Different Film Industries in Different Countries

What is common between most horror films and texts? They all use similar types of codes and conventions. These codes and conventions differ between genre and can be easily identified. These also reflect the values of the audience they are intended for. The 1993 stop-motion animated film, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, directed by Henry Selick, and the 1845 poem, ‘The Raven’, written by Edgar Allan Poe, are both a part of the horror genre, as they follow the codes and conventions of that genre. They use similar visuals, sounds, characterisation, and themes. Using these and other conventions, audiences can identify a genre, which influences their opinions and feelings about the genre.

The movie theater has a significant influence on the cultural formation of a society. The United States has always been at the forefront of film history, despite not being the first country to develop the art of motion filming. It was through film that the US consolidated the American way of Life in the world. After World War II the United States stepped up their cultural influence, begun in the 1930s and 1940s, using mainly movies. The American cinema began to spread many traces of their own culture such as habits, customs, behaviors, brands and standards of beauty, which was soon absorbed by the countries that bought his films.

John Carpenter’s 1978 film Halloween epitomizes the slasher films, encompassing the most common themes of this genre, including teenagers making the transition into adulthood by engaging in reckless behavior, a maniac using violence as a teaching tool for the audience, a final survivor girl, and an immortal maniac. (Thesis)

The first movie that I will examine is Spirited Away. Spirited Away was released in Japan in 2001, and was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away follows the story of Chihiro as she tries to free her parents after they were turned into pig’s due to their greed. The family enters the spirit world and leaves Chihiro to go into a Japanese bath house in order to free her parents. From her adventures, Chihiro grows from a spoiled/whiney child, into an independent young woman. Director Miyazaki grew up in the post- World War 2 era. This upbringing is

As stated before, different cultures are scared of different monsters. Horror movies are only as scary as the viewer perceives them based personal experiences. Essentially, the viewer has to know what is scary before they can be

The foundation of horror genre was set by monsters that not only haunted your dreams but also conveyed rich themes found deep beneath the surface. Vampires are considered a symbol of seduction and sophistication while Frankenstein monsters represent misunderstanding, oppression, and rebellion. Some of the strongest symbolism is found in standard films of the horror genre does not come from the frequently updated relics. Utilizing fear and horror as mechanisms for subtext, social commentary, and symbolism, George Romero created a new horror genre, one that scares and shines just as much as great horror classics. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead revolutionized the once stagnant zombie film and made into something unstoppable, still to this day zombie movies rake in millions of ticket sales at the box office while remaining culturally relevant.

Since it’s infancy at the beginning of the eighteenth century, horror has followed certain conventions that results in an awakening of the senses, evoking intense emotions of fear and terror in the audience. Horror feeds off triggering the primal fears embedded within all of humankind, creating a sense of menace that is the very substance of this genre. Furthermore, the central menace of a piece tends to enlighten the human mind to the world of the paranormal and the enigmatic, dark side of the unknown. The movie “Psycho” directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a perfect example. Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre, “Psycho” was filmed with great tact, grace and art in regards to horror conventions.

Because modern cinematic techniques have allowed filmmakers to get more graphic, horror flicks have desensitized young American viewers to violence.

Many horror films provide their audiences with scares and screams.  Not many viewers follow what kind of model the films follow to appease their viewers.  However, after reading film theorist Carol Clover’s essay, watching one of the films she associates in the novel “Halloween”, and also watching the movie “Nightmare on Elm Street” I say almost every “slasher” or horror film follows a model similar to Clover’s.  The model that is a female is featured as a primary character and that the female tends to always overcome a situation at some point throughout the film to become victorious.

Horror can be defined as a genre meant to psychologically trigger individual fear with the presence of certain supernatural or abstract characteristics. The genre is dependent on people’s fascination with unrealism and the sensation that comes from experiencing fear personified into tangible elements on a screen. Horror films have thrilled audiences for decades, revealing stories of the more sinister parts of life. The popular allure that stems from the genre comes from the tension moviegoers experience when aroused by specific stimuli uniquely present in these cinematic features (Walters). Over time, as the genre progressed, the standardized elements found in a typical horror movie began to shift in different directions primarily due to changing societal circumstances and increasing consumer demand for cinematic innovation. The expansive nature of the different codes and conventions within the horror genre, coupled with the evolution of society’s fascination with these characteristics, has led to the mutation of the genre itself in order to allow for unique approaches to a familiar style in response to both economic developments and taste shifts within the consumer industry.

The horror genre has held a prominent position in culture for most of history. Beginning in folklore, used as a device to scare children into good behaviors (e.g. The Grimm Brother’s Fairy Tales), horror has integrated its way into the 21st century through film, and in recent years even video games. Yearly, primarily during the fall when the leaves start to brown and the natural eerie sense of fear fills the air around Halloween, the film industry likes to fill in the holes between its major grossing seasons by filling the audience with fear. However, it was Christmas of 1973 that defined the new age of Horror, when William Friedkin released The Exorcist. According to Julia Heimerdinger of Academia’s online journal, Horror, as a whole, can

It has always intrigued me how many people are very fond of horror movies. Heart racing, and terror acts, make the minds of many excited. I have always wanted to find out the cause to why many think like this, Stephen King, the leading role in the field of modern horror fiction, wrote an article “why we crave horror movies?”  He may have answered many of the unknow questions we have all wondered. He analyzed with an optimistic artful kind of writing skills from a more psychological perspective. He points at the possible reasons why people to want to watch horror movies. Although many think he may over analyze people, he may be onto a psychosocial phenomenon.

A stimulating long-form look at how horror films imitate the fears and anxieties society won't discuss, "The Monster Show" is likely to resonate most with this category fans. Author David J. Skal certainly takes some liberties

Horror films have been around for over 100 years, petrifying people and bringing their worst fears to life but still they can’t get enough of this sick and gory genre that is unbelievably entertaining and captivating to the audience. Horror comes with many sub-genres from your bloody slashers like Friday the 13th to your Supernatural-Horrors like The Exorcist, but in the end they all seem to do their job by scaring you and leaving you with nightmares for weeks on end. Usually Horror’s films have the same character stereotypes such as the nerd, the jock, the slut, the virgin, the junky, the tough hero, the unlikely hero and last but not least the masked murderer, but yet they all play their own part in the making of these horrors movies whether it is the extremely slow walk the killer does but almost always catches the victim, or the unwise decision to split up and investigate where the unusual noise is coming from.

Japanese horror films are known for being incredibly spooky and leaving their audiences feeling unsettled. Perhaps it is the engaging plots or compelling acting, or maybe it is because these films are based on killers that many have already heard of. Films like Ju-On, Ringu, and A Slit-Mouthed Woman contain background information based on popular stories from long ago, which makes the films even more terrifying. While many horror films have no inspiration, Japanese horror films often draw influence from urban legends. Furthermore, these legends commonly focus on women as the central characters for the antagonist.