The Godfather, The Exorcist, And The Silence Of The Lambs

Perhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.

For many years the genre of horror has provided entertainment to audiences through horrifying gore, monsters, violence, and the supernatural. The most frightening type of horror is demonic possession, which is why it forms such a fascination. It creates extreme suspense, curiosity, and relevance. Through the formalist and psychoanalytical approach in the film Annabelle directed by John R. Leonetti, the article “The Horrors of Witchcraft and Demonic Possession” by Brian P. Levack, and the short story “Devils Movie”, it is evident as to why individuals are so fascinated with the demonic side of horror. The film Annabelle, which is a movie filled with suspense, is about a demonic entity that takes over the doll Annabelle and later on is a threat

When asked to describe the two types of horror films, director Guillermo del Toro stated: “Much like fairy tales, there are two facets of horror. One is pro-institution, which is the most reprehensible type of fairy tale: Don 't wander into the woods, and always obey your parents. The other type of fairy tale is completely anarchic and antiestablishment”-Guillermo del Toro. (Attention Getter) In my presentation I will focus on the aspect of the slasher film genre as modern day fairy tales, with an underlying message of morality.

The Silence of the lambs (1991) is in doubt a film which demonstrates a well-constructed horror film. The film, ranging with scenes, shots, and frames that were well constructed to be identified as horrific. The films cinematography shifts the films narrative and impacts the film, especially the film’s frames. It seems reasonable to suppose that from the film’s frames and of those of the characters expressions, they shape the film’s genre to be horrifying, psychological, and thrilling and they guide viewers towards where the film’s narrative will lead to. Therefore, even a single or series of frames in the film such as Hannibal Lecter’s evil smile, Buffalo Bill opening the door, Hannibal Lecter standing in his cell, and the dialogue between Agent Starling and Hannibal Lecter, act collectively to represent and symbolize claims about the film.

Psycho a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock was created for the purpose of inciting fear and suspense to engage its audience.

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.

Wes Craven’s horror movie “Scream”, inspired the gruesome murder of Gina Castillo. Castillo’s sixteen year old son and his fifteen year old cousin killed Gina Castillo. Why would anyone wish to watch the petrifying film, “Scream”? What would trigger a person to take inspiration from the horror movie, “Scream”. Stephen King describes horror as a piece of the human condition. Author of several horror novels, Stephen King wrote an essay titled “Why We Crave Horror.” In this paper he thoroughly explains why the human species craves horror and how it makes humans feel. In this essay, Stephen King precisely claims that humans desire, horror because horror pushes them to face their fears, renew their feelings of normality, and to expose

Rosemary’s Baby encompasses the true meaning of horror. The film touches the audience’s mind by installing ideas and events that are happening in the time period of the film. Polanski uses realism and symbolism to link the film with current problems faced by the audiences. Rosemary’s Baby is a true horror film by playing on the audience’s

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

“The mythic horror movie, like the sick joke, has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to al that is worst in us” (King 398). Stephen King illustrates that scary movies are there for the sole purpose of people releasing the inner demons, and in a safe way finding an adrenaline rush. Without these horror movies many people would have a difficult time finding new ways to release stress and to escape the realities of the world surrounding them.

In Stephen King’s somewhat subjective essay in the 1984 Playboy magazine, Why We Crave Horror Movies, King describes his reasoning behind why so many people are fond of watching movies residing in the horror genre. The content of his essay, though inserted in an unconventional area for

If Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about cannibalistic family, The Silence of the Lambs is about two individuals that are. One day the main character, Clarice, was pulled from her training to talk to the head of the Behavioral Science Unit. He sent her on a secret mission to interview Hannibal Lector, a cannibalistic psychiatrist, to discover more facts about a murder called Buffalo Bill. Clarice travels to the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane where Lector is being prisoned. They talked about his pictures on his wall.

The mafia has been around since the late twenties and was created by Salvatore Maranzano. All the members of the Mafia are untouchable criminals, any harm brought to them is met with retaliation. The process of joining is met with agreements that involves oaths and blood. The mafia is better than the state because they have a sense of honor, they provide high-quality products to the people who desire them (instead of conducting war on drugs), and will keep you protected. The mafia has been glorified by many despite their reputation of violence, it has inspired filmmakers to make Goodfellas, The Sopranos, and The Godfather. They are successful groups who know what they are doing in business and want money. The mafia cares a lot about their people,

Throughout cinema, there has always been space in our hearts for the gore and intrigue that come from horror films. Though they come with different plots, there remains “the monster”, the character that brings along disgust, horror, suspense, and even sympathy. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), our monster is Norman Bates, the boy next door. This was one of the first times in American cinema that the killer was brought home, paving the way for the future of horror movies. According to Robin Wood in “An Introduction to the America Horror Film” (183-208), Bates follows the formula of the Monster being a human psychotic. This is conveyed through his normal façade portrayed with his introduction, the audience’s ambivalence, the use of

Alfred Hitchcock is not only one of the best directors in the film history but he has also set the benchmark for creating suspense and psychological thriller in early films (Flint, par. 1). His creations contributed tremendously on how audiences can relate to his films and successfully prompted anxiety to them as they leave cinemas. To elaborate this, his films Dial M for Murder and Vertigo perfectly demonstrated suspense and thriller that gave a whole new sensation to classical romance or even fairytale- like films. A typical fairy tale could be Cinderella with a prince charming saving her life from evildoers, romantic scenes where they eventually fall in love, a happily-ever-after moment and so on (Zipes 610) . But for Hitchcock there are always twists and