The influence of horror/thriller films on emotions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Reason for the “H”
Certificate
The film “The Bride of
Frankenstein” featured a scene
of a child being killed. As a
result the British Censors
established the “H”Certificate
as explained the previous slide
by Sir Christopher Lee.
7. Horror film is a
motion picture calculated to cause intense
repugnance, fear, or dread. Horror films ma
y incoporate
incidents of physical violence and psycholo
gical terror.
8. Traditional horror-
Use of primal fears.
Horror films often deal
with the concept of the
audience
nightmares,hidden
fears,terror of the
unknown.
Plot point frequently
themes like
supernatural,monsters,
Gore/splattler film-
Focuses on graphic
portrayals of gore and
graphic violence.
Use of special effects
to exploit the
vulnerability of the
human body and the
theatricality of its
mutilation.
9. Psychological horror- relies heavily on the
characters' fears and emotional instability
to build tension.
The aims are to create discomfort by
exposing common or universal
psychological and emotional
vulnerabilities and fears, such as the
shadowy parts of the human psyche that
most people repress or deny referred to
in the archetypal shadow characteristics:
10. Case Study: Invasion
of the Bodysnatchers
Invasion of the Body
Snatchers is a 1956 American
black and white science fiction
filmdirected by Don Siegel
starring Kevin
McCarthy and DanaWynter,
that was released
throughAllied Artists Picture
Corporation. Daniel
Mainwaringadapted
the screenplay from Jack
Finney's 1954 novel The Body
Snatchers.[2]
The story depicts an
extraterrestrial invasion of a
small California town.The
invaders replace human beings
with duplicates that appear
identical on the surface but are
devoid of emotion or
individuality.A local doctor
uncovers what is happening
and tries to stop them.
11. The film portrays a different take on emotions. The two definitions
of “universalist” vs “socail constructivism” are turned on it’s head.
Universalist theory: The alien pod people are born without emotions
when they awaken. No emotions is biologically part of their DNA.
Social Constructivist theory: When Doctor Miles Bennet questions the
difference of the pod people ,locals have their own percieved ideas of how
their loved ones should act emotionally.
12.
13. The film has been criticized for having an anti-communist message. The
film released in 1956,during the heart of the Cold War. The United States
feared of bombs dropped by the Soviet Union. The sci-fi twsit the film
displayed is more freightening.
Instead of bombs they are pods, that sneak in through the farm and replace
after you sleep.
Notice in the clip at how everyone will be the same, at that it is a much
more simpler way of life.
Arguably Hollywood was playing on the emotion of fear on the public and
portrayed the concept of communist being emotionless.
14.
15. Representation of 1950’s
America through Becky
and Miles relationship
Miles and Becky’s relationship
displayed can be seen as the
heart of the film. Despite them
not being married
They represent the traditional
American values of the 1950’s
Examples being : Date
nights,the breakfast scene
where displays these very
traditional values.
These values are threatened by
the pod people as their love is
what they fight to hold on to no
matter what.They are
affectionate and playful
together
It can be argued of their
American values being socially
constructed though.
16. Traditional Horror:
Classic Monsters
and their portrayal of
emotions
Dracula: Portrayed as
having emotions. He
uses this as an
advantage on his
victims. However he
does not experience
all types of emotions
eg love.
Frankestein’s Monster:
Learns emotions and
craves to be more
human but is rejected.
His society
The Wolfman- Loses
his humanity through
his transformation.
18. “In my practice, I've seen how people
have allowed their humanity to drain
away. Only it happened slowly
instead of all at once. They didn't
seem to mind... All of us - a little bit -
we harden our hearts, grow callous.
Only when we have to fight to stay
human do we realize how precious it
is to us,” – Dr Miles Bennell
19.
20. The film “Warm Bodies”(2013) gives the
audience a new concept of zombies regaining
emotions with the influence of love. In the film
it restarts their hearts and turns their
animated corpses into full functioning human
bodies again
This again an example in film of emotions
defining our humanity and what it means to
be alive.
22. In direct contrast, the “monsters” of gore films are usually
completely insane. That they do not experience emotions like
empathy,sympathy or fear. They are merely men hidden
behind masks committing murder, and are usually silent.
This arguably desensitised the shock value to the viewer. An
example of this is in “Halloween”(1978) where the camera
shot is seen through his mask while Michael Myers kills.
This has been critically accessed by Horror film directors to
create a type of emotionless experience. As victims becomes
a novelty and audience are merely watching people be killed
brutally and not care.
23.
24.
25. One type of Horror film that branches all genres is when they
give the tag line “based on a true story”.
Example notice the tag line of “Texas Chainsaw
Massacre”(1974) “What happened is true. Now the motion
picture thats just as real”
The True story element immediately plays on the mind, that
this could have happened. This justifies it can happen to the
given viewer and so before even beginning the film they start
off a perception of fear. This perception of fear was socially
constructed.
26. The Blairwitch
Project(1994)
The film “The Blairwitch
Project” is an interesting
example of this socially
constructed fear.
While it is not based on a true
story.The marketing campagin
made you believe it was.
Examine at the text on the
cover it appears as what could
be seen in a news paper.
The filming style also
influences this as while
watching the film you feel as if
it is a real life documentary
that only adds to the audience
idea of fear and paranoia.
27. The
Exorcist(197
3)
The Exorcist is a
1973
American supernatural
horror film directed
by William
Friedkin, adapted
by William Peter
Blattyfrom his
1971 novel of the
same name. The
book, inspired by the
1949 exorcism case
of Roland
Doe,[3][4] deals with
thedemonic
possession of a 12-
year-old girl and her
mother's desperate
28. Scared the public of America back
to church:
Audience fainting,passing out
during screenings
Complimentary “barf bags” given
with each ticket
Demonized Ouija boards
29.
30. The Exorcist played lightly on the “true story” element as it was loosely
based on a book. The American public had never seen such a vulgar and
grosteque evil on screen before.
Before the film there was a trend for Ouija boards that was completely
demonized after.
The film had to be re-released with a proper age rating.
It is still to this day the highest grossing R rating film of all time and
recieved oscar praise.
The Exorcist can indeed be seen as an example of a film influencing the
emotions of society dramatically.
31.
32.
33. Psyscho is another film that had an impact on the public in
1960.
It follows the genre of psycological horror. We follow a main
character that is already quite paranoid only to be
shockening murdered in the shower.
This drastically changes the plot.
The rest of the film viewers may be on edge as we follow
characters closely and emotionally. This makes murder
scenes more influential to our emotions as we have been
following other characters emotions.
34.
35.
36. Example: REC.(2007) (MAJOR
SPOILERS) Spanish horro that combines
all three of the given horror film genres.
37. The film Rec. Plays on traditonal horror with the element of
proposed zombies and monsters. Playing on our traditonal
fears with locations like dark hall ways throughout the
film. As well as the plot twist of not being zombies but a
santanic cult of demon possessed people.
It has the feel of true story with the documentary touch of
the shaky camera. This twist also acts on the pyscological
aspect as we follow the main characters through the
It displays gore in the extreme violence demonstrated by
“monsters”
38. Fear is primal and biological
within all of us as an emotion
. However our fears can be
influenced by horror and how
they are influenced is socially
constructed by film makers.
