Horror In A Controlled Medium: The Dangers Of Horror

Having Halloween just around the corner the horror genre has been on demand. What is a horror genre? Horror is defined as being “an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust” and genre is defined as being “a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter” according to Oxford Dictionary. Therefore a horror genre is a horror film in one of the many categories in a genre that makes the audience feel fear, shock or disgust. Many of the films that everyone watches today are now called movies. Since scary movies have been requested, Netflix has even added a “Halloween favorites” on its search bar.

Merriam Webster defines “horror” as “painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay.” A popular definition of horror film argues that horror is subjective-anything that evokes the emotion of horror in an individual is a horror film to that individual. (Horror Writers Association) This definition is far too dependent on the audience for its categorization. Although, the emotional argument being made in films is an essential factor when defining a genre, it cannot be the only device considered for defining the entirety of a genre. I contend that some films are objectively horrifying. Further, a definition of horror should not only incorporate a film’s emotional appeal. The definition must expand to include a film’s ethical and logical appeal. The definition of horror should be all-encompassing. It should articulate how a film argues in every medium, by every element, and from every angle. Additionally, a horror definition should not be limited to the subcategories that it has typically produced: the uncanny, the marvelous horror, and the fantastic horror. (Prohászková, 1-2) This allows no room for growth and expansion in the genre. This definition cannot be articulated without specific examples, and is, therefore, insufficient for our purposes. A narrative, objectively horrific in nature, which contains horrific elements, which delivers strong appeals emotionally, logically, and ethically, which features a “monster,” or source of evil, regardless of its sub-category, falls

Genres are categorized in several ways. The use of genre is important in film because producers believe it would be good for marketing. There are different types of films. Action films is where the protagonist is involve in physical fights or chases. Adventure films involve the explorations the protagonist has throughout the story. Comedy films is mainly about humor. It makes the audience laugh by its comedic sense. Crime and gangster films is about the adventures of criminals or gangsters who break the laws, does robberies, and murder people who they despise of. Horror films involves the antagonist who kills victims in a terrifying and shocking manner. It causes the audience to feel uneasy and panic when murder takes place. Mystery films involves

I personally tend not to be a big fan of horror movies, although in the past I have watched some suspense films as occasional entertainment. Having witnessed difficult situations in real life does not bring me closer toward those movie genres which aim to terrorize audiences. Because of this, I cannot really handpick a particular scene or film which has caused the biggest fright. I will rather explain my point of view regarding this genre and our interactions with it.

Everyone can remember a time in their life when they were scared whether it be when they ran up the stairs before turning the light off so the “monster” in their house couldn’t get them or whether it be walking outside in the dark and becoming paranoid that someone is watching them. Considering that no one enjoys being afraid why does this society enjoy horror so much? The answer is in the monster of the horror story themselves. There are two types of monsters in horror, the ones who look human and the ones who don’t. Monster’s that look human fascinate this society because of the psychological aspect of them. When the monster is a human or is human-like, people can sympathize with them since people want to know what made them how they are, and they make people think about how there is a great possibility that there are monsters in the form of a human all around in their society. On the other side there are the monsters that don’t look human, these are the other type of monsters that fascinate people because people believe that there is no way that they can be real. Seeing both these types of monsters on the big screen or reading about them in stories provides such a thrill that people love. A huffington post article said “Watching a horror movie increases your heart rate by an average of

And strikingly, today’s average shot length is around 2.5 seconds. Another example of how films are different when it comes to capturing and engaging its audience, is the more action and motion included. More recent horror films have more action compared to the more classical horror films. Having more action and motion is also another way of keeping the audience’s attention and engaged. Understanding how films have effected and effect our society today is useful to understand. Horror films truly have an effect on shaping what society fears. An example being Jaws or Piraña. Those films had a big effect on creating a fear for those people who

After watching both scenes, I had a different perspective about one each scene. The first scene that I watch give me a sense of a horror movie just by the sound effects. The sound was not bad, but there is some that I would have used a different effect. Therefore, I would have added squeaking to the floor to add a little more suspense. The music that was add was a good fit for a horror was a nonlinear sound. I Like the swipe sound toward the end because without seeing what was pulled out you still had a sense that it was a knife. The scream was more of a scared scream which fit the concept of the scene.

You’re sitting in a dark room with your eyes glues to the television screen, bowl of popcorn sitting loosely in your lap. On the screen is a dark shadowy figure chasing a woman throughout a house and watching this scene is making your heart pound out of your chest. This is the feeling you get when you typically watch a horror movie, you feel like you’re about to explode due to the tension on screen. There are many subgenres of horror movies and it seems like most people lump them all in to one category, but today we won’t be doing that. We will be touching on various subgenres of the horror universe: slasher films, body horror, giallo, and zombie films.

“Horror itself is a bit of a bullied genre, the antagonist being literary snobbery and public misconception. And I think good horror tackles our darkest fears, whatever they may be. It takes us into the minds of the victims, explores the threats, disseminates fear, studies how it changes us. It pulls back the curtain on the ugly underbelly of society, tears away the masks the monsters wear out in the world, shows us the potential truth of the human condition. Horror is truth, unflinching and honest. Not everybody wants to see that, but good horror ensures that it's there to be seen.” - Kealan Patrick Burke. Recently, the school board has decided to implement a ban on all classic horror stories, including those that were previously part of

Weenie. That is the word that comes to mind when I think about myself watching horror films. I am the girl that shields her eyes, jumps at the slightest jump-scare, and cringes at the tiniest amount of gore. But contrary to what this previous information might tell you about myself, I love a good horror movie. I believe there is nothing that can bring a group of friends together like a good ol’ scary film on a crisp, Autumn night. A film that I discovered last Fall was The Babadook, written and directed by Jennifer Kent. This film is a psychological horror, meaning it uses different twists and tricks to scare you rather than using creepy creatures or gore. The main plot of this movie is about a widowed mother, named Amelia who is still struggling with the effects the death of her late husband has on her while she is raising their son, Samuel. The antagonist in this film is the monster, The Babadook, who is the manifestation of the mother’s depression. This film has become a favorite of mine because it uses a monster to showcase how scary a very common, real-life problem is.

It’s not often that a horror movie is able to surprise you in this day and age. After all, stalker-slasher films have previously been all the rage, as have ghoulish haunted house flicks. In fact, it’s not out-of-bounds to proclaim that the horror genre is in a bit of a rut in terms of creativity – though it’s surely not struggling in the monetary gain column (the majority of horror movies make serious bank due to cheap budgets).

The genre of film, found footage, is looked down upon in today’s society. Although the genre has a large following, since some if its top movies are the infamously popular Paranormal Activity series. Some believe the genre is taking the art away from making the movie and replacing it with jump scares all from the view of a handheld camera. Others believe it is a new way to make films cheaply and be able to still deliver the same amount of excitement or even more than your traditional film.

Horror films have slowly but surely become one of the most popular and beloved film genres. Due to the genre’s widespread popularity, it would be assumed that there is a clear identified reason that people are so dedicated to this specific industry, but that is not the case. The truth is there are a multitude of reasons. According to Maggie McCutcheon’s “Too Disturbing, Too Shocking”, one reason for horror movies is it allows the viewer to be “scared without the fear of mortal doom” following them out of the theater. Because horror films have many purposes, and this purpose is stated by many, this paper will discuss the importance that conquering the fear of the supernatural plays in the success of horror movies.

As noted by the AMC Filmsite website, horror movies are “unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience” (Dirks, par. 1). First coming out over a century ago and originally saturated with Gothic influence, the film genre has been known to range from the macabre and grotesque to the more eerie and haunting, dealing with characters such as ghosts, mad scientists, zombies, dualities, demons, werewolves, vampires, witches, extraterrestrials, etc. At times, the movies can reflect the political or societal setting of when they were produced, offering critique and commentary, even being satirical. Other times, they can serve as mediators, allowing those who view them to live out their most dastardly experiences through the characters, keeping their inner horror safely contained. However, horror movies and other alike media (such as violence on television, etc.) can have negative consequences in some instances, seeming counter-productive for some societies. Horror films, like many other things, have been known to have carried a taboo, at one point seen as a category of movies for recluses, sadists, nerds, and so on. Today’s war on the film genre is more structured, dealing with their negative effects on children, such as psychological development, behavior, and sleep disruption.

Many people enjoy a good book or film that sends a shiver down your spine and makes you question reality. This may seem crazy to others, who do not see a single reason why you would stay up watching a film that will make you unable to sleep for days, but to others it is a hobby. The question is, what is horror really, and what makes it so good?