Since the early days of cinema, directors made movies that upset
+
to upset:
alterar
and provoked as much as they thrilled
+
to thrill:
emocionar
. Silent
+
silent:
mudas
horror films of the 1920s brought the nightmarish
+
nightmarish:
pesadillescos
tales
+
tales:
relatos
of Edgar Allen Poe or Bram Stoker to life with their gloomy
+
gloomy:
sombrías
atmospheres and dramatic music. The German vampire film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was considered so scary that it was banned
+
to ban:
prohibir
in Sweden until 1972! American films The Hunchback
+
hunchback:
jorobado
of Notre DameThe Phantom of the Opera placed ghoulish
+
ghoulish:
macabros
characters in gothic settings
+
settings:
ambientaciones
.
ALIENS AND MONSTERS In the 1930s, censors insisted on moral endings and less eroticism. Film noir developed in the 1940s, while the US became obsessed with creature features, a genre of TV show that broadcast classic and cult horror movies. The 1950s revelled
+
to revel:
deleitarse
in science fiction; who could forget the creeping
+
creeping:
asquerosa
threat
+
threat:
amenaza
of The Blob
+
blob:
masa amorfa
swallowed
+
to swallow:
tragar
people and grew bigger and hungrier! Japanese giant monsters, such as Godzilla, inspired international filmmakers.
SERIAL KILLERS & DARK FORCES British director Alfred Hitchcock made horror mainstream
+
mainstream:
popular, convencional
in his ironic takes
+
takes:
interpretaciones
on Freudian themes. Topical psychological issues were also explored in 1960s films such as Peeping Tom
+
Peeping Tom:
mirón
Poltergeist and the Freddy Krueger films were aimed at
+
aimed at:
dirigido a
younger adult audiences and their fearful
+
fearful:
temerosos
parents. The 1990s turned that around with found footage
+
found footage:
metraje encontrado
movie The Blair Witch Project , which left imaginative audience members to terrorise themselves with long silences and blackouts
+
blackouts:
apagones
.
SOCIAL THEMES Recent films play on
+
to play on:
sacar provecho de
contemporary fears, with a clever
+
clever:
inteligente
mix of horror and satire to make a social or political comment. Horror is one of those genres where cult films abound
+
abound:
abundar
; take Gaslight for example, the 1940s film about psychological torture in an abusive relationship that seems more relevant now than ever.
Here are some of the most iconic horror movies of all time, guaranteed to give you goosebumps
+
goosebumps:
piel de gallina (lit. de ganso)
:
1. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) This classic film introduced Freudian elements and special effects to the gothic novella
+
novella:
novela corta
by Robert Louis Stevenson. It features a splendid performance by Frederic March, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a mild-mannered
+
mild-mannered:
apacible
scientist who is transformed into a homicidal maniac.
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Extra-terrestrial giant plant spores turn people into emotionless
+
emotionless:
impasible
clones in Don Siegel’s memorable film. The movie has inspired opposing interpretations: some say it warns
+
to warn:
alertar
of the dangers of anti-communist paranoia in the US, known as McCarthyism, others that it fears the loss of personal autonomy of communist systems.
3. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Ira Levin’s hit book
+
hit book:
libro de éxito
of the 1960s was turned into a psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Mia Farrow as the woman raped
+
to rape:
violar
by the devil. A rumour that the movie was cursed
+
cursed:
maldecir
arose
+
to arise:
surgir
when a number of those connected with it suffered misfortune
+
to suffer misfortune:
sufrir desgracias
or even death.
4. Let the Right One In (2008) The Swedish masterpiece directed by Tomas Alfredson was remade into an American version that could not capture the bleak
+
bleak:
lúgubre
beauty or the stunning
+
stunning:
impresionante
performances of the original. A wintery Swedish landscape frames a romantic horror film in which a bullied
+
bullied:
que sufre abusos
twelve-year-old boy befriends
+
to befriend:
entablar amistad
a vampire child.
5. Get Out (2017) African American writer and director Jordan Peele saw the massive potential for social and political comment in horror. His genre-defying
+
genre-defying:
que desafía los géneros
film stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, a black photographer whose white liberal girlfriend and her family attempt
+
attempt:
intento
to brainwash
+
brainwash:
lavar el cerebro
him into submission.
