Preliminary Task

Hey since we recently completed our Preliminary Task I decided to create a YouTube account for out group since I was having trouble uploading straight to the blog so below is a link to our Preliminary task, our story line is based around a long kept secret...

Group: Initial Concepts - Discussion 1

Today the group got together in order to create a general concept. The decisions reached were:

• We want to do a combination of psychological and supernatural horror.
• Our inspiration comes from 'Fight Club' (Fincher, 1999) and some shots inspired by 'Donnie Darko' (Kelly, 2001) and 'The Shining' (Kubrick, 1980).
• We will use a single male protagonist/antagonist as is conventional of this particular style of psychological horror.
•  The protagonist will have split personalities: himself (with a conscience and somewhat 'good') and a supernatural-esque voice in his head (morally wrong, the embodiment of the 'evil' nature inside himself)
• The backstory for the protagonist is that he has gone through deep emotional pain throughout his life as a result of harm both physically and mentally from other individuals, which has led him to the depressed/schizophrenic state he is in now.
• The horror aspects come from the psychological torture he goes through at the hands of his other personality and the murder that he commits as a result of the persuasion from the voice/being.
• We think the representation of his other self could be shown through mirrors where the being is shown rather than the protagonist himself. Another idea is to have them both in the real life narrative as individual characters but the voice, although shown as seeming like a real person, being a figment of his imagination.
• We have also contemplated the idea of beggining the film at the end of the narrative with the inclusion of suggestive flashbacks as proleptic references and shots of a noose (or similar props) to suggest suicide from not being able to handle them emotional strain.

GW Analysis of the opening sequence from 'The Butterfly Effect'

Although more of a psychological thriller (though some people do think of it as horror), I researched ‘The Butterfly Effect’. The first scene is a flash forward, which I believe could be an interesting idea to play with.

Genre

Although the genre allows a lot of creative scope, the clip fits conventions in some ways:

• There is a sense of mystery.
• The protagonist seems to have done something wrong, but the audience is still encouraged to empathise.
• There is tense music
•   He is being hunted
• It is located inside the confines of an institution, which is a stock location.

Form and Style of opening

The opening is a flash forward, where foreboding is introduced by the panicked nature of the protagonist, as well as the tense music. Character exposition is brought forward by the letter that the man is writing, expressing his need to ‘go back to the beginning’ and his need to save a girl, likely to be a love interest. The dialogue introduces his feelings through expression.

There aren’t any credits, possibly to increase the fluidity of the very tense scene. The titles are integrated through a close up of his writing paper, which falls apart to create the movement of butterflies, thus introducing the title ‘The Butterfly Effect’, which suggests a chaos theory driven plot, as it is associated with the quote shown before the footage.

Film Language

•  Mise-en-scene conveys meaning through the use of low key lighting, suggesting a darker, twisted nature to the piece. The use of blinds with gaps suggests that the protagonist is trapped in his situation, or possibly in his own mind, as they are reminiscent of fences or prisons. The torch lights give the impression that the man is being hunted. The protagonist is wearing a robe and pyjama–like clothing, which could mean that he is vulnerable.
•   High angle shots are used to show the vulnerability of the protagonist, whilst mid shots are used to show expression, and encourage the audience to relate to the man. A tracking shot gave a sense of being followed. 
•  Non diegetic sound includes music to build up tension and highlight a sense of danger. The background noise of staff shouting ‘Evan’ also gives a sense of being followed. The dialogue anchors the image by explaining why the man is hiding and in a rush- he has a plan to carry out, as well as telling the audience what he is scribbling on his notepad.
• His non-verbal language shows that he is scared, as Evan rushes around, blockading the door. He then retreats to beneath the desk, which is a small, safe, womb-like spot, suggesting that he needs to be protected.

Narrative

The narrative is linear within the opening sequence, but is a prolepsis within the entire film. The audience is placed there to observe Evan, but is ignorant of why he is there and starts to become curious.

The audience is encouraged to identify with the primal fear of being caught when chased, as well as being able to identify with his need to ‘save her’, due to the idea that love is all encompassing and necessary. Mid shots of expression assist with empathy. They are alienated by their lack of understanding as to why the man is there, as well as the fact that he is behaving in a disobedient manner- authority figures are searching for him.

Tension is created by the chase and is maintained by the continuous shouts from those looking for the protagonist. His hurried writing and fast-paced talking further emphasise it. The music is fast and the beat connotes impending doom.

Representation and Ideology

Those with mental health problems are represented in this clip. The ideological discourse that those with mental illness are erratic and somewhat dangerous is highlighted by the tension in the clip, as well as the fact that Evan is being hunted down. High angle shots are used, which could make the audience feel superior to the protagonist. On the other hand, it is challenged by the coherency of the speech and the references to common emotional needs i.e. Love, creating a relatable character.

Media Audiences

The target audience for this film is likely to be males aged 19-34, though the emotional elements would appeal to a female. The dominant reading of the text is that the man is in trouble and should be helped, as he needs to find the person he loves: The protagonist may have been placed in the situation wrongfully, due to a supposed mental issue. An opposing reading could be that the mentally unstable man has caused trouble, and the authorities need to prevent it from occurring.

What could I take from this opening sequence?

·         I really like the use of music to build up tension.

·         The ambiguous references to ‘her’ are an easy way to introduce mystery

·         Low key lighting

·         Static or slow camera shots, with the movement being provided by the actor and editing.

·         Sense of being trapped is very effective

The clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNw7Y-BSMh4#t=58

RH - Analysis of the Opening Sequence of Paranormal activity (Oren Peli, 2009)

Genre:
The film belongs to the supernatural horror genre, it is conventional in the fact that it starts of in a quite large family home, however paranormal activity is famous for its USP which is in the way it is filmed, the handycam filming in this film is done in a way to show the protagonists explore the house as well as stationary surveillance camera shots to show the entirety of the house. The opening of the film also has a sentence saying that 'Paramount Pictures would like to thank the families of Micah Sloat & Katie Featherson and the San Diego Police Department; this is a way of implying to the audience that this story is true which is conventional to supernatural horrors even if the story isn't entirely true.

Form & Style:
The opening scene gets straight into the film introducing the relevance of a handycam at a very early stage, the opening scene is all live action and has no credits at all in order to keep the continuity of a home movie aspect. In the opening scene we are straight away positioned with the man in the couple who is called Micah but this later switches between Micah and his girlfriend Katie as she starts to use the camera.

Film Language:

Mise-en-scene:
The Mise-en-scene in the opening scene shows us that we are positioned in a family home in America on a sub-urban street this idea is reinforced by the clothing the couple wears. We are also told that the camera cost half of what Micah earned today meaning that Micah is potentially well paid or the camera was cheap this most likely means the couple are slightly above middle class, this is reinforced through the set since we are later shown the two in the back garden while Micah is swimming in their pool.

Camera:
The camera throughout the whole opening scene uses the same techniques since it is all handycam and the movie is meant to seem like it is home made and therefore a lot of the shots are not framed well sometimes focusing on certain things for example Micah often films Katie. The only shots that are properly framed is when the camera is placed down, however these shots can carry on going even when no one is in frame and they can only be heard off screen. The only static shot which is framed taking into account the rule of thirds is the first shot of the couple going to bed.

Sound:
The sound in the opening scene is all diagetic and is not edited at all, however later on some sounds may be amplified to frighten the audience, but in the opening scene the clip is all unedited diagetic sound due to the film trying to appear of home made shots.

Editing: 
Once again due to the nature of the film there is no editing apart from straight cuts which is supposedly to show when one session of filming stops and starts this can mean for some lengthy shots in the opening scene.

Narrative:
During the opening scene the narrative used is specifically just introducing us to the personalities of the two characters showing us that Micah like to tease Katie while Katie is a lot more serious about the situation. Although there is brief mentioning of supernatural activity the tension never rises and just gives a reason for Micah to be filming them at night, however we get no background to this haunting since these are given in the later films.

Representation & Ideology:
We do not see the opening scene deal with any specific social group apart from the social class of Micah and Katie but they do not say anything about this and it is all implied, however a few more minutes in we get to see that Micah is sceptical of the haunting while Katie is persistent of her view, this shows the audience two different views people have on the paranormal; however the target audience would most likely position themselves with Katie here since they most likely enjoy the idea of the paranormal but they would probably laugh along with Micah, this comedy is used to ease the viewer into the film. The film seems to give a patriarchal view of the couple, since  Micah seems to be given most of the control over the couples spendings as a male, this is shown by the fact that Micah buys an expenssive camera without consulting Katie which apparently cost what Micah had earnt that day showing that Micah's job is most likely well payed. This shows that gender is portrayed as a significant factor since the patriarchy explains the films camera style. We are also show  that the couple are quite young reinforcing the idea that young couples often have a lot of disposable income meaning they can afford all the cameras.

Media Audiences:
The target audience for Paranormal activity would most likely be the core audience for horror films which is 15-24 year olds, due to the nature of the film it focused on the younger generation.

JP: Analysis of the Opening Sequence of 'The Amityville Horror' (Douglas, 2005)

Genre

First frame of the sequence

The opening sequence is very conventional to the film's genre of psychological/supernatural horror. It begins with the stereotypical phrase within supernatural horror films, "Based on the true story", written in an identifiably horror, typewriter-like typography. The setting is in a typical remote old style building during a thunder storm at night; this holds negative implecations for the inhabitants and connotes the inability to escape.


Form and Style

The opening's style is a blend of montage and live action with the mix of archive footage and real-time footage being used to create a sense of forboding through displaying an events and the implecations it has in the world of the narrative. The title bridges the gap between the live action section and the montage with the transition being a simple cut on both sides. It is also positioned solitary in the middle of the frame in white with only a solid black background; as well as the typography of it being a conventional 'scraped' style font connoting mental instability individual. The title itself is a cultural allusion to the horrific real life event that many would associate it with, also the fact the word 'horror' is in the title establishes its genre before viewing.


Film Language



Mise-en-scene

The characters in the live action section of the extract have been specifically casted as white, affluent looking indivudals to conform to the generic expectations of white lead characters within the horror genre. Also, the murderer is male holding the residual ideology of male dominance as well as the male traits of being weak minded but possessing brute strength, as he is easily able to murder the other members of his family and be controlled mentally. The serious, emotion devoid non-verbal language of the man used in conjunction with the prop of a gun creates a sense of unease about the sequence from the start and the lack of emotional response after each killing also instills fear.

Camera

Low angle on murderer

An eye-level BCU shot is used at the start of the sequence on the man's eyes to immediately position the audience with this character. Following this there is an establishing shot of the house amid a raging storm to present the dark and dire situation he is in. The CU shot of the photo of him in a university atire creates juxtaposition to the situation he is in now and what his life could have been like instilling a compassionate feeling in the audience. Also, further in the extract as he opens the wardrobe to find his daughter, a low angle MU shot is used on him whilst a high angle CU shot is used on his daughter connoting both his dominance over her and how distant the audience is becoming from him since his introduction before the murders.

Sound

The sound mix in the extract is dense despite having no definite soundtrack. Non-diagetic sound is still apparent, however, as ghostly sound effects and white noise can be heard to unsettle the audience. Diagetic sound is used effectively (depite lacking a large amount dialogue) as many aspects including door slams, gun shots and breathing/gasps are amplified to create visceral pleasure. The non-diagetic sounds of a camera taking photos also connotes the event being recorded and forshadows that the murders will be discovered with the photos likely to be used as evidence.

Editing

An archive shot from the montage

The cutting rate anchors the action on screen as at the start before the murdering begins, the cutting rate is slow to convey the tense build up whilst during the murders it is much faster displaying the eratic nature of the killings. The montage afterwards also serves the purpose of conveying the result of the murder as well as providing more information to the audience so they can forge an interpretation of the events and keep the fear lasting too.


Narrative

The dialogue in the extract is used sparsely during the opening to create and maintain tension. The live action section features the voice of an unseen being with a satanic tone creating the aural iconography of evil demons controlling the man. The second section features archive dialogue that has an old tonal quality with clear use of sampling. The major themes in the narrative include murder and lack of self control, both of which are presented with a serious delivery and hold the connotations of supernatural intervention and mental disorder.


Representation & Ideology

The extract as a whole deals with the representation of mental health from a negative point of view. The demonic voices controlling the man in the opening resemble that of schizophrenia and convey the murderous implecations as a result of the issue. However, the dominant hegemonic position is that the murders were out of the control of the murderer and the audience is positioned with him despite being alienated from him and identifying with the victims. Also, the murderer is placed in a dominating position as a middle aged male which reinforces the dominant ideologies of age and gender being that people of his classification (male and of relative age) are the most powerful in society.


Media Audiences

The target audience is the core horror audience of males aged 15-24. However, due to the cultural reference in the title of the film, they may hope to attract older viewers who remember the event. The opening sequence can be read in many ways with a possible aberrant reading being that the man wanted to murder his family out of his own free will. Although, other possible readings include a negotiated position with the idea that he murdered them with the intention of doing so as the voice was himself rather than a supernatural being. Despite this, the dominant hegemonic position still suggest the murders occured due to supernatural intervention.

RH - Supernatural Horror

The sub-genre of Supernatural horror consists of a paranormal entity hanging around the protagonist, the unwanted entity isn't usually accepted easily by the protagonist which causes tension to rise. The key with supernatural horrors is that it provides scares in some cases where the is no entity on screen and does this usually through the invisible movement of objects.

Setting:
A conventional setting for a supernatural horror is usually a place which relates closely to the protagonist which means it usually ends up being their house, a place of work or the local area; but the entity always seems to follow the protagonist. The fact the film takes place in a realistic area makes the film more believable in its self since supernatural activities are often subject to controversy.

Plot:
The plot of a supernatural horror usually takes one of two routes either the protagonist is being followed by a paranormal entity or the entity is already haunting an area that the protagonist happens to move into for example a haunted house or a person the protagonist is connected with that ends up to be causing the horror.

Characters:
The main character in a supernatural horror are conventionally young women who have done nothing wrong and are usually normal people who are harmless and caring, this is often represented through them being mothers; if this is the case the children are usually ones to see the entity. The antagonist which in most cases is the entity is usually seen at first as being there for no reason but later on may be seen to be there for a certain reason.

Props:
props in a supernatural horror usually consist of household items since these are the sort of items used as weapons used to harass the protagonist this is due to the subgenre not containing much gore.

Costume:
In Supernatural horrors the costume is often very simple and allows focus on other aspects of the film for example things moving on set. Later on in the film when the entity reveals itself everyone seems erratic and run down due to them being afraid.

Sound:
The soundtrack to a supernatural horror will usually consist of an orchestral score. Sound is often used to reflect the mood of a scene, when a child is involved there will often be childish music to provide juxtaposition and build tension. Diagetic sounds in the films usually include household items crashing and breaking to build tension as well as creaking doors and wind blowing.

JP: Monster Horror

This sub-genre of horror focuses around creatures created usually with the intention of embodying the anxieties and concerns within their cultural context. However, films classified as 'monster horror' can also feature human-like monsters that often are abnormal to those within the society at the time. The techniques used in these films have many similarites to other sub-genres of horror but differ in some key areas.


Mise-en-scene

Frankenstein (1931) - Frankenstein and his Monster

Characters & Costume

The sub-genre typically features characters wearing clothing that was worn commonly by people at the time of production. Due to the often real life settings, the costumes worn had to replicate the feel of the time and location so that it was more relateable to the audience, thus creating the unease of twisted reality by introducing the creatures. The monster costumes however, were dependent on the dominant audience the film makers were aiming to scare. For example, in 'Them!' (1954) the monsters were giant bugs for two reasons: one being the threat of the cold war at the time which provoked fears of mutation from the nuclear devices and the other being the universal fear of bugs which many hold even today.

Setting

Monster horror films are generally set in real life locations such as realisitc towns and cities due to the desire to relate to the audience and their home locations with the intention making the events seem real despite the inclusion of surreal creatures. However, some films, such as 'Alien' (1979), merge the sub-genre with other sub-genres of horror including sci-fi which subsequently results in the setting being less real but the monster adapts to that setting and the film relies more on other aspects to instil the fear in the audience; such as sound and the monster's costume.


Sound

Jaws (1975) - Featuring the iconic score, building suspense using only two notes

Non-Diagetic

Non-diagetic sound is one of the most important aspects to not only monster horror, but the horror genre as a whole. A film's soundtrack often helps to shape the atmosphere and tension in a scene through its composition. For example in 'Jaws' (1975) during arguably its most famous scene, the soundtrack manages to build suspense using only two notes but also using a crescendo and accelerando. White noise and other sound effects not related to the action on screen are also used to create similar effects.

Diagetic

Diagetic sound also plays a large role in the film maker's intention of scaring the audience. Within a sound mix certain aspects of diagetic sound are often amplified, such as breathing and footsteps, to create tension. Such is true of falling objects or loud collisions during jump scares in films. In terms of dialogue, the monsters very rarely speak lines (at least in modern monster horror films) and usually just make incomprehensible noises to convey their lack of conformity social normality.


Camera & Editing

Alien (1979) - The creature was portrayed as being much larger than the humans

Shot Types

A typical feature of monster horror is conveying the creature to be larger and far more powerful than the victims. One way in which film makers can achieve this is through the use of slight low angles when filming the monster to give the false impression that it's larger than it really is. Similarly, slight high angles are sometimes used on the victims / protagonists to make them seem weak and smaller in comparison as well as connoting their fear of the creatures that tower over them. Also, when both the victim and monster are framed in the same shot, they are usually either at opposite ends of the shot or from the point of view of the victim with the monster is standing over them.

Cuts & Cutting Rate

The length of shots depends on the intensity of action on screen. When the tension is building the shot length tends to generally be longer and the cutting rate slower. However, when the monster is on screen or if there is chase, the cutting rate is generally much faster and the shot length quite short to present the eratic events on screen. The shot transitions are predominantly just standard cuts too (with the exception of some older monster horror films that utilised newly invented transitions such as screen wipes).


Moodboard

GW: Psychological Horror

 This is a sub-genre of horror that utilises character’s fear, guilt, faith and emotional instability to create a tense, unsettling film. These films differ massively from ‘splatter films’ which derive effects from gore and violence. These films tend to be less formulaic, less likely to use many stock characters and will demonstrate features that can be associated with another sub-genre, e.g. supernatural aspects in the films ‘The Shining’ or ‘Insidious’.

MOODBOARD


 Characters 

In these films the protagonist is often also the antagonist. The character does not look like a monstrous entity, but instead is a normal human being, whose twisted nature is not shown until deeper into the film or who experiences strange phenomena, such as hallucinations. There tends to be a fairly even mix of female and male leads.

(<Jacob’s ladder focuses on the story of Vietnam veteran, Jacob, using hallucinations) 

The film relies on this character for the plot line, as it centres around emotional, sexual and simply human characteristics. The sub-genre uses archetypal shadowy traits, which embody themselves in the human psyche as a threat, causing discomfort as it exposes common, or universal, psychological vulnerabilities and fears, which are often dark and repressed by the majority of people. Other characters are often friends or family, exploring the destruction of relationships and in a lot of cases the other characters have a sense of vulnerability, to highlight how twisted the lead becomes.

 Setting 

The Overlook Hotel

Often the location is one of two options: Either the film is set somewhere more remote, like the Overlook Hotel, in The Shining or the film occurs in a daily life situation, with key sets being the home and place of work.

 Sound

 The use of non-diegetic sound to create tension is common, using eerie soundtracks. As well as this, the amplification of certain diegetic sounds  is common, for example footsteps or clocks ticking.

 Camera and editing

 Psychological horror films do not tend to stick to completely conventional techniques, with many directors revolutionising or challenging common images. This has included split screens, handy-cam use and complicated shots that involve mirrors and shadows.

Black Swan uses mirrors to demonstrate the issues facing the protagonist

Overall, although it is its own sub-genre, many horror films fit into another- like supernatural, gothic or monster horror, suggesting that elements of psychological horror could easily be mixed in with traits of other styles. This creates a more varied slate of horror films.

JP: Horror and its Sub-Genres

Horror has many key concepts that we should conisder in our production; making up the generic formula. These include:

• Being flexible and dynamic.
• Being used institutionally to connect with an audience.
• Being used as a blueprint, framework, label, contract.
• Having overriding conventions such as: the Scare Factor, the Monster, the Use of Lighting, Recognisable Iconography (including location, props and casting), and the Use of Sound.
• Having a clear protagonist(s) / victim(s).
• Having archetypes of both heroes and villains.
• The inclusion of stock characters, plots and situations.
• Having a set theme. 

Horror also contains sub-genres, one of which we should focus on for our production. These include: 

• Slasher
• Psychological
• Zombie
• Torture
• Monster
• Gothic
• Supernatural
• Sci-fi
• Comedy / Parody

In regards to the sub-genre, I believe we should focus on creating an opening to a psychological horror film as it has a clear style with the conventions being easily accessible for us to conform to through our access to limited props and locations.

GW- Female Representation in Horror (Specifically Slasher)

For years women were, almost without exception, represented as weak, vulnerable characters, which would later be saved by the male hero. This changed in the late 1970s, when directors like George A. Romero and Wes Craven were influenced by social and political attitudes, including civil unrest and the growing feminist movement, and so began to change the attitude that the American horror genre held. This led to the addition of a new sort of female character who would not only be proficient in defending herself, but would also seek out and terminate the threat.

Stalk and Slash

Stalk and Slash style horror films were exceedingly popular in America, are made in studios and have a formulaic design. The vast majority of films of this kind follow a basic plot:

A group of teenagers, male and female, travel to a remote place (could be the woods, could be a house) and make use of drugs and alcohol, and are often promiscuous. Once they have indulged, they are murdered by an unknown antagonist, one by one. As the ending approaches, there is only one teen left, who is forced to confront the murderer alone and destroy the threat. Once dead, the killer’s identity and reasons behind his intent are revealed.

There is very little variation from this concept within the sub-genre.

The core audience for Slasher films was originally young men and teenage boys, which is thought to be due to the main visual aspects of the genre: sustained scenes of female nudity and explicit scenes of murder and violence. In fact, the great love of gore prompted the development of new, increasingly graphic and gruesome murder techniques- arrows through throats, chopped off limbs and extreme beatings. The makeup artists and technical team would become famous amongst the young males who subscribed to the genre.

James Rose, who wrote the article, upon which I focus, for MediaMagazine, argued that, although they appear to just be for entertainment purposes, films within the Slasher genre do hold a greater significance. On one level, this is financial, as some characters, like Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street, became iconic- this then led on to a franchise being formed, which had a sustained narrative and provided a continuous revenue.

The social commentary within these films is not always noticed by the main audience, but, when the film is studied in greater depth, a moral driven concept is brought to the forefront: the killer often acts out due to the behaviour of the teenagers, who trespass and transgress social norms, suggesting that murder is a form of punishment, albeit an extreme one. This is also related to the hegemonic portrayal of teenagers as rowdy and rebellious, displaying the effects of not heeding the warning and teachings of parents, suggesting that the group is killed for wanting to be free from the constraints of the authoritative figures. Overall, this could mean that the message is an educational one: Don’t misbehave and listen to parental figures, or it could be one of revolt, against societal pressure and oppression.

The Final Girl

This character is different from her peers, she tends to be smarter, level-headed and morally pure- often recognising the lack of morals within her peer group and refusing to behave in a similar manner i.e. does not consume drugs or engage in sexual activity. The final girl is also the first to notice that the group is in danger. At the start of the film, this girl seems powerless, whilst her friends appear to empower themselves through substance use, and younger, as she does not partake in typically ‘adult’ behaviour. This dynamic shifts once the murderer enters the narrative: The Final Girl recognises the danger and attempts to create a plan, meaning that she is the last survivor in the group (hence ‘Final’). The female then uses cunning and wit in order to trap or challenge the killer. Eventually, she murders him in a very climactic manner. There is conflict over the fact that the Final Girl, although female, shows many traits that are typically masculine- smart, logical, independent and strong- this is further highlighted by her choice of weapon e.g. knives, axes, machetes etc. By the end of the film the girl seems to have lost her powerlessness, becoming empowered through the destruction of the killer. The Final Girl is also responsible for causing a death that symbolically castrates the male killer- providing her with a dominant status.

Laurie Strode, from 'Halloween' is a classic Final Girl

JP: The History of Horror

The first horror movie was created by Georges Méliès in 1896 entitled "The Haunted Castle" (or "Le Manoir du Diable) and since this, film makers have attempted to emulate its impact on audiences at the time by conjuring stories that aim to scare their audience and invent new methods of production to achieve this. Subsequently, the horror genre has become one of the media's most successful and popular. Monsters are a main feature of the genre with Daniel Cohen stating:


"cultures create and ascribe meaning to monsters, endowing them with characteristics derived from their most deep-seated fears and taboos" 


Understanding this, we can therefore see through analysis that horror monsters in relation to their cultural contexts can provide an insight into the anxieties and concerns of the contemporary culture.

Here's some extracts from the document I looked at and images to accompany them, highlighting some key ideas and conventions that can be used in our production: -

Pre-World War II

"Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922) has been a major influence on representations of vampires since its creation in Germany shortly after WW1. The vampire is an ‘invader’; he comes from ‘elsewhere’ and brings pestilence to the local community. His method of attack involves penetration and the exchange of bodily fluids. This can be read as a sexual metaphor but significantly the outcome of a vampire attack is death or infection."

"Frankenstein has many other possible readings that relate to the context of the time. For example, the sympathetic representation of the monster could be read as a critical perspective on the racial tensions that were present in American culture at the time. The monster’s eventual death is represented as a mob lynching of an individual who cannot integrate into the dominant culture. ‘The monster’ himself is not as monstrous as the abuse of scientific knowledge that creates him, the aristocrats’ abuse of power, or the mindless, murderous mob."

The Not So Swinging 60s

"The 1960s was a time of social change and this was mirrored in its horror monsters. The decade begins with Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) reflecting the impact of Freudian theories on the culture’s understanding of the human psyche. The monster here is a man whose family dynamics created an ‘abnormal psychology’. In the UK a similar story was told in Peeping Tom (Powell, 1960) where a dysfunctional family created another human monster. The monsters in both films were, on the surface, normal people but they brought horror close to home for the 1960’s audience. Arguably the mundane settings make the horror more effective than the distant, fantastical horror of the previous decades and the fact that the monsters now look like ‘us’ creates an unsettling realism."

 

"As horror moved into the 1970s the human monster became more sadistic. The Last House on the Left (Craven, 1972) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974) became infamous for their sustained graphic violence. These films, like Psycho before them, located their horror in a mundane present; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre showed the effect of social and economic isolation and on a rural family whilst The Last House on the Left bought the horror into small-town America. Both films identified a society that, despite idealised appearances, had a brutal underbelly."

"The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1972) created a great deal of public and media attention and outrage for its depiction of a possessed girl. Like Rosemary’s Baby (Polanski, 1968), The Omen (Donner, 1976) and The Wicker Man (Hardy, 1973) in the UK, The Exorcist depicted the secularisation of society that had occurred since World War 2 and dealt with the unease and uncertainty this was causing by using devils, demons and pagans as its monsters. The Exorcist was also a film that identified post-war changes in the structure of the family. The possessed child is from a single-parent family headed by a working mother."

The End of an Era

"The 1980s saw a glut of slasher films as horror became a staple of the home video market. As the audience grew used to the genre’s visceral assaults, more outlandish and extreme spectacles were needed to maintain interest. Film franchises replicated the same ideas over and over, and the genre grew tired and clichéd, becoming less economically viable. In the mid-90s horror engaged with this familiarity for both comic and horrific effect. Scream (Craven, 1996) uses an ironic approach to the genre that is self-aware and self-referential. It uses the codes and conventions of the genre as a plot device, and the monster in the first Scream film is finally defeated by being hit with a television after a discussion of the effects of horror films on audiences."

Contemporary Monsters

"Recently horror has looked to its past and there have been remakes of many of the films mentioned in the earlier sections. Whether bringing them up to date has added anything more than CGI effects is a matter of personal opinion; but what is often lost in a remake is a sense of cultural context. Many remakes appear to be ‘style over substance’ as, whilst they may be more polished, slicker and gorier, they are more interested in the visceral experience rather than an exploration of cultural fears."

"Aside from remakes, perhaps the most notable development in contemporary horror is torture-porn which focuses on extreme visceral violence, nudity and sadistic torture. Saw (Wan, 2004) is a long-running series of torture porn films, utilising CGI to maximise the extreme nature of the violence depicted. It’s been suggested that perhaps audience desensitisation is at the heart of torture porn’s success. Mainstream television shows such as CSI (CBS) uses graphic imagery; and computer games have long used ‘splatter’, exposing players to more and more extreme violence. Torture porn does what horror has always had to do: attempt to find more and more extreme ways to scare (or repulse) the audience."

"The genre has the ability to adapt to allow it to tap into each generation’s preoccupations and concerns and its metaphorical approach can be used to deal with ideas and issues that appeal to a range of audience groups. Other genres such as Westerns may not be able to speak to modern audiences in the way they used to but horror continues to provide a cultural catharsis over 100 years since it first hit celluloid."