How do horror films reflect humanity's real fears? We tell in the 4th episode of the "Watchman" podcast

It turns out that Godzilla is associated with the fear of a third world war, and the aliens are associated with Soviet spies.

Many are accustomed to perceiving horror films exclusively as a light and "low" genre: you can come to the cinema with friends to get scared and laugh, without thinking about the plot. But in fact, the best pictures have always reflected people's real fears and even the situation in the world. Lifehacker's film critic and a big fan of horror films Alexey Khromov tells how the genre has changed over the decades and what implications can be found in some films.

01:30 - when the first horror films appeared and what they talked about.

03:45 - how the Second World War influenced the plots of horror.

06:52 - the sixties: zombies and creepy children on the screens. What is the reason for this?

10:00 - what are "slashers" and how their appearance was influenced by a young audience.

12:40 - Carpenter and Cronenberg are masters of unusual horror films. What films to watch and what are they about?

13:42 - why in the nineties horror almost disappeared and how Stephen King saved the situation.

15:20 - how the development of home video has influenced new themes in horror films.

16:30 - why horror movies have returned to their roots in the 21st century and which films not only scare people, but also tell about the problems of society.

What to see on the topic? We have compiled the films that were mentioned in the podcast:

• The Body Snatcher, directed by Robert Wise, 1945.
• «Godzilla", Directed by Isiro Honda, 1954.
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers, directed by Don Siegel, 1955.
• «Night of the Living Dead", Directed by George Romero, 1968.
• The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, 1973
• Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski, 1968.
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper, 1974.
• «A Nightmare on Elm Street", Directed by Wes Craven, 1984.
• The Thing, directed by John Carpenter, 1982.
• The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, 1986.
• "Videodrome", directed by David Cronenberg, 1983.
• The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demmy, 1991.
• "The Blair Witch: Coursework from the Beyond", directed by Eduardo Sanchez, Daniel Mirik, 1999.
• It, directed by David Robert Mitchell, 2014.
• «Babadook», Directed by Jennifer Kent, 2015.
• Reincarnation, directed by Ari Astaire, 2018.
• «Solstice", Directed by Ari Astaire, 2019.

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