Horror Movie Speaker

From serial killers to alien movies, horror films have evolved over time.

What might have been scary 20 years ago, isn’t scary today.

Or sometimes, what wasn’t scary in the past can make you run faster upstairs after turning the lights off in the kitchen.

Horror film enthusiast Cody Nichols explained the evolution of horror as a reflection of what society is scared of at the time last Thursday at 3 p.m. at SJSU. 

In the 80s, people were terrified of aids, so many movies had monsters that resided in the bloodstream. 

“Night of the Living Dead” was a commentary on racism and political parties. 

Zombies represented conservatives because they were ancient, and vampires represented liberals because they were draining society of its old values. 

The invention of birth control lead to films like “Rosemary’s Baby” because people became skeptical about the pill and terrified of birth defects and miscarriages. 

After 9/11,“You don’t want anything scary.” Nichols said. “9/11 created a different type of scary where people used biochemical warfare and governments were collapsing, unable to help people.” 

As the horror genre broadened its themes, it drew in a larger audience. 

Horror films used to be directed towards teenagers because they were an easy target for revenue, but now it is also directed for adults. 

Nichols commented, “Nowadays adults are terrified of reality, like finding jobs after college, and climate change.” 

Though there are still horror movies about werewolves and ghosts being made, many argue the scariest films are those that are more realistic and chaotic.
“It’s hard to understand that sometimes, things just happen.” the Nichols concluded.
The lawless and the unknown are simultaneously alluring and terrifying to the current generation.