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History of Horror: TV, Genre Benders & Comedy

A cultural history.

Television

  • 1955-1962. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS/NBC).
  • 1959-1961. One Step Beyond (ABC).
  • 1959-1964. The Twilight Zone (CBS).
  • 1960-1962. Thriller (NBC)
  • 1963-1965. The Outer Limits (ABC).
  • 1966-1971. Dark Shadows (ABC).
  • 1970-1973. Night Gallery (NBC).
  • 1974-1975. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC).
  • 1979-1988. Tales of the Unexpected (British, ITV).2006-2013.
  • 1983-1988. Tales from the Darkside (Syndication)
  • 1989-1996. Tales from the Crypt (HBO).
  • 1994. The Stand (8 hour miniseries, ABC).
  • 1997-2003. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, UPN).
  • 2004-2016. Reality Television Series: Ghost Hunters (Syfy).
  • 2005-2020. Supernatural (WB, CW).
  • 2006-2013. Dexter (Showtime).
  • 2008-2014. True Blood (HBO).
  • Begun 2010. The Walking Dead (AMC).
  • Begun 2011. American Horror Story (FX).
  • Begun 2016. Stranger Things (Netflix).
  • Begun 2018. Discovery of Witches (British, Skynet).
  • Begun 2020. Lovecraft Country (HBO). 

Television Horror Personalities

  • Joe Bob Briggs (critic & host of Monster Vision).
  • The Cryptkeeper (host of the Tales from the Crypti).
  • Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins, Dark Sahdows).
  • Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
  • Alfred Hitchcock (host of Alfred Hitchcock Presents).
  • Boris Karloff (the host of Thriller).
  • Rod Serling (creator of The Twilight Zone I & Night Gallery).
  • Vincent Price (host on a variety of shows).
  • Svengoolie (host of the horror movie television program, Svengoolie).

Genre Benders

Genre Benders are those works that have crossed into other genres. One of the greatest of these was the Harry Potter series with its use of creatures such as werewolves from the horror genre (see below). Here are 10 examples of Genre Benders:

  • 1949. Casper the Friendly Ghost first appears in comic book form.
  • 1959-1970. Casper the Friendly Ghost (Animation, Television).
  • 1969. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (Animation Television).
  • 1980. The Elephant Man (Historical Drama Film).
  • 1987. Beloved (Ghost, Historical Fiction Novel).
  • 1990. Ghost (Romantic Fantasy Film).
  • 1996. From Dusk till Dawn (Western Horror Film).
  • 2008. Twilight (Vampire Romance Film).
  • 2011. Cowboys & Aliens (Western Extraterrestrial Horror Film).
  • 2012. The Raven (Crime Thriller Film).
  • 2013. Warm Bodies (Zombie Romance Film).
  • 2016. Ghostbusters (Ghost Comedy Film).

Creatures from Horror in Harry Potter series

J. K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series created a world inhabited by many creatures to fear either from mythological stories, inspired by mythological creatures, or older literary sources.

Creatures Appearance First appear in a book and/or film Source
Acromantula Monstrous spiders Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Inspired by the wolf spider
Basilisk Giant snake-like creature with a stare that can kill Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Ancient Greece
Boggart Shape-shifting entities that transform into a person's worst fear Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban English folklore
Centaur Half-man half-horse Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Ancient Greece
Dragons Fire-breathing giant reptiles Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Hippogriff Half eagle-half horse Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Medieval
Merpeople Underwater beings Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Ancient Greece, India & China
Troll Large, unintelligent creatures that feed on human flesh Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Norse mythology
Pixie Mischievous creatures  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets British folklore
Vampire Undead, blood sucking creatures Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince European folklore
Werewolf Human who transforms into a wolf Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Ancient Greece

Comedy of Horrors

  • 1948. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
  • 1960. Little Shop of Horrors.
  • 1964-1966. The Addams Family (ABC).
  • 1964-1966. The Munsters (CBS).
  • 1967. Bedazzled.
  • 1979. Love at First Bite.
  • 1984. Ghostbusters.
  • 1988. Beetlejuice.
  • 1996. Mars Attacks.
  • 2004. Shaun of the Dead.
  • 2010. Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil.

Parodies & Satire Films

A parody is " a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule."
A satire is "a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc."

  • 1967. The Fearless Vampire Hunters.
  • 1971. The Abominable Dr. Phibes.
  • 1978. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.
  • 1981. Student Bodies.
  • 1985. Return of the Living Dead.
  • 1998. Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
  • 1990. Tremors.
  • 2000. Scary Movie.
  • 2011. Cabin in the Woods.
  • 2014. What We Do in the Shadows.
  • 2015. The Final Girls

Additional References

Cardin, M. (2017). Horror literature through history an encyclopedia of the stories that speak to our deepest fears (Kindle) Greenwood.
Jones, D. (2021). Horror a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
King, S. (2010). Danse macabre. Gallery. 
Luckhurst, R. (2018). The Astounding Illustrated History of Fantasy & Horror. Flame Tree Publishing.
Landis, J. (2016). Monsters in the movies: 100 Years of Cinematic nightmares. DK. 
Skal, D. J. (2020). Fright favourites: 31 movies to haunt your Halloween and beyond. Running Press. 
Turitz, N. and Zimmerman, B. (2020). Horror: An illustrated history of vampires, zombies, monsters & more. Centennial Books, an imprint of Centennial Media, LLC.