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3D movies have been around for a long time. While the technology has changed over the years, the idea behind it has remained constant - to present a motion picture which appears to exist in three dimensional space. Because the vast majority of motion pictures are presented in 2D, or two dimensional space, the 3D movie has been seen as more of an oddity, or a gimmick, than as a standard film presentation.
This has both hampered, and helped, the phenomenon of 3D. While it is not seen as relevant in mainstream cinema, it has been used, to greater or lesser effect, as a way to help a movie stand out in a crowded field. Nowhere has this been more true than in the world of the horror movie, which has always been about startling people; exposing them to experiences which abruptly shock them into a new emotional and mental state. Scary monsters, sudden terrifying encounters with unknown forces of evil, etc. All these experiences serve to take the moviegoer to a place in which they do not normally exist.
What follows is a list of well known horror movies that have utilized 3D technology as a way to try and set themselves apart.
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| Theatrical Release poster for House of Wax (public domain - Wikipedia) |
"IT COMES OFF THE SCREEN RIGHT AT YOU!"
House of Wax
On Aril 10th, 1953, House of Wax, distributed by Warner Bros. opened at New York's Paramount Theater. Starring Vincent Price, House of Wax was the first major motion picture to be shot using the stereoscopic three dimensional film process. It was also one of the first horror movies to be shot in color (which the studio called, "WarnerColor").
Trailer for House of Wax
House of Wax was the first in a long line of horror movies for Vincent Price, who went on to become an icon of classic horror movies from the fifties and sixties. It also helped to give new life to a struggling actor named Charles Dennis Buchinsky, who played a supporting role in the movie. Buchinsky would later come to be known as Charles Bronson, star of such memorable western and action movies as Once Upon a Time in the West and Death Wish.
Creature From The Black Lagoon
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| Theatrical release poster for Creature From The Black Lagoon (public domain - Wikipedia) |
"Science couldn't explain it. But there it was, alive, in the deep, deep waters of the Amazon. A throwback to a creature that had existed a hundred million years ago. Immensely strong and destructive. A woman's beauty, the bait that brought it out of its' lair. "
- Excerpt from a trailer for Creature From The Black Lagoon
Directed by William Alland and starring Richard Carlson and Julia Adams, this 1953 "creature feature" was produced and distributed by Universal International Pictures. The film tells the story of a group of scientists who encounter a terrifying underwater monster, during a scientific expedition to the Amazon rain forest.
The film was shot in black and white 3D using the stereoscopic method. It was then projected onto the screen using the polarized light method. To experience the visual effect this produced, moviegoers were required to wear special viewers which contained gray polarizing filters, producing an enhanced perception of image depth.
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| Theatrical poster for Friday the 13th (Fair Use via Wikipedia) |
Friday The 13th: Part 3 3D
"A New Dimension In Terror..."
Of all the Friday the 13th movies in the series, Part 3 is the only one to have been filmed in this particular format.
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| Theatrical release poster for Amityville 3-D (Fair Use via Wikipedia) |
Amityville 3-D
Opening at #1 at the box office on its' opening weekend in 1982, moviegoers got the chance to experience the terror of the Amityville legend once again, this time in three dimensions. Also known as Amityville 3: The Demon, the third installment of the franchise was produced by the Dino De Laurentiis Company and distributed by Orion Pictures. It came out on the heels of Friday the 13th 3D, which had a very successful boxoffice run, even though it was panned by the critics.
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| Theatrical release poster for Freddy's Dead The Final Nightmare |
"...you get to don 3-D glasses and watch the final, frenzied, "kill- this-mother" rumpus exploding in your face. Body parts coming at ya - in Freddy-Vision..."
The Charlotte Observer Sept. 17th 1991
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Also known as A Nightmare On Elm St. 6: The Final Nightmare, this - final? - installment of the Freddy Krueger saga was released on September 13th, 1991. The movie attempts to inject a previously unseen level of humor into the storyline, along with giving the viewer some backstory about the horribly disfigured serial murderer who comes calling when his victims are asleep, explaining that Freddy was an abused child, tortured by a violent stepfather and mercilessly tornented by classmates at school.
Director Rachael Talalay was quoted as saying, in regards to the backstory, "...we're not doing this to excuse Freddy for what he is. We're not saying that society turned him into a vicious child killer."
This was New Line Cinema's first release which contained 3D footage. The final ten minutes of the film are completely in 3D.
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