The Horror FilmThe Horror Film

Horror films tend to be viewed with critical Horror films tend to be viewed with critical disdain for a number of reasons:disdain for a number of reasons:

Predictability of form and contentPredictability of form and content Low budgets and poor production valuesLow budgets and poor production values Targeting an adolescent audienceTargeting an adolescent audience Variety of generic sources and subgenresVariety of generic sources and subgenres Fantasy worlds – little connection with social or Fantasy worlds – little connection with social or

political issuespolitical issues Dependence upon blood, gore, viscera for effectDependence upon blood, gore, viscera for effect Conservative attitudes towards morality and Conservative attitudes towards morality and

sexualitysexuality

The Horror FilmThe Horror Film

““The horror film has consistently been one The horror film has consistently been one of the most popular and, at the same time, of the most popular and, at the same time, the most disreputable of Hollywood the most disreputable of Hollywood genres. The popularity itself has a genres. The popularity itself has a peculiar characteristic that sets the horror peculiar characteristic that sets the horror film apart from other genres: it is film apart from other genres: it is restricted to aficionados and restricted to aficionados and complemented by total rejection, people complemented by total rejection, people tending to go to horror films either tending to go to horror films either obsessively or not at all”obsessively or not at all”

Robin Wood, Robin Wood, American NightmareAmerican Nightmare

The Horror FilmThe Horror Film

Why are horror films popular with Why are horror films popular with audiences?audiences?

Stability of form and content provides a Stability of form and content provides a predictable set of pleasurespredictable set of pleasures

Ability to merge with other genres eg crime, Ability to merge with other genres eg crime, sci-fisci-fi

Emphasis on the impossible and the Emphasis on the impossible and the uncannyuncanny

Taboo or forbidden subject matterTaboo or forbidden subject matterThe attraction of fearThe attraction of fear

The Attraction of FearThe Attraction of Fear

Psychological:Psychological: Iconography often linked to primal fears eg Iconography often linked to primal fears eg

darkness, knives, masksdarkness, knives, masksReturn of repressed desires, especially Return of repressed desires, especially

violent and sexual urgesviolent and sexual urgesFascination with the body and its fragilityFascination with the body and its fragilitySex and sexuality as key themesSex and sexuality as key themesUltimately reassuring – the diegesis is Ultimately reassuring – the diegesis is

governed by set rules, chaos is brought governed by set rules, chaos is brought under controlunder control

Questions of moralityQuestions of morality

The Attraction of FearThe Attraction of Fear

Social:Social:The diegesis represents ‘normality’; the The diegesis represents ‘normality’; the

monster stands in opposition to thismonster stands in opposition to thisOften based around contemporary social Often based around contemporary social

fears and tensionsfears and tensionsUltimately, society is able to contain and Ultimately, society is able to contain and

control the ‘abnormal’control the ‘abnormal’ Issues of science, technology, religion and Issues of science, technology, religion and

psychology as social ‘narratives’psychology as social ‘narratives’More recently, the family and middle-class More recently, the family and middle-class

lifestyles have been examined as a source of lifestyles have been examined as a source of horrorhorror

Some Horror TrendsSome Horror Trends

1.1. Traditional, gothic horrorTraditional, gothic horror

2.2. Sci-fi horrorsSci-fi horrors

3.3. Stalk and slash horrorStalk and slash horror

4.4. Psychological horrorPsychological horror