When you think of gory horror movies, modern mainstream titles like Evil death, innand Terrier probably comes to mind first. These films push the boundaries of what is acceptable and take audiences to the limits of terror. But these movies are just part of a more important legacy in horror, and owe a lot to previous films that helped break the genre’s limitations years ago.
Filmmakers such as Herschell Gordon Lewis began experimenting with grotesque images and extreme violence in the early 1960s and made groundbreaking films such as Blood feast, The Wizard of Goreand The gruesome pair. These films shocked audiences at the time, leading some to be completely banned in certain countries. They may not be up to modern horror standards, but they paved the way for what was to come.
Let’s take a look at the history of gory horror movies and explore how they’ve evolved over the years. From early exploitation movies to more recent slasher classics, these films have helped and influenced horror forever.
Devil Without a Face: Mixing Cold War Fear with Gore
Though often overlooked for more in-your-face films, the 1958 sci-fi horror film Devil without a face is one of the first forays from horror into real gore. The British black-and-white film follows an American military officer investigating mysterious sightings of disembodied brains and their connection to a nearby nuclear missile factory.
The original tagline for the movie alone reads, “New Horrors! Mad Science Spawns Evil Fiends! … Take shape before your horrified eyes!” This was not far from the truth. As the film progresses, disembodied brains manifest as blob-like monsters with spindly tentacles and sharp teeth, attacking humans and creating gruesome scenes. The finale, which features shots to the brain (some exploding in blood spatter and flopping to the floor), arguably featured more gore than any previous film. While the effects may not look that impressive today, when they were released in 1958 they were groundbreaking for their time, which may be why the film is included in the esteemed Criterion Collection.
This new and extreme presentation of horror was not without controversy. Devil without a face was a subject of discussion within the British Parliament, where members questioned how a film with such violence could be released. It set a new standard for what science fiction could do and, in a way, laid the groundwork for future gory movies.
Blood Feast: Gore’s godfather
Fast-forward a few years to 1963, and we’re at the dawn of a new era for gory horror: exploitation movies. Led by Herschell Gordon Lewis, whose films are now considered cult classics, Blood feast is seen as the first real splash film. It is the first entry in a trilogy of films by Lewis, often referred to as the Blood trilogywhatever belongs to Two thousand maniacs! and Call me blood red. These films are some of the earliest examples of extreme, over-the-top gore in horror.
Blood feast follows Fuad Ramses, a psychopathic caterer with sinister motives. In the film, Ramses carries out a series of gruesome murders to collect body parts and make an ancient ritual sacrifice to an Egyptian goddess. The murders are graphically depicted and far more extreme than anything seen in film before. It didn’t take long for critics to tear the film apart and it was almost universally panned. A 1964 edition of The Los Angeles Times called it “creepy, boring movie trash,” but despite the reviews, audiences were captivated by what they saw, and Blood feast became a cult classic that set a new standard for gore in horror.
Gore Post Hays Code: The Slasher Boom, Then and Now
although Blood feast and exploitation films of the mid-20th century were groundbreaking in their own way, it wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that gore became more mainstream. The introduction of the “slasher” subgenre changed horror and the presentation of blood and gore forever and ushered in a new era of horror.
The slasher genre is characterized by an emphasis on gory violence and death, often with a focus on body horror. With the introduction of slasher movies, some of the most iconic franchises in horror began, such as Friday the 13th and Halloween. But without the influence of the exploitation films before it, these films might never have come to fruition.
The Hays Code, a film production code that restricted what could and could not be shown on screen, was in effect for over 30 years before being abolished in 1968. further. The slasher films of this era took full advantage of this, making them some of the most graphic and gruesome films in the genre.
Since then, gore has been a staple of horror movies, and with each passing year the level of violence seems to increase. This was evident with the 2022 release terrier 2reportedly making viewers sick of the extreme content.
Gory splatter movies occupy a unique place in the horror genre and are a significant influence on the film industry. As long as there is an audience for it, we will probably continue to see more and more violent films. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to your personal opinion, but one thing is certain: the history of gore in horror movies has left a lasting impression.