As a devout horror movie lover, I found myself being very drawn to a specific sub-genre of it. Periodic horrors are movies that take place during a certain era that is in our past—Victorian, Elizabethan, Medieval, you name it. A lot of effort has to be put in to these works in order to create a realistic and immersive experience, which is hard given that in our day and age, we will never have experienced these eras and time spaces firsthand. This is where we rely on the writers, directors, cinematographers, and actors to deliver us a deliciously frightful yet compelling film set in that time period.

In this exhibition catalog, I aim to showcase the beautiful period pieces that have been critically acclaimed over the years. Creating dark films like the ones I have decided to exhibit in this book takes an extensive amount of research in not only the costuming, but the general history and current events of that time period.

Use of language and dialect is especially important to truly sell the viewers on an authentic performance—though it’s imperative to not confuse your audience and provide them only the information they need in order to understand and digest the movie.

Of course, these are all buffers to enhance the story being told to us. What truly makes these films great are the cinematography and plot, and how it keeps grip onto our fast-beating hearts with no mercy.

Dread Through the Ages aims to showcase the art that is periodic horror.