The Hollywood Pre-Code era is a brief period sandwiched between two key milestones: the initial proposal of the law—later known as the Hays Code—which can be considered the beginning of strict control over the film industry, and the final revisions that led to its actual implementation. This law, which directly intervened in the content of the film industry, was first proposed as a draft in 1930 under the name “Motion Picture Production Code” as a result of pressure from Catholics. The restrictions intended to be imposed by the law were quite diverse.

are some of the restrictions.

The year 1930 was also significant. During this period, when sound began to be fully integrated into films, the narrative capabilities of cinema had expanded considerably. For this reason, restrictions were intended to be implemented from the very moment that image and sound first came together. However, despite this, the Motion Picture Production Code was not enforced for four years. Most of the reasons were, once again, period-specific. For people in a country in the midst of the Great Depression, the movies were one of the greatest forms of entertainment. It was not very sensible to use laws to suppress a film industry that had reached its peak in terms of sexuality, violence, and sensationalism during the Depression. At the same time, producers, who were in the process of covering the equipment costs of the transition to sound films, could not afford to lose their audience. Although drafts of the law existed as early as 1934, it was not fully enforced until then. In 1934, however—likely due to increasingly explicit content, pressure from Catholics, and the fact that producers had sufficiently filled their pockets over the previous four years—strict censorship and bans began in earnest. The pre-code era took its place in film history as a period when “sound” met cinema and Hollywood’s stylistic boundaries were virtually nonexistent. The Hays Code, which went into effect in 1934, remained in force until 1967. In 1968, it was replaced by the “Parental Guidance” system, which is still in effect today.

Among the hundreds of films made during the Pre-Code era, horror films are undoubtedly the ones that have resonated the most with audiences today. When viewed in the context of the audience of that era, the horror films of the time certainly achieved their goals. These films truly terrified audiences, sowed seeds of doubt in their minds, severed their connection to reality, and sometimes did exactly what was needed to fill movie theaters with screams. When looking at horror films in general, works that had already proven themselves long before the world of literature stand out. However, cinema’s ability to visually depict scenes—and the new capabilities introduced in 1930—may be what creates the impact that carries these works into the present day.