History of the Teen Genre:
The teen movie came of age in 50's America, not long after the concept of the teenager was born. The idea of an intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood, with its own peculiar characteristics. Therefore, teen movies are usually created for teenagers at the age between 15-18 because of the plots and twists based on a teenagers social interest. For example, both the sub-genres: Youth drama and High school drama focus on a teenagers lifestyle in different perspectives. This is also proven by the common stereotypes of teenagers being 'irresponsible' and 'brats' being conformed in each film. However, teen movies are also enjoyed by young adults who usually recollect events of the past.
The Gidget movies and Beach Party (1963) really developed and based with the mood of the 60s in mind, uniting music, comedy and romance with surf, Californian sun and skimpy bikinis. Much of the success of the teen movie lies in the fact that it intertwines fluidly with other genres. In the 70s, teens were subjected to horror such as the movie 'Carrie, 1976' , romance genre movie : 'Love Story, 1970', comedy 'National Lampoon's Animal House, 1978' and John Travolta musicals - 'Saturday Night Fever, 1977' and 'Grease, 1978'.
High-school comedies featuring the so-called Brat Pack were huge in the 80s - a prime example being The Breakfast Club (1985). These films introduced the conventional characters in a teen drama like the bitchy cheerleader, the uber-jock footballer and the bespectacled nerd.
Today, the teen movie remains in good health - considering the success of the High School Musical series and Superbad (2007); initially teen dramas were solely for teens only, as they could relate the most however as the genre has developed and become more popular it has gained a secondary audience of young adults and adults(people between 21-29) because they feel like they can reminisce about their teenage years when watching teen films.
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