The horror film as a genre is distinctly defined by its recurring elements such as ghosts and bloody violence and by its attitudes toward those elements. One popular example of a recurring element is monsters in horror films that act as material to differentiate horror films from other genres. For example, what appears to distinguish the horror story from fairy tales is the attitude of characters in the story to the monsters they chance upon. In fairy tales, monsters are part of the everyday furniture of the universe. Beasts, basilisks, and dragons are bothersome and fearful creatures in the world of myths, but they are not unnatural: they can be accommodated by the order of nature that produced them such as one of the beloved fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast, that describes the love between a monster and a young woman. However in the works of horror, “humans regard the monsters that they encounter as abnormal, as disturbances of the natural order”. (Nature of Horror, Carroll, 52). Monsters go against the norms of property of positive human characters in the story; and subsequently, in examples of horror, it would appear that the monster is an extraordinary character in our ordinary world, whereas in fairy tales and the like, the monster is an ordinary character in an extraordinary world. According to Freud, "we adapt our judgment to the imaginary reality imposed on us by the writer." (Freud, ) This concept applies to works of film, as well. In the animistic worlds depicted in fantasy cinema, there is nothing uncanny or otherwise horrifying about the reconfirmation of infantile beliefs in the omnipotence of thought and the prompt fulfillment of wishes; according to Freud, this is because most of us are well aware of the fact th... ... middle of paper ... ...ow, but now what does this all mean? Where are we? […] No one can make us leave this house.” The Others deals with the coexistence of “otherized” identities. Thus, the conflict is resolved by overturning the role between the offender and victim of horror. People regarded to be included within the identified world confront the fear of objectobject of fear, newly recognizing it in ‘the other’s’ point of view. Similarly, while we are watching horror films we constantly confront with our own otherness, those fragile states deeply buried by psychotic defense. In this process, the horror film acts as a guide to help us face uncomfortable feelings and truths about ourselves. The film The Others is not only about a ghosts struggling to maintain their territory, but is about the way the experience of others exist in bodily ways and at the ‘heart of the very sense of ‘self’.
Analysis of the Film Scream I am writing an essay on films, I am studying the camera movement, the scenario etc. I am studying the films "scream", in this film the horror starts as early as the opening credits. The word scream appears on the screen in bold white letters, at this point you can hear a scream and the texts turns red, putting the picture in the viewers head that someone has been stabbed, this builds up the excitement, you then hear a number of screams, the text then blurs and eventually fades out of the screen, giving the idea that someone has died. The first victim is typical, the first victim is female, she is blonde, flirtatious down the phone, home alone and she is a teenager. They make her seem weak because during the conversation she talks about her boyfriend and threatens the killer with him a number of times.
Halloween is rife with psychological scares that affect its audience greatly. “Symbolism, dreamlike imagery, emotional rather than rational logic” are present in Psychoanalytic criticism. Siskel and Ebert talked about how the movie makes you feel as if you are the protagonist, scared for your life and feeling every bit of suspense (Siskel and Ebert). The movie is purely fueled by emotional responses to what is happening to the characters and focuses itself purely on how the audience will respond. In the clip shown, the main protagonist talks about how she killed the killer but he is shown alive. The movie is not concerned with the logic; otherwise, the killer would have at least been slowed down by the injuries he sustained. Siskel and Ebert laud the movie on its set up of scenes, score, character development, and use of lighting to make the audience feel the terror the characters undergo.
For we assume women don't trust their male partners associating with other females. And, to be fair, it added a touch of humor to the otherwise murderous tone. She jokes that Tucker shouldn't, "crawl into bed with her." But with the awkwardness of a stranger being in the house, Tucker states that he's only doing the right thing. And the two welcome her with Southern-style hospitality. But the girl is still battling the trauma. And the film uses flashbacks and hallucinations to show her struggle. These triggered responses led to my growing concern for her sanity. It also elevates her state of distress. Thus, you can see how she juxtaposes with Tucker's nurturance. So later on, Tucker assumes a "father figure" like role. In fact, this dynamic leads to him giving her the
The article Why We Crave Horror Movies by Stephen King distinguishes why we truly do crave horror movies. Stephen King goes into depth on the many reasons on why we, as humans, find horror movies intriguing and how we all have some sort of insanity within us. He does this by using different rhetorical techniques and appealing to the audience through ways such as experience, emotion and logic. Apart from that he also relates a numerous amount of aspects on why we crave horror movies to our lives. Throughout this essay I will be evaluating the authors arguments and points on why society finds horror movies so desirable and captivating.
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)
Vast arrays of appropriations have sprung from Shelley’s text, which influence as to why the text still remains today. The main source of today’s appropriations has been drawn directly from the figure of the monster itself. As, technology advanced and the idea of the stage was subjugated with the growing trend towards cinema, the figure of the original idea of the monster diminished. The figure slowly morphed into a hideous being, possessing green, stitched skin with bolts in the side of the head (lacking the original parallels to Adam). Unfortunately, the birth of cinema and its immediate success led to the demise of the philosophies and principles, which were initially at the crux of Shelley’s Frankenstein. A modern day appropriation of Frankenstein is The Rocky Horror Show, which draws directly from the creation of a monster, yet puts it in a satirical context, once again abating the traditional philosophies. The birth of the horror theme was partly due to Shelley’s text and though the horror theme is carried through today, it differs greatly as society now expects a different form of horror.
“Why We Crave Horror Movies,” an essay by the legendary Stephen King, explains two challenging concepts to understand: why people like gory horror movies and how people are able to control their darkest desires. “I think that we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better, after all.” King opens the essay by addressing the hard truth- we are all insane. People have dull lives, and often it’s the little bit of crazy within in us tha...
According authors like Carroll, one of the most important themes in horror culture is the idea of impurity (Carroll, 99). This usually takes the form of the monster, functioning to make the human, as well as its physical and behavioural characteristics, resemble the pure form. The idea of purity is consistent across many of the genre’s tropes with examples like body horror, which focusses on the disregard for the purity of the human body (Cruz, 161). Thus, while many monsters in horror do not necessarily resemble a recognizable body like a human or animal, the trope of body horror desecrates these properties to make the audience feel uneasy.
Many timeless novels have impacts on our everyday culture, not only as a book, but also through music or movies. Many popular novels have multiple adaptations, which shape how we approach their interpretation, in ways we may never even notice. In some films, humans are depicted as monsters, whether through their actions, or through the thoughts of other beings. In these films we find issues with our own society, and in turn see ourselves as monsters, and look for ways we can change, for the better. One particular novel that influences this side of Hollywood is Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”. The ways Frankenstein influences pop culture can be seen in science fiction films in which humans are depicted as monster, and “monsters” are seen as more humane beings, such as I, Robot, and Ender’s Game.
The definition of ‘monstrosity’ and what it means to be ‘monstrous’ can be understood to mean something that is visually unattractive, malformed and/or terrifying. However, monstrosity is not exclusively about something aesthetically ugly, it can also apply to what differs from what is considered ‘normality’. What is ‘normal’ versus what is ‘monstrous’ is closely linked when exploring ideas about the human condition. The representations of monstrosity in Frankenstein and in The Tempest reveal how what is monstrous and what is normal are often found side by side, challenging the idea that it is limited to outcasts who do not ‘fit-in’, and that deep down, a desire to be understood, accepted and included and to live life with meaning are central to the human condition and that monsters in society often reveal our deep seated fears and anxieties about our own existence.
It was a normal friday, my brother and I were dropped of at the mosque by my mother. We were supposed to meet the other YM members. YM is a muslim youth group from ages 13-25. We were supposed to meet up at the mosque at about seven thirty and pray. After prayer we would talk about a religious topic and then go to Bilal’s house to watch a movie. My brother and I were bored so we played basketball on the hoop that the mosque has. Then two more children came a boy my age and then a boy that is about sixteen. We just shot some hoops until someone would come.
Stephen King, a very well-known writer and director, has a passionate voice when it comes to anything dealing with horror. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” King calls us out for knowing that we love the adrenaline rush and how we are so captivated by horror movies. He explains how we watch horror movies for the level of fun. King proposes that we go to defy ourselves; to see how far it can push us and that is what makes the experience so interesting. We lock our inner psycho from reality and feed it with the demonic, bloody violence found in horror movies. Doing this suggests that horror movies are our fix for our psychotic thoughts. Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” portrays that we are all insane in some weird way through
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
Since the advent of art and writing, monsters have been at the forefront of human creation. From cave paintings of great beasts to the snake-haired gorgons of Greek myth, mankind has been fascinated by what frightens it. The horror genre is so eternally popular because it provokes a very intimate reaction from the audience. Just as comedy is met with laughter and tragedy with tears, horror is met with fear. Horror has taken its place not only as an artistic and literary medium but also as a facet of society. Monsters and fear motivate and inspire just as much as heroes and hope, shaping cultures and religions along lines of light and dark. One must look no farther than the skeletal depictions of Hell and its beasts in medieval manuscripts to see the social weight terror can wield. The pious medieval citizen was motivated equally by the feverish desire to stay out of hell as he was to gain access to heaven.
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.