Bartoli 1 Patrick Bartoli Doctor Erin Dietel-McLaughlin Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric 29 February 2013 Funny for all

the Wrong Reasons The horror genre in film has become increasingly popular throughout the last decade. The continuous improvement through these last 10 years of special effects allows for movies to feel more real than ever and therefore increasingly terrifying. This progress doesnt mean that horror movies are exempt from the theatrical bust of a movie. In fact Horror movies produce countless bad films. A select few of these films including I Know Who Killed Me and The Happening, are so bad that they can even evoke laughter from the viewing audience. The prime example of historically poor horror films is The Wicker Man, directed by Neil LaBute and released in 2006. The film starred Nicolas Cage as a policeman investigating the kidnapping of a girl. This leads him to an island with its economy based entirely on its production of honey and after a few odd twists and turns in the plot, leads to Edward Malus, Nicolas Cage, being sacrificed in hopes of bettering the honey production of the island. The twists and turns of the plot leave the viewer confused but David Nusiar, a critic found on Rotten Tomatoes, finds, there's just something inherently entertaining about watching [Nicolas Cage] one-up himself every few minutes (). This leads one to ask, what makes particularly bad movies, such as this, so funny? Movies, like The Wicker Man, violate what we expect when we head to the movie theater or put in a DVD. It is this violation coupled with distancing ourselves from the seriousness of the film that allow for a humorous situation to arise. Caleb Warren and Tim McGraw, two aspiring

Bartoli 2 humor theorists have crafted a theory called the Benign Violation Theory, which stresses, humor occurs when and only when three conditions are satisfied. A situation is a violation, a situation is benign and both of those appraisals happen at the same time (The Benign Violation Theory of Humor). The violation refers to anything that threatens ones beliefs about how the world should be (McGraw). Anything that seems odd or different than what one would expect to commonly see can qualify as a violation. Examples of violations could range from flatulence during class to any scene from the movie Jackass. Flatulence violates how we expect people to behave when in a crowded environment and Jackass violates basically every social norm held. The Wicker Man can be considered a violation due to two main features of the movie, the exceptionally poor acting of Nicolas Cage and the extreme ridiculousness of many of the scenes in the movie. The first thing that causes laughter in this film is the freak outs of Cage. Late in the film, Malus has been captured by the women of the village and is about to be tortured. One would expect an actor to portray fear and panic during this scene, but Nicolas Cage blows these emotions completely out of proportion in a way that seems threatening, unsettling, or wrong (McGraw). He flails and kicks when the women apprehend him in a way that looks more like a convulsion or seizure than attempting to escape their grasp. He then proceeds to scream, Killing me wont bring back your Goddamn honey at the top of his lungs. While desperately pleading is expected when approaching death, this over the top way in which he goes about doing this violates the social norms we have placed upon these dramatic scenes. Nicolas Cage can be categorized as an over actor and while this may suit Jim Carrey, an actor in countless comedies, it does not suit the roles that Cage attempts to fill. The role of an investigating policeman that Nicolas Cage is attempting to fill requires composure and suave in the face of

Bartoli 3 danger. Nicolas Cage doesnt portray either of these attributes throughout the film and therefore violates our expectations of the typical law enforcement officer. The Wicker Mans second violation lies in the writing and directing of a few of the movies most dramatic scenes. LaBute violates logical [and] moral norms with the direction of these scenes (McGraw). Logical norms can be defined as absurdities while moral norms outline disrespectful behavior. The logical and moral norms violated in The Wicker Man can best be addressed in the scene in which Nicolas Cage sports a bear suit. The entirety of this scene involves Nicolas Cage awkwardly galloping into view, dressed like a bear, heading straight for a village woman. Upon finally reaching this woman he speaks no words but punches her directly in the face. While this scene does follow chronologically with the storyline, it is too absurd to take earnestly. This ludicrous act violates the vehemence expected out of a horror movie and therefore our logical norms. Punching a woman in the face, on the other hand, violates societal morals anticipated from our (decreasingly) chivalrous society. After watching this scene, one cannot help but laugh at the preposterousness of what occurs. Events in horror film may not always follow customary logic, but this scene falls so far out of these common grounds that it has no hope of return and consequently, with the addition of the benign aspect, can be deemed as funny. The benign aspect of this theory is essential for humor to be communicated in a given situation. McGraw asserts that a violation needs to seem okay, safe, or acceptable (McGraw). An example of this is seen in reception of jokes that degrade Christianity. A upright Christian would not find these jokes to be humorous because they are extremely personal and in no way acceptable to them. An atheist or more lax Christian, on the other hand, would find the jokes more acceptable and be able to laugh at them. In this way, the violations in the movie cannot

Bartoli 4 offend any of the viewing audience and the viewing audience must be able to distance themselves from the movie. Offending the viewing audience is a hard hurdle for this historically bad movie. Those viewing the film were most likely expecting to be thrilled by this new and improved horror movie, as this was a 2006 remake of a movie produced in 1973. The audiences coming in to this movie expecting a good flick would be more inclined to feel angry and swindled then to laugh. A more light hearted viewer, conversely, would be much more inclined to laugh at the atrocious work. In order to find humor in this situation the viewer cannot be offended by the poor quality of the film, but must make light of the fact that the movie is so dreadful. The viewers distance from the production of the film is another key element to finding it humorous. Those who were involved in the production of the movie would in no way find it to be humorous. They would be saddened that the movie didnt perform how they were hoping, meaning a humorous outlook from any of those producing the movie or family members of these people is highly unlikely. Those typical viewer unconnected with its production wouldnt have this same attachment to the film and could more easily see it in a humorous light. Similarly, as the movie gets older and older it becomes more and more humorous. When the film aired in movie theaters across America the funny side of the movie was most likely not shared amongst the viewing audience. As the movie has aged and viewers can distance themselves from the movies expectations, many more people can appreciated its atrociousness. Many people may reason that the humor in this film lies in feeling superior to those involved. This Superiority Theory of humor, as defined by Monro, could also fit the humorous aspect of The Wicker Man. He asserts that people laugh in these type of situations because [it] has some failing or defect (Monro). This idea fits very well with The Wicker Man. The audience

Bartoli 5 could be laughing because they feel better than this cut rate production or the acting of Nicolas Cage and because humor is derisive we find their mistakes quite humorous (Monro). The problem with the fit of this theory is that it explains why some people are laughing at the movie, but does not explain why others are not laughing at the movie. This theory fails to explain why every person doesnt see the failing acting performance and find it humorous. Arguably the best component of the Benign Violation Theory is that it can also explain why a situation is not funny. If an event is simply benign or a violation, but not both at the same time it cannot be deemed as humorous. In the context of the The Wicker Man example, the movie isnt funny to those in production because they do not have enough distance between themselves and the movie. In a few years, however, they may be able to look back and laugh at themselves for producing such a poor movie. Enough time has passed to make this event benign. The same idea can be applied to violations that occur in this movie. If the a viewer didnt think Nicolas Cage had not done such a bad job portraying his anguish in the scenes in which he is tortured, then these scenes would no longer be a violation and therefor no longer funny. One may also fail to see a violation in the scene direction and therefor not see the humor in this film. The edge that the benign violation theory is that it can explain why some people dont laugh. The Wicker Man may not have been a very popular movie when released, but with the right outlook watching this movie can be an extremely enjoyable experience. In one looks for the violations in bad acting and scene construction and has the predisposition to find these violations benign, the film will become downright hilarious. It is very possible, however, that a viewer could find that The Wicker Man is just a poor excuse for a movie. With the utilization of the Benign Violation Theory, one could see comedic genius flows from the piece and understand why others fail to grasp its comedic aspect.

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Works Cited The Benign Violation Theory of Humor. YouTube, Web. Aug 26, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNy4c1RX5I McGraw, Peter. Benign Violation Theory. Humor Research Lab of the University of Chicago, 2012. Web. 28 Feb 2013 http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/mcgrawp/Benign_Violation_Theory.html Monro, D.H. Theories of Humor. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum 3rd ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1988. 349-55 Nusair, David. "The Films of Neil LaBute." Reel Film Feviews. Movie Review Query Engine Top Critic, 20 Jun 2007. Web. 23 Apr 2013. <http://www.reelfilm.com/labute.htm The Wicker Man. Dir. Neil LaBute. Perf. Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Leelee Sobieski. Warner Bros and Sony Production, 2006 Film.