Roger Luckhurst explores the ways in which horror movies have reflected social changes and cultural anxieties through the 20th and 21st centuries

By Matt Elton

Published: Monday, 30 October 2023 at 07:56 AM


Ever since the shadow of Count Orlok crept up the staircase in 1922’s Nosferatu, and Fay Wray emitted her iconic scream in 1933’s King Kong, horror films have captivated and scandalised audiences in equal measure. Speaking to Matt Elton, Professor Roger Luckhurst explores how scary films have reflected changing social anxieties in the 20th and 21st centuries, and nominates the ten horror movies he thinks are most representative of their time.