[Stingy Jack]

Very nice link, thanks a lot for that. And thank everyone who has thus far contributed. I've decided to open with a very brief history of horror's roots in the mythologies of early civilizations, then mention the first tangible "evil" emerging in Beowulf. From there, I was going to briefly mention the middle ages with Germanic and Romanian folk and fairy tales, then move to the English (where I will have to mention Shakespeare). A brief talk about the gothic novel in the eighteenth century and its influence on Shelley, Stoker, Blackwood, and Poe.

The twentieth century will have to start with a discussion of pulp magazines, and a brief talk about Lovecraft. Also, I will have to point out the eventual collapse of the magazine market with the advent of television and film.

I will discuss the 40's and 50's briefly, and spend the majority of the article discussing the 70's, 80's, 90's and today (mentioning, along the way, TCM, Halloween, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Stephen King, Interview with the Vampire, Psycho, Hell House, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Scream, Se7en, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, and the recent rise of Asian horror.)

One more question:

Do you see the horror genre moving more strongly into the video game market? I see the video game as being the perfect medium for horror, bringing fans of the genre into the story on levels that they have never before been. With fiction and film, the audience still has the safety of detachment. It isn't THEM fighting the evil, it's the character on page or screen. But in video games, the player becomes the character on a level that page and screen cannot reach. The actions of the character in the game are the actions of the player. And the outcome depends solely on the player. What do you guys think about this? Should I mention video games?

Thanks again for all of your help, and I will use the link you posted zwoti. Much appreciated.