The Cabinet Of Dr. Caliri: The Horror Genre

The fall of the studio film system gave rise to independent films. This rise showed America that you did not need a big budget and famous actors to draw in a large audience at the box office. One genre that really took off was the horror genre. This genre plays on the fear of human kind whether it be demons, ghosts, or monsters which are supernatural beings which one does not have a defense for. One may also have the fear of death or pain which could be caused by another human being; this fear is a much more realistic since it unfortunately does happen in real life. We are going to compare high budget Hollywood films with those of low budget independent films and how those low budget films grow into high budget sequels.
As with any genre, it must start somewhere and the horror genre started in Germany. Germany has a strong tradition of folklore and as film was being developed towards the end of World War I, Germany had suffered a great loss and was in ruins. One of the original horror films was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), by Robert Wiene, this silent film …show more content…
Independent films, such as, Blair Witch Project (1999) had a budget of only 60,000 dollars and grossed over 248 million dollars, Paranormal Activity (2007) had a budget of only 15,000 dollars and grossed over 193 million dollars and is considered the most profitable film based on return of investment. These films like their predecessors of the 1970’s and 1980’s had larger budget blockbuster sequels. Hollywood did however put large amounts of money into horror films, such as, Ridley Scott’s Hannibal (2001) starring Anthony Hopkins, that had a budget of 87 million dollars. Martian Scorsese’s Shutter Island (2010) staring Leonardo DiCaprio with a budget of 80 million dollars. These Blockbuster films grossed in more than their budget showing that today’s audiences both enjoy inexpensive independent films and blockbuster Hollywood