Reading Source 1 - MC
1. When, and in what way were women repositioned within the horror genre?In the horror genre, women are often represented as the weaker characters. They were usually the ones in danger who end up being saved by the masculine hero. However, in the late 1970s American horror cinema underwent a change as many directors like Tobe Hooper, George A. Romero and John Carpenter all used the context at the time, of war, race riots and the growing feminist movement to incorporate them into their films. Films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1974) slowly began to change the position of the female character in the films into a person that can protect and defend themselves. These type of women became the 'new women' of horror.
2. What are the conventions of the 'stalk and slash' sub-genre of horror?
The conventions of the Stalk and Slash sub-genre was usually a stock plot of a mixed sex group of teenagers who travel to a remote location and almost immediately indulge in drink, drugs and sex. Then suddenly, one by one, each character gets murder by an unknown being. The film usually ends with one member of the group being left who must confront the murder who then kills them and their reasons for their murder spree gets revealed.
3. Who originally watched these films?
Research into the stalker/slasher films shows that the core audience who watched these films were mainly teenage boys and young men. This is due to the possibility of female nudity in it and the amount of graphic assult and murder shown. This became so popular with this demographic so film makers were starting to decide to make their films more gory in order to keep the interest of their core audience.
4. Why does the author argue that the films were significant?
These films were seen as significant because it created two of contemporary horror cinemas most enduring icons (Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th series and Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street series) which meant the outcome of a sustained narrative and income revenue through popular horror franchises.
5. What is the concept of 'The Final Girl'? Summarise and give examples.
The concept of The Final Girl is smarter, more courageous girl than the stereotypical girl in horror films. She is the sole female survivor and is usually morally pure so does not involve herself in things like drinking and drugs. Due to her having these qualities, it makes her seems a more repressed teenager and as if she is scared of the adult activities her friends are taking part in. This makes her seem powerless however when the murderous acts start to occur, she is the one who is able to overcome the threat. She is now no longer powerless, but instead is now powerful and uses her intellect to outwit the killer and murder him. The way she does this is usually quite bloody and gory which makes her go from a weak/passive female to a strong/aggressive male. The way this is usually visualized is through the female defending herself with a phallic object such an an axe or chainsaw. Examples of a Final Girl is Jess (Black Christmas, Bob Clark, 1974), Alana (Terror Train, Roger Spottiswoode, 1980) and Sidney (Scream, Wes Craven, 1996).
Reading source 2 - KT
1. Why are stories that 'aim to scare their audience' so popular?Stories that aim to scare audiences are popular and still make massive box office statistics because they give the viewers a powerful feeling of catharsis and reinforce traditional beliefs about morality. Horror films fulfil the viewer’s lust for ‘horribly sweet sensations.
2. What insight can the study of horror monsters give?
Certain cultures create meanings to monsters, presenting them with characteristics derived from their most ‘deep seated’ fears and taboos. This gives an insight into the worries and concerns of the modern culture.
3. What did Nosferatu (1922), one of the earliest horror films use the vampire as a metaphor for?
The vampire is used as a sexual metaphor as they are ‘invaders’ and a vampires method of attack involves penetration and exchange of bodily fluids; although the outcome of an attack is death or infection it can also be seen as a sexual metaphor as in films such as Twilight the vampires are seen as attractive and seductive.
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
In the 1930’s, the main readings of horror involved a corrupt and abusive aristocratic class. For example in Frankenstein (Whale 1932) the son of Baron Frankenstein turns his back on aristocratic duty and locks himself away to create life in the form of a monster. There were also aspects of a sympathetic representation of monsters at the time.
In the 1960’s there was a time of social change which mirrored in the horror monsters of the time. The film “Psycho” reflected the cultures understanding of the human psyche. A popular theme of the time was that the monsters seemed to be normal people. This may have been popular as it created fear of the unknown and the worry that anyone could potentially be a monster or killer.
In the 1970’s horror, the monster became more sadistic. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘The Last House on the Left’ were infamous for their graphic violence. These films show social and economic isolation in rural families and small towns.
The 1980’s reflected slasher films and became a essential of the home video market. As the audience for the genre grew, the films became more outlandish and extreme to maintain audience interest. However, many films repeated the same ideas multiple times and the genre grew out of fashion and cliché.
Modern horror has replicated some old time classics into the 21st century using CGI to create verisimilitude to enhance audience reaction. ‘Saw’ presented the audience to a deeply moral monster who gives second chances and punishments to those who he sees to have disobeyed. The Vampire Diaries and The Twilight saga are sub genres of horror which sexualizes vampires into being attractive to humans and having sexual relationships with teenage girls. These films/tv programmes change the face of vampire representation as they are seen to be friendly towards humans and are less of a threat.
5. In the final paragraph, why according to Hendry is horror still relevant
to audiences?
Horror is still relevant to audiences as
entertainment is available at the click of a button. On-demand tv, and internet
sites such as Youtube and Netflix provide an unlimited supply of horror films,
however this could potentially lead to running the risk of over-stimulation and
may impact our reliance on technology for entertainment and social interaction.
Reading Source 3 - MC
1. Why are we so afraid of Zombie horror?
A BBC article talking about why we love zombie horror and why we are afraid of zombie faces states that the reasons as to why we are afraid of them is due to the fact the human brain becomes uneasy when it sees a face that disrupts the way it processes human faces. A sense of disquiet is left when they come across something that doesn't match their expectations. Also, being able to 'read' another person's eyes is particularly important in interpreting human faces so seeing a face with darkened or no eyes makes the human feel uneasy.
2. An article on pop mythology talks about why people love the zombie apocalypse. It gives the main reason of why people like the idea of it as being because it presents the zombie apocalypse in a way that people believe they can survive it. People don't actually think about the disaster it would leave such as the dead piled up in the street, failed plumbing, nuclear rods uncared for etc. They just love the idea of being able to bash someone over the head and get away with it due to the fact we are living in a highly militarized media culture that is saturated with the ideals of blowing things up and destroying things.
3. In the Why Do We Love Zombies YouTube video, he talks about reasons as to why people enjoy watching horror TV shows like The Walking Dead, and zombie films like World War Z, and 28 Days Later. He spoke about how people enjoy watching zombies because it shows people who live a completely normal life, like the person watching, and how their life gets turned completely upside down. It allows the audience to see how people react to situations like this and it makes them question on if they would do the same and if they think they would be able to survive. With The Walking Dead, it is an on going TV show and the audience becomes so emotionally involved with the characters that is becomes horrific for them to see them die. The fact it is still on going means the audience are able to relate to these characters over a long period of time so can see relationships and fully understand the scenarios taking place. It's able to slowly show how people become so used to zombies being around them that they aren't even phased by them anymore which is quite exciting and almost humorous for the audience to watch as zombies have now become a part of their every day life.
Mel / Katie - useful research here, but it needs presenting properly as a post - format text, organise findings so it's clear to the viewer
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