Paradox of Horror Midterm

Carroll’s foruma for horror

95% digust, 5% fear

Thought theory

explains why we can be scared of something even though we know it isnt real. the “thought” of it potentially happening is scary enough.

What are the three categories of horror?

Moral, allegorical, psychological metaphor, fantastic

What is moral allegorical?

Grounded in the battle between good and evil. consequences of supernatural evil upon everyday life”

what is psychological metaphor?

contains the presence of a human or non-human “monster” that usually metaphorically represents or reflects the everyday fears concerning safety

what is fantstic?

based on the “ambuguity as to the nature of reality”. Supernatrual is present, but not explicit- only hinted at. 

According to tudor, horror explores:

the limits of what people are capable of doing and experiencing

Horror entails an “extreme” departure from “everyday reality” that reveals:

images that we want to ignore/forget and images that we do not want to accept

What are the four movements of the discovery plot? What is particularly of interest?

1. Onset

2. Discovery

3. Confirmation

4. Confrontation

The tension between “discovery” and “confirmation”

What happens during onset?

Monster’s presence is established, such as an attack

What happens in discovery?

Monster’s existence is discovered, but is denied by the “powers that be”

what happens in confirmation?

discoverers or believers must convince some other group of the existence and proportions of mortal danger at hand. often the most elaborate and suspenseful

What happens at confrontation (discovery)

after hesitations and confirmation, mankind meets its monster

What are the four basic movements of the overreacher plot? what is particularly of interest?

1. Preparation for the experiment 

2. the experiment 

3. the experiment goes awry

4. confrontation 

the critique of science’s will to knowledge 

What happens in preparation for the experiment?

including a philosophical or “popular mechanics” explanation or debate about the experiement’s motivation. the overreacher himself (typically a doctor or scientist) can become overly obsessed with the experiment and has a “one track mind” that blinds him from potential consequences/drawbacks

what happens in the experiment

usually a partial success that increases the overreacher’s meagomania

what happens in the experiemnt goes awry?

leads to the destruction of innocent victimes and/or damage or threat to the overreacher or his loved ones. some renounce their blasphemy 

what happens in confrontation (overreacher)?

characters must confront the consequences of their actions

What is fusion?

“conflicting themes are yoked together in one, spatio-temporally unified figure”

What are some examples of fusion?

dracula, frankenstein’s monster

what is fission?

“conflicting themes are disturbed over space and time among more than one figure”

what are the 2 major modes of fission?

spatial and temporal

what is spatial fission?

conflict over space through “multiplication”, creation of “doubles”

• mirrors, portaits, shadows

• doppelgangers, doubles

• body snatching

What is temporal fission?

conflict through “division”, selt divided in time

• Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, multiple or split personalities

• “changeling” characters like werewolf

• possesion 

What does Carroll claim in regards to horror film construction?

Horror films cannot be constructed as completely repelling or completely appealing. Either outlook denies something essential to the form. Therefore, horror should not be understood as one of the other, but both simultaneously 

What are the 3 types of monsters?

1. interstitial

2. incomplete

3. formless

what are interstitial monsters?

things that cross boundaries and deep categories of a culture’s conceptual scheme; are impure

what are incomplete monsters?

rotting and disintigrating things

what are formless monsters?

dirt or fog

what is the Sublime?

the strong, simultaneous attraction to and repulsion from an object; involuntary emotional reaction and cannot be evoked on command

What is the definition of the uncanny?

simultaneously foreign and familiar; uncomfortable; dismal; uneasy; gloomy; ghastly

What is the uncanny a result of?

Repression. the uncanny is nothing new or foreign, but familiar and old.

Factors that turn the “fearful” into the “uncanny”:

• Animism (inatimate objects that come to life")

• magic and witchcraft 

• omnipotence of thoughts (possessing secret “powers”)

• man’s attitude about death

• involuntary repetition

• castration complex

when does an uncanny experience occur?

either when repressed infantile complexes have been revived by some impression, or when the primitive beliefs we have surmounted seem once more to be confirmed.