Main Ideas of Horror Readings

Why Horror - Tudor

Tudor has a problem with the question “why horror.” This is that the question assumes that all horror movies feature similar kinds of horror and that genres are fixed in time (they are not). Tudor also criticizes the question because it doesn’t distinguish between horror people and non horror people and says many people like horror movies for the same reasons and same things that can be found in other films like the appeal to the beast within.

Why Horror - Carroll

We are interested in horror for many reasons. Curiosity, mystery, safe space to explore scary themes without really being in danger

Defining Art Horror - Carroll

Monsters in horror have characteristics like categorical incompleteness, foolishness, and unnaturalness.

Monsters live outside of the known human world.

Horror films as texts - Wells

Wells sees the idea of monsters as central to horror. The monster in horror is often representing a force of ultimate evil that may expose uniquely human struggles.

Monsters act as foils to humanity.

Monsters represent struggles between sexualities, gender orientations, and desires.

Learning to Scream - Williams

When Psycho first screened, people ran up and down aisles and screamed. Alfred Hitchcock said he knew this would happen by he really had no idea. Hitchcock set the standard for movie theater times. He also made the trailer not reveal anything important unlike many old trailers.

And The Dead Shall Rise - Kevin Boon

The zombie is represented in various ways that are unique in certain cultures.

In Haiti, stories about zombies were used by colonizers to dehumanize Haitians. Haitians also got empowerment from the zombie figure.

Another categories of zombie is found in stories which aim to connect the nature of zombie to human consciousness and experience.

Variations of zombie are ghoul, ghost, drone, tech, bio, channel, psychological, cultural, or ruse zombie.

When the Woman Looks - Williams

Women are connected with monsters in the horror film. Women know what it’s like to be objects of desire and so they bring this experience with them when they are targeted by monsters.

There is not much difference between an object of desire and an object of horror when the male gaze is involved.

Refusing to refuse the look - Cherry

Cherry says that horror fans tend to keep their liking of horror to themselves and only watch it alone or with few friends.

Slasher movies rank low with some exceptions.

Viewers tend to enjoy horror films that are more sibyl than films that rely on shock.

The American Nightmare - Robin Wood

Wood defines the other as many different things. It could be the other culture, deviations from sexual norms, female sexuality, the proletariat, and children.

Horror films of the 1960s and 70s were popular but disreputable, have reflected dreams and fears, have taken surrealist approaches, follow a basic formula, have ambivalence, and reflect Freudian Theses.