20th century While fictional horror-themed literature, theatre, and other visual culture had existed, the terms "horror film" and "horror movie" as known in a contemporary term did not become common place until 1931 and 1932.
Film serials became popular in the United States in 1913. Supernatural events and characters in 1910s film serials were rare. Only two serials explored the supernatural at length, with
The Mysteries of Myra (1916) and
The Screaming Shadow (1920) while most serials which suggested the supernatural such as
The Gray Ghost (1917) with no actual narratives involving supernatural events. The supernatural horror film had what author Paul Meehan described as "its genesis" in early
German expressionism in the 1920s and early 1930s with films like
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and
Nosferatu. During the Universal Studios first horror film cycle, supernatural horror was the dominant cinematic mode of the genre between the release of
Dracula (1931) and
House of Dracula (1945). In the early 1940s, supernatural horror films had more contemporary settings, but the genre was ultimately superseded by psychological horror films. By the end of World War II, the supernatural horror genre had "met its demise", being overshadowed by the atrocities of the war. By the 1950s, science fiction horror films had replaced supernatural horror films, and psychological horror films also became more popular in the same decade, ultimately eclipsing supernatural horror. The few supernatural horror films that were produced in the 1950s were often set in
haunted houses, a continuation of haunted-house films prevalent in the 1940s. Sue Matheson wrote of ''Rosemary's Baby
, "[It] popularized depictions of witchcraft, demonic activity, and the Devil on screen and generated a wave of supernatural horror movies." By the 1970s, the films The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) revived the supernatural horror genre. Literature was used as source material like with the earliest films, with the written works of Stephen King being adapted into Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1980). The film Poltergeist'' (1982) was also a genre highlight in the 1980s.
21st century In the 2000s, violent horror films called "
torture porn" became popular, but, by the end of the decade, supernatural horror had regained its popularity. The
found footage film
The Blair Witch Project had achieved fame in 1999, and in the late 2000s,
Paranormal Activity succeeded with the same film technique, which led to
a film series that lasted until the mid-2010s. In the first two decades of 21st century, supernatural horror films explored a variety of themes and styles. Movies like
Martyrs Lane (2021) focused on grief and loss, while
Oculus (2013),
Personal Shopper (2016), and
Hereditary (2018) explored unfinished family business and personal trauma. The genre also incorporated real historical events, as seen in ''
The Devil's Backbone (2001), Los Silencios (2018), and La Llorona (2019), which draw on the Spanish Civil War, Colombian armed conflict, and Guatemalan genocide, respectively. Films like Host (2020) reflected contemporary fears, with The Others (2001) and Insidious (2010) revisiting haunted house narratives, and The Conjuring (2013) grounding its story in real-life paranormal investigations. The genre also blended horror with comedy, as in Housebound (2014) and Extra Ordinary'' (2019), to explore similar themes. The films employed various techniques, such as jump-scares, tension-building, and emotive performances, to examine deep-rooted fears and societal issues. ==Box office==