The film Edward Scissorhands

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The film Edward Scissorhands is a contemporary archetype of the gothic genre exploring themes such as unrequited love, social rejection and human creation as defined by Tim Burton. Feature films explore different ideals that can be categorized into different genres that create expectations among audiences about characters, settings, plots and themes. Edward Scisscorhands directed by Tim Burton in the year 1990 is described as both a dark romantic fantasy and a gothic horror film. The film tells a story about Edward Scissorhands, the creation of an elderly inventor who dies before he can give Edward his normal hands in place of his scissor hands. Edward is taken from the mansion he lives in by a suburban family in an attempt to live a ‘normal’ life. The public feared Edward in the beginning but after due time began to welcome him into the neighbourhood until rumours spread and things became ugly. Edward Scissorhands has a fairytale fantasy component. The opening of the film is depicted by Kim ‘Grandma’ in her older years telling a child a bedtime story about how snow came to be. Grandma Kim typically begins the story with “once upon a time” a phrase commonly used when telling fairytales. Fantasy and fairytale each reflect the ‘make believe’ fictional themes portrayed in this film. There are gothic horror themes reflected throughout Edward Scissorhands. The setting of this movie depicts a clear gothic theme, from the eerie mansion he was created in to his character costume throughout the movie. His dark makeup and costuming is juxtaposed to the bright suburbia he is living in revealing his isolation and difference to society which becomes his biggest battle throughout the film. Edward’s loneliness is exposed by the setting of... ... middle of paper ... ...nd says “the roof caved in on him, they both killed each other” and then says “you can see for yourself” as Kim holds up a Scissor hand she had found as she ran out the door. Kim did the right thing by leaving Edward in peace and out of the way of chaos. It is evident in many of today’s award winning film’s that themes and genres of fairytale, dark fantasy and the gothic horror are still as popular and have stood the test of time. This film is known among all generations as a ‘classic’ it incorporates different ideals that appeal to a range of audiences. Each of these themes appeal to both genders; fairytale for girls and dark fantasy/gothic horror for boys. Through virtuous directing by Tim Burton an award winning film was created, his manipulation of character development and depiction of different themes through setting, costume design and juxtaposition.

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