide or messenger, often with unfinished business, such as 1989's Field of Dreams, the 1990 film Ghost, and the 1993 comedy Heart and Souls.

8. The 90’s and 00’s • The 90s saw a return to classic “gothic” ghosts, whose dangers were more psychological than physical. Examples of films from this period include 1999’s The Sixth Sense, and 2001’s The Others. • Asian cinema has been adept at producing horror films about ghosts, such as the 1998 Japanese film Ringu (remade in America as The Ring in 2002), and the Pang brothers' 2002 film The Eye.

9. Costume Horrors? • Costumes have been used in films since films were first produced, but none are more recognisable than horror costumes. The costumes that the directors choose to have for their man baddy can make or break a film. The Freddie Krueger series was possibly so successful because of the iconic outfit.

10. Successful Costume Horrors • A short list of successful horrors that have had iconic costumes for the lead characters include; Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Ghost-face (Scream), Pinhead, Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster.