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How the media influences the public perception
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Archetypal Characters Within the "Slasher" Film Sub-Genre
One of the most telling traits of a society is how it entertains itself. Although Americans of the late twentieth century have many choices for distraction, one medium has had a particularly significant impact upon the fabric of American culture: film. Through pandering to the ideas and beliefs of the audience, filmmakers parallel those ideas and beliefs in their creations. This correlation was demonstrated in the glut of so-called "slasher" films during the period 1974-1984. Although the films were diverse in form and execution, the basic plot of these movies involved some sort of deranged psychopath gleefully stalking and killing a number of unfortunate teenage victims. Within this sub-genre there can be found a number of basic character styles, or archetypes. These archetypes not only serve to bind certain movies into the slasher category, but also to provide a window into the culture that they cater to.
In order to present a specific example of each archetype, I have chosen four films that are exemplary of the overall sub-genre. Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) tells the story of a van full of traveling teenagers and their run-in with a family of backwoods cannibals. John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) has killer Michael Myers strangling baby-sitters on the night of said movie title. Sean Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980) looses a hockey-masked psychopath upon a host of unsuspecting camp counselors. Finally, Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse (1981) finds four teens trapped in a carnival with a murderous sideshow freak.
The most evident archetype within the slasher sub-genre is the Virgin. Usually the Virgin is the protagonist of the film, a female tee...
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... of the sub-genre that began with the Wes Craven's Scream (1994). These films are not only helping to carry the archetypes of Halloween and Friday the 13th to a new generation of moviegoers, but also updating them as the culture has updated itself. Despite the changes some form of these archetypes will continue to exist, no matter how much American society alters. As long as a teenager yearns for the adrenaline rush from a masked murderer, slasher films and their archetypes will endure.
Works Cited
Halloween. Dir. John Carpenter, with Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis. Falcon Productions, 1978.
Friday the 13th. Dir. Sean Cunningham. Paramount, 1980.
The Funhouse. Dir Tobe Hooper. Universal, 1981.
McCarthy, Ken. The Splatter Film Guide. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Dir Tobe Hooper. Rosebud Communications, 1974.
2. According to Sobchack, contemporary screen violence greatly differs than portrayals of violence in years past. Today, violent scenes are careless and lack significance because we as audiences have become calloused and desensitized to any acts of violence. She states that there is “no grace or benediction attached to violence. Indeed, its very intensity seems diminished” (Sobchack 432). Senseless violence, gruesome acts, and profound amounts of gore are prevalent in movies today, and because even this is not enough, it must be accompanied by loud blasts and noise, constantly moving scenes to keep audiences stimulated and large quantities of violence for viewers to enjoy what they are watching. Decades ago, it was the story that was engaging to audiences and filmmaking was an art.
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” University of Florida professor of film studies, Robert Ray, defines two types of heroes pervading American films, the outlaw hero and the official hero. Often the two types are merged in a reconciliatory pattern, he argues. In fact, this
Men and women have played gender specific roles, from the earliest sign of civilization to modern society. In the cult classic “Night of the Living Dead”, stereotypical gender role were on display. George A. Romero’s film hinted at subtle references to the role of men and women and depicted the stereotypes America held during the 1960s. Men played the protectors and enforcers, while the women represented the submissive homemakers and caretakers. Romero’s film portrays the sexes, men and women, in their respective stereotypical behaviors. Stereotypes that sets the undertone for the duration of the film.
Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton: Princeton Publishing, 1992.
“Do you like scary movies?” purred a sinister voice over the telephone, and immediately Scream had marked itself out as something new in a tired genre. When it was released in 1996, the classic slasher franchises had all pretty much ran out of steam. Scream was different, it was a breath of fresh air: smart and self-referential, it reminded horror fans what they loved about the genre in the first place, and scared them silly at the same time.
He drowned as a child, neglected by camp counselors. It was a terrible loss, and the start to a horrific series of killings. People have tried to escape. It was only a matter of time though, they were either curious and died early or hid and it was only a little longer before they were slain. I believe the main character in Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees, is insane because for one, he was born mentally disabled, but also because of his mother’s actions. Also I believe this horror icon has endured as a popular Halloween outfit, and because the producers just won’t let the series go, finally they have improved the quality of the films over the years.
Maasik, Sonia, and J. Fisher Solomon. "The Offensive Movie Cliche That Won't die." Signs of life in the U.S.A.: readings on popular culture for writers. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1994. 407-411. Print.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned. (Horror Films)
Qualities like violence were extremely limited back then in the 1950s, but it is more widely accepted in today’s society in gruesome amounts. I remember reading about this one movie that had been banned because the audience believed that the horrific acts in it were realistic and that the actors were hurt or killed off in the making of the film, but it was just accurate representation of what would occur had the violent act had been done in real life. Another quality that caught the interests of the audience was indistinctive or abnormal characters. Characters like Heath Ledger’s Joker who have joy of torturing others for the sake of fun deviates from the typical person and is surprising that these type of people do exist in our world in silence. Interestingly enough, these characters catch our eye the most often because we wonder why they think differently from “normal” humans.
One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak
The title of the film reflects not only the history of violence of the protagonist, but the history of violence in America. This simple movie gracefully indicates how movie violence prevails as a reflection of American culture. “The History of Violence” is not just another gut-spilling movie about a man running from his past. Instead, it serves as a window into understanding the desire for movie violence in America. While critics argue that the movie is over-contextualized, the average American may argue that the movie is not precise enough. However, the beauty of the movie resides in its complex ambiguity.
Within the genre of horror films falls the sub-genre of teen slasher/stalker films. These teen slasher/stalker films take the horror genre film characteristics into account, however they add more to the formula. More violence, sadism, brutality, and graphic blood and gore are used to increase the terror factor. Sexuality and gratuitous nudity are also key characteristic of many of these films. Imitations and numerous sequels are also a common characteristic of teen slasher/stalker films as well.
To begin with, the protagonist is an absolute must in any horror movie. The protagonist in a horror film is usually one person or a group of people. The protagonist in Sinister 2 is a mother and two sons which is provides a good example of the group protagonist
If it is a female heroine then she will be really attractive, big breasted, and quite feminine. The evil villain is normally ugly, and greedy. The hero and villain have gunfights and chases (featuring a variety of vehicles). One of the females is a seductress, who works for the villain, she has to be attractive. The other female plays the heroes love interest; she also needs to be attractive.