How the Horror Movies of the Great Depression Reflected the History of the Time

Out of all of the types of films, horror films are the greatest reflection of modern culture. The hopes and fears of society are displayed in full motion in the horror films of they day. There is no greater example of this then in the horror films of the 1930s and early 1940's.

In the 1930s, America was dealing with the Great Depression. There was a large separation of thought as to the future of America. Many immigrants that came to this country during the period worries that maybe they had not made the right decision about coming to America.

On the other side of the coin, many of those who were in the United States already believed that many of the issues of the time had been brought on by the immigrants that had come to this country. They believed that issues that the country was facing had a direct link to the influx of people from, "The Old Country."

During the 1930s, Universal Studios embarked on a mission to produce horror films that people would want to watch. The production company knew that with all of the fears that people had, horror films would be a great way to release their inner fears.

Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Dracula's Daughter (1936), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Wolf Man (1941) all had common threads that spoke volumes about what was going on at the time in the United States. An investigation into the themes of these movies will display more about the thoughts, hopes, dreams, and fears of Americans then any history book ever written.

All of the creatures from these horror movies have links to, "The Old Country." For those people that argued that the perils of the day came from the immigrants, they had an argument that was displayed in front of them on the screen. The creatures that these films portrayed reinforced the fears that these Americans had.

Dracula immigrated to America from Western Europe. The Wolf Man had a curse that was believed to be common in Western Europe. The Mummy was a curse that was born in Northern Africa. Frankenstein was a monster that was created from a madness that was in central Europe.

The immigrants who had come to this country were able to relate to these horror movies since they were based on old beliefs and superstitions that they had grown up with. These films gave them a reminder of where it was that they had come from, and where many of them longed to return.

For some, this reminder of the fears and superstitions that had been left behind made them realize that it was good that they had come to America. These horror films made them understand why they had left Europe in the first place, and come to a land that was more realistic and reasonable.

For some people in the United States, these horror films brought another message. Many people fear that one day they will come to the realization that their parents were right about something. Finding out that the old superstitions that were held by their parents could be a major wakeup call for many people. These horror movies reinforced this fear.

When Universal Studios first created these movies, they had no idea how many levels of messages were encased in these movies. They wanted to make horror films that were a distraction for people from the real life horrors of the day. They never realized that they were sending different messages to different people.

That, though, is what many horror movies do. They speak to what is going on in the world at the time. By relating to what people fear, horror films also relate to their dreams and hopes. These relations are what can tell us a lot about the people that are watching these horror films at the time. These relations explain history in a completely different capacity then we are used to.