What do Frankenstein and The Lightbulb Have in Common?

 Horror Films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. I think this is generally what draws us to them as fans. They can seem like so little but at the heart of it all are so much more. Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, the strange and alarming. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality. Whatever dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre. Horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre, per se, although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer or madman. Horror films are also known as chillers, scary movies, spookfests, and the macabre. Whatever name you happen to call them, they definitely draw a line. People between like or dislike. Either people watch them, even occasionally, or avoid them like the plague, complaining of being given nightmares. But did you know that March 15th was the 100th aniversary of the horror film? That's right, they have been with us for a cool century now, beginning with Thomas Edison's very own studio. Our very first horror film was the motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein on March 15th 1910. The unbilled cast included Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein, Charles Ogle as the Monster, and Mary Fuller as the doctor's fiancée. That's right, not only can you thank him for the lightbulb and the phonograph but you can thank him for horror movies. Move over Eisnstein, that man was truly a genius. Happy 100 Birthday Horror Films, we love you!

Check the full history here: Frankenstein (1910 film)