Horror research task - source 2 - JP

Why are stories that 'aim to scare their audience' so popular?


Nosferatu, from the film 'Nosferatu' (1922)

Daniel Cohen observed that stories that have the purpose of scaring the audience are popular due to meanings and associations that society have with monsters and the paranormal. Movie makers and scriptwriters play on the fears and taboos that the audience have, creating stories that are tense, scary and surprising, which keeps the audience anticipating what happens next, who does what, and how it all ends. The fears and taboos within society that relate to the paranormal and monsters have remained similar for years, so whilst the most popular comedy sub-genre may change, or certain styles of films are outdated and unsuccessful; for example western films; films that scare the audience remain extremely popular, as many fears society had over 100years ago, when the first celluloid horror film was developed, have stayed the same, and film genre can adapt and develop even when they do change.



What insight can the study of horror monsters give us?

The study of horror monsters shows, and emphasises, people’s biggest fears. One example is that of vampires, and gothic horror as a whole. The fear of vampires is shown as one that many people have, as gothic horror has been around for a very long time (the first wave of gothic horror novels was in 1790s), and remains, arguably, more popular today than ever before.

 

What did Nosferatu (1922), one of the earliest horror films use the vampire as a metaphor for?
-The use of a vampire in the film had multiple meanings and associations, but the main one, and what made it so popular, is the association with the flu pandemic that hit Germany after WW1, just before the film was released. The association was derived from the fact that the vampire and the flu both ended with death and infection, as a result of swapping or releasing bodily fluids. That connection between real life and that of film, made Nosferatu so popular when it was released, and that popularity has meant that remakes have been made, and even songs have been composed based on the film, emphasising how societies' fears at the time, and in certain eras, impact popularity and longevity of films.


Read to the end of the article. Make notes on how there are different readings of horror based on socio/cultural contexts of the decade.
-Horror sub-genre changes as societies' views change, and ideas are modernised or new. For example the cult horror film, 'The Exorcist' (Friedkin,1972) focussed on a young girl, post-WW2. from a single parent family, who went against religion and, for that reason, was possessed. A single parent family was extremely rare before the war, but was staring to become more common, so the film presented ideas from modern society at the time.

-'The Exorcist' also sparked outrage as it used a young girl to depict the idea of the devil and demons, but that 'outrage' led to more publicity, and the horror becoming a cult film. The film has also been the basis of many films, such as 'The Devil Inside', and the 'Paranormal Activity' films.

-'Slasher' films were very popular in the 1970s and early 80s, but the audience grew tired and bored of them as they became predictable and clichéd, they then became less economically viable, so less and less were made.

-The 'Saw' films then brought the idea of blood and gore back, as they created more complex plots, and increased the visceral experience through use of computer generated imagery (CGI), and torture porn was created.

-Technology has created new ways of distributing film, and communication as a whole. Those technological advances had led to a change in horror films, as most monsters and antagonists in horror are no longer like they are due to poor parenting or something tragic happening, but because they have a desire to kill, and are desensitised, like the technological generation in modern-day society.


In the final paragraph, why according to Hendry is horror still relevant to audiences?
- Hendry highlights the fact that horror is adaptable, and the films change to meet societies' taboos and fears, as they develop. There are numerous sub-genres that have been developed to do with horror, and more and more can, and will, be developed as popular culture develops, and technological institutions change.