This ‘70s Movie Tells the Tale of the Oldest Horror Story in Existence

Elements of horror have always been around, from the demons in religious allegories to the monsters in folklore and fairy tales. But horror wasn't seen as a legitimate genre until the 1700s, except back then it was called "gothic fiction" and was initially abhorred before it was celebrated. There have been subsequent revivals of the gothic genre in the following centuries, but the story that initiated the daring trend was Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole. Embodying the precursors of significant gothic tropes, the novel is said to have legitimized the horror genre as a literary form, essentially making it the first certified horror story. This inspired Czech director Jan Švankmajer (known for his surrealist stop-motion animation, particularly his 1988 film Alice), who created a short pseudo-documentary of the same name that engages with the storyline and setting of the novel whilst also adding a comedic gothic twist to its ending.