Gothic Horror originates from Gothic Literature, with 'The Castle of Otranto' by Horace Walpole being regarded as the first ever Gothic Novel, with the subtitle to his novel being 'A Gothic Story' (The origins of the Gothic, no date). After the publication of this, the Gothic genre became its own.
Typical features of Gothic novels are; the supernatural (or at least the prospect of something supernatural happening), castles, mystery, a damsel in distress or wild landscapes/weather episodes (Elements of the Gothic novel, no date)
'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen is an example of a novel that can be seen to be Gothic due to the number of typical Gothic devices that are used - however taking those away it just becomes a typical novel about a girl finding a husband. The way in which Jane Austen uses the Gothic devices almost creates a comic and parody effect, and thus makes the main character Catherine look rather foolish as a result. One example of this is Catherine's interpretation of why General Tilney does not display a portrait of his late wife; "A portrait - very like- of a departed wife, not valued by her husband! - He must have been dreadfully cruel to her!" ((Austen, 1992)p132) Her interpretation of General Tilney not displaying a portrait of his wife must be that he had something to do with her death- especially because she died suddenly- which Henry Tilney disregards as foolishness. "What have you been judging from? Remember the country and the age in which we live. Remember that we are English, that we are Christians. Consult your own understanding, your own sense of the probable, your own observation of what is passing around you - Does our education prepare us for such atrocities? Do our laws connive at them?" ((Austen, 1992) p144). Henry's reaction just shows that Catherine's reading of Gothic novels is causing her to over think and apply the situations that happen in Gothic Novels to real life- when in reality there is no foul play. By having her main protagonist be this foolish, it highlights how inconceivable the typical elements of Gothic novels are when applied to normal life.
These Gothic novels were the starting point for the genre to develop with time, and for films to eventually be made of the same genre. The novels that are the most famous for being adapted into or inspiring film versions are Dracula and Frankenstein, with multiple versions being released over the years. In modern society however, horror films have changed the typical premise from monsters and the unknown to being more about psychological thrillers and twisting normal elements of everyday society. Nowadays horror is more accessible to the public so writers need to find different ways to shock and scare the audiences, even going as far to use typical Gothic elements to make parody films to 'poke fun' at the genre. Some film companies however still go back to the great Gothic novels and create another adaptation - which is most likely a twist of the original plot to make it 'different' to the others we have all seen.
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