Sci-fi horror has been a staple in Hollywood for a very long time now. Though the genre didn’t start on the big screen, it was popularized by cinema and to this day we see numerous new films of the type due to their relevance. But was it always like that? Was sci-fi horror popular from the beginning?
Humble beginnings- the 20th century:
The first English sci-fi magazines were written in 1926 by Hugo Gernsback, inspired by the already existing German and Swedish counterparts. This helped popularize the genre among pulp magazines, that was dominated by fantasy stories. They started simply as stories about technology, an inventor’s point of view when he invented a new gadget but soon started being about more diverse topics in science fiction. For example “The war of the worlds” was adapted to radio and it is believed to have caused generalized panic. From early on we can see that sci-fi had tremendous potential.
Sci-fi in the ’70s and 80’s film industry
In the ’70s and ’80s sci-fi arrived at the big screens and it was the thing everybody was talking about. Films like Alien, Blade Runner, and Terminator made the public fall in love with the genre due to the use of proper CGI and better filming techniques suiting the directors’ needs. Cinema evolved just then. In the short space of 5 years three very distinct and impactful films were released and every one with its unique tropes, Blade Runner depicting a dystopian reality, Terminator with a sense of impending doom, and Alien an energetic escape quest against an unstoppable force; these three films opened a countless number of possibilities in cinema.
Alien and the rise of sci-fi horror
Alien was one of the biggest successes at the box office at the time due to it being something truly extraordinary. The world had never seen anything of the sort ever before. From a space mission to extraterrestrial beings with malicious intent, everything was new and exciting and put people on the edge of their sits. It is safe to say that most sci-fi horror titles take inspiration from Alien in some way or another and even Alien itself is a franchise that stands the test of time with Alien: Covenant (2017) being the last installment. Other famous sci-fi horror titles include Predator (1987) and its sequels, Signs (2002), Pitch Black (2000), etc…
Conclusion
Sci-fi horror is a movie genre niche that started in the ’70s and still stands strong to these days. While it was a phenomenon back in the day, it has laid low and every once in a while a critically acclaimed movie of the genre is released while not over saturating the industry like happens with most genres and/or niches.
Comentários