The legacy of gothic cinema: its big names and movies

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The gothic genre has been embedded throughout society in forms of literature, cinema, popular culture and architecture for centuries- originating from a Germanic people, the ‘Goths. ’ The word gothic has been revitalised many times through many years to represent different groups of people and political climates. This is true of its influence in cinema. While the genre is constantly evolving, certain characteristics from the first gothic works remain constant: a dark, moody atmosphere, foreboding structures (abandoned manors and abbeys), elements of the supernatural, and melodramatic plots with characters haunted by their pasts.

Gothic in cinema originated with adaptations of popular novels in the early 1930s: Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931), James Whale's iconic 1931 Frankenstein. The standard black and white and lack of filming technology didn’t limit its impact at the time, but gave the genre more room to expand and incorporate aspects of the similarly rising horror genre. It faced a resurgence, then, in the late 20th century, where gothic films became cult classics to a new audience of ‘Goths. ’ 1985 debuted one of the most prolific filmmakers of the gothic genre, Tim Burton. His animated works through the 90s and 2000s, like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Corpse Bride (2005) show his own, recognisable style of gothic character features: large eyes, long legs and hollowed cheekbones. Burton would re-imagine established texts like Batman and Alice’ s in Wonderland through a dark

atmospheric, bizarrely gothic lens - one that is his own personal brand and inseparable from the legacy of gothic cinema. Coraline (2009) is often confused for a Tim Burton film with Henry Selick’s quirky directional style and twisted child-like story synonymous with gothic cinema.

The 1990s saw Gothic cinema peak, particularly through the supernatural creatures of vampires and their sex appeal. Gone was the 1922 monstrous depiction of Nosferatu, and in was Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire (1994) which had mass audiences wishing the blood-suckers were real. Vampires are often utilised as a sex symbol with the intimate nature of their killing. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula depicts this nature of seduction through its gorgeous cast. This raises questions about the importance of sexuality in gothic cinema compared to its other elements.

Nonetheless, Gothic cinema remains strong in the 21st century. Guillermo del Toro is a modern director best known for his fusing of poetic beauty with gothic horror and exploration of the relationship between monster and human. His Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water (2017) intertwines fantasy and romance with sci-fi and gothic elements. His newest triumph through adapting Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein merely demonstrates the immorality of gothic cinema; the genre will always be socially relevant.

Edited by Gabriella Whiston