ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

What was the First Horror Film Ever?

Updated on February 28, 2013
Georges Melies' 1896 film "Le Manoir Du Diable" or  "The House Of The Devil".
Georges Melies' 1896 film "Le Manoir Du Diable" or "The House Of The Devil".

The Answer To This Question Often Ends In Conflict

When asking the question, what was the first horror movie ever made, there are bound to be a number of different answers thrown your way. It really depends on what your definition of horror is, then once you have that figured out you have to ask your self, just what exactly qualifies as a movie?

Can a movie be only 20 seconds long? Does it have to be on actual film to be considered the first movie? Can it be a silent film and yet still be considered a movie? Everyone is going to have their own opinions on these question and seeing as how I'm not one to argue I'll just try to cover all the bases.


Recorded History

The idea of acting or performing for entertainment is not a new one though comparatively, filming it is. People have been entertaining in the public eye for nearly as long as civilization has existed, but it has only been during the last 115 years or so that we've had a way of recording it.

It was through the remarkable minds of men like Thomas Edison that we have the ability to capture the antics of humanity and nature, to enjoy whenever we feel the urge, despite the day or hour. The next time you pop in a DVD be sure to send the great inventors of the 19th and early 20th century a shout out for getting the ball rolling on what we now know as the movie industry.

The Execution Of Mary Stuart

The Very First Horror Film Was How Long?

The very first horror flick known to be recorded for viewing was "The Execution Of Mary Stuart", produced by a man named Thomas A. Edison, in 1895. The entire film consisted of Mary being beheaded and nothing more. The duration of the movie is actually only 18 seconds long so there wasn't much time to give any kind of plot, but none the less this was the first known attempt at visually recorded horror and a major start for the film industry.

The next big hit to hit the projector screen was from a French producer by the name of Georges Melies and was called "Le Manoir Du Diable" or "The House Of The Devil". This portrayal of horror lasted somewhere between 1-2 minutes but was still greatly lacking on a plot.

Thomas Edison's 1910 classic "Frankenstein"
Thomas Edison's 1910 classic "Frankenstein" | Source

Bring In The 20th Century.

When the 1900s rolled around the movie industry started to be born. Along with a new century came enlightened outlooks of the possibilities of the movie industry. Joining alongside Edison and Melies were an ever growing army of future film makers, all waiting to take their own personal slice of this brand new industry.

Depending on your definition of horror, the first of the longer length movies to be released would be either Alice Guy's 1906 full length production, "Esmeralda" featuring Quasimodo, though not everyone considers this horror, or Edison's 1910 thirteen minute production "Frankenstein". Also filmed in 1910 was German producer Paul Wegener's full length film "The Golem".

Frankenstein 1910

Dracula (1931 film)
Dracula (1931 film) | Source

In your opinion what was the best era for horror films?

See results

Can You Hear That?

In 1931 Universal Studios produced the first horror movie with sound, and simultaneously introduced the world to, the soon to be horror legend, Bela Lugosi in Dracula. Dracula was far from being top notch horror but its release opened the doors a wide assortment of movie monsters including the wolf man, the mummy and a redesigned Frankenstein monster.

It didn't take long for Universal Studios to become the number one producer of horror for that era. The original movies that first started that journey through sound are credited as the beginning of modern day Hollywood and are still shown in select theaters world wide.

I knew grass was really green!.

Bringing color to the big screen was not an easy or speedy task, it was developed and seemingly perfected over many decades, and in a many ways is still being improved today. The first horror film to sport the fancy new "two strip technicolor" was director Michael Curtis' 1932 film "Doctor X" and was followed the next year by the very similar "Mystery Of The Wax Museum" which was distributed on a much larger scale.


Color in movies didn't pick up on a grand scale until the 1950s but by the 1960s viewers could hardly remember what life was like without it. With every new advancement in filming technology came a surge of new movie goers intent on checking out the latest and greatest trends, convinced that it just can't get any better, and yet somehow it always does.

Doctor X (1932)
Doctor X (1932) | Source

Wow! I Didn't See That Coming

The first 3D horror film would most likely be a 1941 MGM short film called "Third Dimensional Murder". Not a huge success but it definitely spiked the viewers interest in this alternative filming style. The first horror film to make a big dent in the 3D world would be the 1953 Warner's Bros. picture "House Of Wax" not only was it a pioneer in 3D movie magic but it was also the first 3D film to be recorded in stereophonic sound.

The 3D boom would eventually fizzle out after only a few years, due to high production costs and a lack of interest on the producers part. It really wasn't until the 1980s that 3D began to make a recovery but by the new millennium it had grown into a class of it's very own. I'm sure there are at least a few first horror movies scenarios that I've forgotten to mention, feel free to leave a comment below if you think of any I missed

DS Duby.

Third Dimensional Murder

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)