It’s that time of year again when the ghouls come out. The devil laughs, witches cackle, the arrow strikes 12. The veil between the living and the dead is nigh. Chills slither up our spine as the air turns chilly upon the strike of 12.
October is a month-long appreciation of the occult and the mystic. An appreciation of death and its relation to life transpires during this Halloween.
The most famous genre under this is Horror. Let’s dive into its history and get the chills together.
Brief History of Horror
What exactly is the Horror genre?
The answer is anything that depicts psychological dread and physical violence. Not only that, but the discussion of monsters and the evil incarnate is what makes Horror terrifying.
To add to the terrifying factor as per Howard Phillips (HP) Lovecraft’s pieces, you’ve got a mix of fear of the unknown and realism to the Horror formula. From the horrors of war to its transcendence to science and imagination - Horror has become a genre that is not afraid of playing with your mind.
Caution, some spoilers ahead if you want to go back to the classics of what made the horror genre what it is today.
It all started with Psycho, a movie about Norman Bates, an individual with dissociative personality disorder brought on by his mother’s emotional abuse. Due to this abuse, he has become a killer who acts on his mother’s teachings about women.
Don’t get us wrong, though. Mentally ill people are not killers outright. They need mental help too.
But going back, the pinnacle of how gruesome and unhinged the horror film genre became is with what George A. Romero created with his friends. Unrestricted by all the other film studios, he made Night of the Living Dead.
Instead of a mental illness, they went scientific and made zombies a much horrendous evil. The whole movie became a satire of some sort since it was the deconstruction of the family unit.
It was a reflection of the events at the time - from the war in Vietnam to the assassination of Martin Luther King. The zombies were brutal and ate anyone, people’s intent no matter their relationship.
Thus, Texas Chainsaw Massacre came to life. The horrific aspect of this movie became the realism and screams of agony that emanated from the screen.
But the genre would not let go of the supernatural with Rosemarie’s Baby, with cultists allowing Rosemarie to give birth to the spawn of Satan. To the omnipresent existence of evil in The Exorcist.
A battle between good and evil ensues. It became the inspiration for one of the first horror blockbuster hits of all time, The Omen.
Horror has evolved since then. But it still has aspects of psychological terror, psychical violence, and the sense of realism that pierces the very heart of every person with the poison of fear.
The Psychology of Being Afraid
We can go two ways in explaining the psychology of being afraid: biological traits or learned experience (Psychology Today). Fear born from biology describes the specific characteristics of humans who fear certain things according to how ancestors evolved.
Fear was implanted in the genes, thus making a person afraid of certain things like animals or heights. While on the other hand, fear is the collective experience of a person with a stimulus.
For example, a person is scared of a dog because they were bit when she was young. According to LoBue and Adolph’s study on learned fear, a baby does not express fear until 8 to 12 months of life.
As long as a person does not feel safe, that’s when fear sets in.
The Image that Terrifies a Nation
After a quick survey here at DesignCrowd and a few other people, the supernatural, its realism, and the unknown are what people consider terrifying.
Why, you might ask?
Typical answers were films like The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, Mirrors, Halloween, Shutter, Midsommar, Hereditary and Insidious.
All of them have in common are the occult and their realism, ghosts, and the unknown.
Why Are They the Symbols That Terrify a Nation
Have you ever looked at a mirror and felt like someone is watching behind you, or your reflection might move?
Or perhaps items around you move on their own accord?
Either way, what makes these symbols frightening is the meaning behind them. From the ghosts of Paranormal Activity to the Devil of Exorcist and Insidious - ghosts are the staples of the horror genre.
Ghosts and the Devil because of their omnipresence. The sheer fact that they are present and only a few can see them is scary. Not knowing if one is watching you or is going to attack is anxiety-inducing.
In design, the opacity shows this, the color white. Sometimes, ghosts have an ethereal feel and look like the form they had when they died. The intent and malice in their look are incredibly unsettling, like the demon of Insidious.
Check out these scary logos that depict just that:
Evil Clown by codyslaw
Snow Monster Clan by Marvie
Mummy by Dlanid
Dining With A Vampire by Defaced
Red Skull by Xndrew
Scary Clown Mascot Logo Project: Killa Clown Industries by Kyle Palm
Aside from this, people themselves are terrifying. Like the occultists from Ari Aster’s films: Hereditary and Midsommar. The sheer disregard for violence is disturbing.
Thus the intention of people, when they die, becomes the reason they stay and haunt people. From asking for help to the urge to kill someone can be the final manifestation of a ghost.
Here are some examples:
Ghostly by Daniel Bodea
Phantom Studio by Daniel Bodea
?? Be My Boo ?? by ? Lilla Bardenova ?
It’s a spooky ghosty boy ?? by Nick Barbaria
Monster Logo by Avoss
Ghost Mascot Gamer by MDS
Halloween Ghost Letter H by AMCstudio
Stay Spooky!
Whatever it may be, the depiction of people and ghosts is what makes Halloween scary. The fear of the unknown and an omnipresent evil that lurks in the shadows is what truly defines Halloween.
The fact that you can find horror in the liveliest of places like in Midsommar is genuinely a different take on the genre and how it can affect other people.
Don’t forget to celebrate through your pages with your Halloween-themed logo. Hire one of our designers or create your own at BrandCrowd.
Have a Happy Halloween from DesignCrowd to you!
Read More On Spooktacular Goodness Here:
Written by DesignCrowd on Wednesday, October 27, 2021
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.
