LLM and HG: Research into horror and thriller

We were set a research task in the two genres Horror and Thriller. We are establishing are initial ideas and from the research have answered some questions set.


Answers to source 1

1. When, and in what way were women repositioned within the horror genre?

Women in films are often seen as the weak and are to be saved by the heroic male characters, but since the 1970, American horror went through a major change, meaning women in horror movies where now the main focus and would not only protect themselves but also look to fight back.

2. What are the conventions of the 'stalk and slash' subgenre of horror?

The conventions of a 'Stalk and Slash' horror is that the story begins, usually, with a group of teenagers or young actors who travel to an isolated place and indulge in sex, drugs and drink; as the night goes on, one by one someone is murdered by an unknown - this happens until there is one person left and has to try and defeat the murderer.

3. Who originally watched these films and why?

Originally, the core audience were teenage boys and young men. This is because the scene which involved female nudity and the graphic depiction of assault and murder.

4.Why does the author argue that the films were 'significant'?

The author argues that the films are significant because they illustrate and reinforce the stereotype of male and female teenagers acting older than they actually are and rebelling out of the control of their parents – the murderer is in a  way representing the teenagers parents, in punishing them for their actions. 

5.What is the concept of ' the final girl'?  Summarise and give examples.

In the final girl, the female character is, in summary, seen to be the more mature of her friends, who does not participate in the use of drugs and drinks - further, she is seen to be intelligent and level headed, leading to her being seen as 'different' to her peers; this means she is seen as a self-conscious teenager who is weak and frightened by the adult version of her friends. But, in saying this, as the story begins to unfold and the murders begin, the female character appears as the strong character and can overcome the threat.

The concept of 'Gone Girl', is to show the change in ones character when in different situations; at first, she is shown not to be keen on the way her friends are foolishly acting, but because of her other attributes, when herself and her peers are challenged, she is shown to be a powerful character and take control of the situation. The concept also shows a developing of a masculine character within a female, showing confidence and heroism which helps her in the difficult situation.

Answers to source 2

1. Why are stories that “ aim to scare their audiences” so popular?

They are very popular because they convey characteristics most people have not seen. They exploit fears that the audiences have, hoping for a response that gives the audience adrenaline. They show the audiences things that they would never want to see in real life and these non-fiction stories allow them to showcase the possibility of fears that humans have coming alive in real live.

2.What insight can the study of horror monsters give?

The study of horror monster can give an insight into the worries and concerns of modern societies. As every person is different this can’t be used individually but to be seen as general and contextual trends through the monsters created within the horror genre.

3.What did Nosferatu (1922), one of the earliest horror films use the vampire as a metaphor for?

Nosferatu was the creator of the vampire just after the first world war. The vampire was seen as an invader and came from someone different. This isolated it from anything human related, with   his method of attack involving penetration and the exchange of body fluids, with this in mind the vampire could be seen as a sexual metaphor. Probably the more realistic is using the vampire as a metaphor of death or infection. In a disease riddled community just after the 1^st world war people could associate with the vampire and this is what scared them. I think the most important metaphor is the vampire being an invader or someone that had come from elsewhere. This is because in this time period community and nationality was essential as they were fighting over countries, so when a foreigner was seen in the form of the vampire it scared them as it could be related to the war that had just happened.

4. Read to the end of the article. Make notes on how there are different readings of horror based on socio/cultural contexts of the decade  

1960s- This decade was reflecting on the impact of Freudian theories on the cultures understanding of the human psyche . This was seen through Hitchcock with his film Psycho(Hitchcock,1960) and Peeping Tom (Powell,1960).

1970s-   Horror reflected secularisation, this means that religion was having a less authority within society. This is because it was the first time possessed characters were cured through scince going against the common views of religion as it disproves it to a certain extent. We can see this from the film The Exorcist (Friedkin,1972).

1980s- Horror was becoming a big film genre, the trend for this decade was the on screen fighting or conflict but this started to die out towards the end of the decade.

1990s- Advanced technological improvements made it easier to emphasise horrific effects making the film incredible scary and making the films more realistic.

2000s- CGI is used effectively showing more advances in technology in the film industry. Films were taking longer to make with remakes occurring more often, showing that films were becoming a work of art and wanted to be perfected.         

5. In the final paragraph, why according to Hendry is horror still relevant to audiences?

Hendry States that horror is still relevant to audiences because it has the ability to adapt to new generations and new cultural trends. It can relate to modern issues and appeal to a range of audiences making horror ever relevant.

Answers to Source 3

1. Read the BBC article - why are we so afraid of Zombie horror? summarise.                                                                                                                                               
The BBC article of, Why we are so afraid of Zombie horror’, in summary, explains that when an audience is viewing this particular subgenre, encounters some signs of discomfort because of the faces of a zombie character being so alike to a natural human. In addition, it’s a scarier version of a humans face which brings agitation to the audience, with the pale face and the bloodshot eyes having major effect, through the use of make-up.

 2. Mythology article

 

• Audiences tend to love a zombie apocalypse scenario because in watching it, they believe they will be able to survive one.
• If a zombie is too fast and agile, an audience might find it difficult to image themselves surviving, and so dislike the idea.

• But, if it is slow moving and immobile it may be appealing to want to find yourself in that particular situation.
• Main point – zombie scenario makes it easy for everyone to want to get involved.
• The idea that one will have to use their brain to survive; involving planning plotting and killing, without consequences.

• Also, the idea of freedom entices an audience – not having to live by any rules and gaining equality because everyone is in the same situation.
• Changes ones appearance and outlook on things during a zombie apocalypse.
• Very popular because it excites ones evil and violent side.
• Makes one think about their heroic and compassionate side.
• Zombie apocalypse makes the audience be more honest with themselves.
• Zombie apocalypse, overall, provides escapism.

3. Watch the 'Why do we love zombies' video and note

·         Zombies often slow.

·         Bitten by one, you become one yourself.

·         Intense chase scenes.

·         Very Gory – shows body parts; blood spurting out of mouth.

·         Not very interesting characters.

·         Not mainly the interest in zombies, but instead, the idea that humans have to act quickly to get out of a difficult situation.

·         Environment can have an effect on zombies to audiences. 

·         Never fully safe in any environment.

·         Getting used to the terror excites an audience.

·         Audiences love the possibilities of what will happen in a zombie apocalypse.

Answers  to Source 4

1. Why do audiences seek out thrills vicariously?

Audiences seek out thrills vicariously because they put themselves in the situation of the character feeling their emotions and acting in the way they would. This means that the audiences become involved in action and feel connected to the media themselves this is very important in keeping the audiences occupied in the film.

2. What are the different types of thrills that may be presented in this genre? What is the audience appeal?

The audience appeal is what attracts people to the film this can be seen normally through a unique selling point. The  thrills presented in this genre are ones that make you physically jump or extremely scared. These are extreme thrills that no other genre offers. This is why horror films are so iconic and so popular.

From this research we have some ideas that we will be trying to use in our production. We have some key ideas about what scare people. From our research we also came to a conclusion that we can use modern trends and cultural trends can help influence our work.