Early Gothic horror films engineered claustrophobic viewing experiences to intensify fear.

Evidence

The experience of seeing these films was intentionally claustrophobic, mimicking the Gothic castle or the London alley. The “cave-like setting” of the darkened theater made the film even scarier, creating a Gothic atmosphere within the cinema house; these experiences influenced contemporary masters of horror, including Stephen King and Clive Barker. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 654