Horror Films
The history of horror films is typically a history of anxiety in the 20th century. In the way that fairy tales, folktales and Gothic romances articulate the fears of the 'old' world, the contemporary horror film has defined and illustrated the phobias of a 'new' world characterized by a rationale of industrial, technological and economic determinism. Arguably, more than any other genre, it has interrogated the deep-seated effects of change and responded to the newly determined grand narratives of social, scientific and philosophical thought.
The most fundamental theme of horror is the 'monster' for example, the possessed child in The Exorcist', or the supernatural presence in 'The blair witch project'. The monster represents the archetypal struggle, for the presence of an 'order' which seeks no evidence and maintains the idea that there is someone or something to believe in which justifies material existence.
In whatever the way the monster is conceived and acts, however, it serves to operate as a mode of disruption and breakdown in the status quo.
Every 'monster' is the promise of death which creates fear for the audience as they await for the character to get killed by it.
Fears are also reinforced because of the unknown in the dark as the potential threat remains unseen.
The horror genre has no clear defined boundaries, and overlaps with aspects of science fiction and fantasy genres. The horror genre is concerned with death and the impacts and effects of the past.
Horror films dwell on gruesome and bloody depictions. Shoel states that every type of death imaginable has been lovingly, recreated on the screen. Nothing is left to our imagination anymore: disembowelment's, beheading's and amputations. Nothing is out of bounds anymore.
Common characteristics of horror is the portrayal of prolonged terrorisation of a lone character.
Weave studied over 50 films and discovered that 180 seconds were spent on male terrorisation and 260 seconds spent on female terrorisation.
This created empathy for the character and audience identification.
Suspense is concentrated on the victims fear and panic rather than the actual scenes of death.
Visual auditory techniques are focused on in order to increase and maintain viewers arousal response.
Fright is one of the inducing elements abound to horror. These films express on dangerous and graphic displays of injuries, grotesque distortions and expressions of terror.