German Expressionism

German Expressionism was a creative movement in the 1920s in Germany before WW1. The economic misfortune meant that filmmakers found it hard to create films which could compare with the extravagant Hollywood releases. German filmmakers used their own creativity to come up with their own style of filming which involved symbolism and the use of Mis-en-scene to add mood and atmosphere to the film. The first expressionist films were made up of their low budgets by using set designs and wildly non-realistic geometrically absurd sets, along with designs painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows and objects. The plots and stories of the expressionist films often dealt with madness, insanity, betrayal and other intellectual topics. Horror films were especially influenced by expressionism.
The use of shadows meant that the film could have a deeper meaning, the shadows represented mysteries, this is one of the conventions of a slasher film. This technique has been used in many famous fims such as Psycho when Norman Bates' blurred image  is seen from behind the shower curtain.