Horror & The 'Horror Condition'

Fira Budiman

The horror genre in cinema is both easy and complicated to dissect. In understanding
what 'horror' means in the linguistic sense, we can define horror as a film genre that portrays
terror by creating fear. But if we observe cinema throughout the years we will find that not
all films that are labeled 'horror' show terror and create fear. Rather they simply offer the
'figures of fear' or show the pictures of terror. It becomes a complicated subject of discussion
when its function in cinema is truly analyzed. Does horror imply the subject shown in film?
Does it imply a certain atmosphere created by film? What if a film has the content of horror
but does not create terror? Is the genre something that is only achieved if the film succeeds in
creating horror?

Dominic Strinati in his "An Introduction to Studying Popular Culture", defined
horror as a "genre that represents the need for suppression if the horror shown is
interpreted as expressing uncomfortable and disturbing desires which need to the
contained." Horror genre cannot be defined by the presence of fear or blood, because
there are other films of other genres that use the same elements, such as the crime or
fantasy genre.
Phillipe Lovecraft states in his "Supernatural horror in Literature" that
supernatural horror evokes dread and cosmic fear. This cosmic fear can reveal what
the materialistic society denies (the existence of the un-material, ghosts). But Noel
carrol argues that this is only one of the factors that make horror attractive since not
all of this genre are supernatural horror.
Another explanation is in monsters. Horror offered in monsters offer a
representation of a deformed reality. But the most applicable is probably Rosemary
Jackson's interpretation. She interprets horror as repressive cultural schematizations.
The themes found in these genre films are a manifestation of what society suppresses
by cultural conventions. Horror disagrees to what society considers unreal and the
constraint of social order. The repressed society is terrorized by the product of their
fears and anxieties. This will be cleared and discernable in the analysis of the horror
films taken up for this study.
All these definitions seek to give a definition to what 'horror' is, but as to what
'horror' in specifically to the cinema must be observed through the products of
cinema.

The horror genre dates back to the early silent cinema when film's first visionary,
George Melies decided to make a segment of the supernatural. Le Manoir Du Diable
is considered the first horror film that featured characters that were 'not natural to the
world. Taking the film as a representation of the horror genre at it birth, we can
observe that the genre was first created to describe everything that was not rational in
everyday life. The film is a simple one-angle scene where bats, witches, ghosts,
cauldrons, trolls, dwarfs and devils appear and disappear (in the familiar Melies puff
of smoke). Unlike how the genre defines the content of horror films today, the film's
subjects are responsible for determining what the genre was about. As the genre was
probably still general (Melies probably didn't even think to label the genre as horror),
it did not focus on the methods 'horror' could be created, rather just the horror in
form of objects or subjects. The subjects used in this 'horror' segment are prosaic and
clearly images as the result of horror described in literary fiction. Devils, witches,
cauldrons, and monsters were common in the works Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker and
Edgar Allan Poe; what was shown in Melies' short film was merely a representation
of these literary characters on film. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that horror was
present in the early years of cinema but not as a genre (in the understanding of genre
as a categorical system for film).
A more evident presence of horror as a genre was present in the film The Cabinet
of Dr. Calgari. The Cabinet of Caligari uses the style of German expressionism, in
which lighting and setting have been artistically manipulated to 'create' a horrific
atmosphere. The film's usage of these artistic elements were to compliment the
characters of the film (a sadistic madman and psychologically disordered patients),
there were not specifically used for the purpose of creating horror but to create the
irrational world of Francis' mind. But it was the purposeful usage of these elements
that molded the atmosphere essential to the horror condition that separates the film
from Melies' short segment.
There are several observations we can make of the horror genre from the early
cinema, the first being its inseparable relationship with cinematic style. It is not that
style defines whether or not a film is horrific, but it is an important factor in the
creation of a condition that allows horror to take place. In this manner, cinematic
style in horror films must have a sort of telos. The second is the genre's relationship
with its audience that it must have the ability to bring out certain emotions that
horror implies, such as fear, anxiety, excitement, disgust and uncertainty. Horror
requires a process of becoming, in which it must create the conditions for its audience
to 'become' the victim of horror. This process is essential without which the film
would not be horror; it would simply be a film that contains the figures that society
labels as horrific. The creation of this condition is generated through the techniques
and styles particular to the genre.

This brings up the question of whether horror is specific to certain themes or
whether horror is specific to the audience?
In order to make an educated conclusion we must explore both areas of the
question. In accordance to whether or not Horror is specific to an audience, we
explore the horror genre from the motivations of different horror movie-goers. In his
human communication research paper, Adolescents' Motivation for Viewing Graphic
Horror, Diedre Johnston describes four different horror film spectators:

1) Gore Watching - Curiosity for physical violence and revenge. Audience is
interested in the way the victims die; he sees them get what they deserve.
2) Thrill watching - The viewer is interested in the emotion of tension and
excitement. Possesses high levels of empathy and longing for adventure.
3) Independent Watching - People who chose a particular role that assumes testing
their own bravery and adulthood.
4) Problem Watching - The viewer watches the horror because he feels abandoned,
angry and he tries to avoid the problems of his own mundane life. He seeks
excitement in the suffering of others and often identifies himself with the victim;
in which he is powerless over his own life too.


Just as the audience for this specific genre varies for a collective consciousness, the
genre of horror also varies based on content or theme. These themes can be associated
with the four motivations above as well as give a separate cause of horror. The sub-
genre below are taken from a research article by Viktria Prohszkov titled, The
Genre of Horror.

Horror sub-genres:
1. Rural Horror: situated in places far from civilization. Includes local legend,
myth or superstition.
2. Cosmic Horror: Implies horror with elements of sci-fi and outer space. The
protagonist finds out about things he'd rather not know about.
3. Apocalyptic Horror: Deals with end of the world caused by various factors.
4. Crime Horror: has elements of crime/detective story. Criminal plot with
escalating tension and horror elements. Se7en
5. Erotic Horror: Combines sexual imagery with horror overtones. Dracula
(1992).
6. Occult Horror: Focuses on exorcisms, anti-christ, curses, witches, The
Exorcist.
7. Psychological Horror: Based on fear of the main protagonist, his feelings of
guilt, his faith and an unstable state of mind. Silence of the Lambs, The
shinning.
8. Surreal Horror: Includes themes of surrealism, dreams, grotesqueness,
bizzareness. Nightmare on Elm Street.
9. Visceral Horror: Full of blood, gore and brutality. Depicts the most perverse
form of murder, butchering and mutilation of human parts. Saw (2004), Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.

The purpose of this paper to use the information of these two separate factors of
the horror genre to determine the argument of the horror genre: Is it audience
oriented or content oriented? Does a film become a horror film with the succession of
creating a certain condition for its audience or is it a horror film based on its content,
despite whether or not it achieves this condition?

In the observation of ten films taken up for this study, there are several
iconographic style usages and techniques that are common in each. These techniques
pertain to the fact that they are horror and have become expected as an accessory to
the creation of atmosphere.

Horror film genre formula:
- Back story/haunted because of: past murders, suicides, persecution, executions,
rituals, black magic...
- This back story is sometimes revealed slowly piece by piece
- There is a foreshadowing in the beginning that reveals what main conflicts,
'disturbances' will be faced and why it might happen.
- Sometime pre-requisite will happen to put the protagonist in the condition similar
to back story where the horror can take place.
- Protagonists are usually cut from communication.
- Irrational scars/bruisers (if horror is supernatural)
- Intercutted sequences of protagonist trying to escape or do something with shot of
horror approaching. Protagonist either gets away very thinly or successfully blocks
horror entity.
- The horror entity is most always defeated in the end, either because the protagonist
succeeds in destroying it or because it dies itself.


The Shinning (1980)
The shinning is labeled a horror film because of its usage of horror 'images' and
its content of ominous murder and haunting. The film concerns a family who has
been hired to occupy a hotel for the winter why it is closed to the public. In many
ways the story fall into the easy category of a rural horror. The characters enter a
situation where they are definitely secluded far from society, the setting is established
to be possibly haunted dues to its urban legends and there is an element of the
supernatural introduced in the beginning before they even leave (Danny's visions and
'imaginary friend'). The content fulfills the required narrative of a typical horror genre
film. But the film takes a different approach to the narrative. Kubrick's distinctive
style separates the film from a recognizable horror flick like Scream. Even though the
narrative develops like any other horror film, it unravels in a different pace and
therefore creates grounds for argument.
If we observe, Kubrick's film uses horror elements such as music and 'horrific'
images, but they are not used in the sense that create shock and suspense. Here are a
few of these counterparts that fulfill the general horror genre:
Creepy music in the opening credits
Secluded setting: hotel in the middle of the woods
"Tremendous sense of isolation"
Dialogues (like in the middle have no back music)
Back story of setting: Tragedy, former employee killed his family with an axe.
! Donner party got snowbound in that area, cannibalism to survive.
! Overlook built on Indian burial ground
The chef foreshadows what Danny might see.
A horror focus: Room 237
Horror images: twins (butchered and alive), blood, Danny's dreams.
! Kubrick Montage: blood pouring from the elevator, twins, blood,
Danny's screaming expression.
creepy screechy sfx (E.g. when Danny and the chef look at each other in the
store room)
Horror conditional requirement: snowstorm
There is creepy sfx (violin strings) when a backstories are being told, when a
protagonist approaches the horror location; when Danny approaches room
237, when Danny goes to get his fire engine and when Wendy checks what
John Jack has been writing.
"Something creepy behind the corner scene", The camera follows Danny from
behind and reveals twins when it turns around the corner.
Half open door shot (Danny goes to see what is in room 237)
Dannys irrational neck bruise
Relies mostly on music for horror suspense, the horror shots are long takes
and continuous: The track into The chef's face while he's in bed, the POV
shot of Jack searching the room.
Theres a door opening scene shot: reveals the naked woman in bathroom.
Does compel to a 'running rhythm', Jack doesn't run from the old lady
Does have intercutting of Wendy trying to escape and Jack slowly
approaching.

The iconic scenes and usage of camera techniques are similar to that of The
Conjuring, where there is an opportunity made by the director for suspense and
shock. But Kubrick does not ever reach this point in his film. It is as if he intends to
focus on the narrative as a slow build up to Jack's insanity becoming the horror entity
rather than the usage of supernatural presence as the active entity. The shot of the
twins, which in a normal horror film would be used to surprise audiences never fully
achieve this emotion either. Shot of the Danny's encounter with them in the hallway
or in the lounge are always wide shots or full shots; their make-up is neither creepy
nor scary. In fact they look like regular twins whose only bizarre attribute is their
presence. Even the iconic shot of Danny riding his bike in the hallways with the
camera following behind create a sort of maze and suspense. The fact that the camera
closely follows leaves tons of possibilities of something suddenly 'popping up' in front,
behind or beside Danny. This is followed by another encounter with the twins as
Danny takes a left turn. Danny sees the twins before the camera and therefore creates
suspense, 'what is it that Danny sees that we haven't?' But as the camera reaches
Danny's point of view, we find that it is just the twins that he has already met in the
beginning. The reason we can say 'just' the twins is because of Kubrick's treatment of
this scene: The twins are place at the end of the hallway and far away from the
protagonist we have been following. Not only does this mean distance between the
characters, but distance between these so-called horror entities and the audience.
Because of this, there is no sense of danger or shock. In addition, this scene never
takes a close-up of the twins (where the normal horror film would suddenly cut it a
close-up accompanied with loud terrifying music). In effect, the horror entities in this
film do not actually chase or follow the protagonists, it is as if Kubrick means to say
that they are just present. To this point Kubrick succeeds in creating not the 'horror
condition' but a horror realization. It is not the supernatural that the he wants the
audience to be afraid of (and therefor does not make them so) rather the human
condition that. His film does take up the 'becoming' process of putting the audience
in a victimized state; it doesn't even aim to 'terrify' audiences in the theater. What
Kubrick focuses on is the 'becoming' of his protagonist. Jack's slow deterioration
represents the possible deterioration in the human condition. His relationship with
the supernatural entities in the film is more similar to that of a schizophrenic patient,
therefore making his insanity more real. Kubrick does not intend to 'otherize' the
horror entity, but make something that is considered 'otherized' more subjective.
In the commercial sense of the horror film, this film does not comply and adhere
to terrifying its audiences. It is more than just a film aimed to serve a slice of fear and
excitement. Through its narrative, it succeeds in portraying the horror genre, but
through its style, it fails to create the 'horror condition'.


Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist is Steven Spielbergs take on the horror genre in which he fills the
narrative with the supernatural, the scientific and the metaphysical. The film portrays
a family who experiences supernatural disturbances in their house through the
medium of their television set. Like The Shining, the film uses the iconic elements and
styles of the horror genre. The difference lies in Spielberg's approach to the
commercial. Where Kubrick's intentions are not industrial at all, Spielberg tries to
make this horror film as profitable as possible. This is observable through the usage of
the 'family theme' and the constant element of comedy. Just like most Spielberg films,
this film has a 'bit of everything' ranging from laughs, tears, suspense, excitement and
a 'good-feel' ending. It is one of the first films to incorporate CGI in the portrayal of
supernatural horror. Its extravagance does not fall short of the Spielberg effect. For
this film it is quite clear whether or not it falls under the horror genre.
Setting: Suburb location
Starts with the horror entity introduced directly but doesn't start with horror
atmosphere like The Shinning.
Shocking sound and cut to- sequences
Continuous sequence/conceal & reveal technique: When the mom resets the
table chairs, reaches for something in the cupboard, when camera pans up the
chairs are stacked up.
Horror directly introduced only as a neutral entity at first. Characters are
aware of the entity.
Supernatural atmosphere, special effects, extravagance, Spielberg.
The iconic association of supernatural and thick glasses/geeky people/ gadgets
! Science terms: "ionization flux", "short waves, parapsychology
! stemnograph/numbers
Flashing lights
Dramatic happy music when the mother is about to go into the cupboard.
The couple kisses first in the light
Even when its supposed to be terrifying the mother still looks beautiful with
her hair being blown black. Spectacle.
Shocking clown
Physical suspense: the wife tries to get out of the pool and almost gets caught
by the skeletons; Steven tries to get the car running and does so in the nick of
time.
Uses the 'horror flies to the camera' shot.
Iconic flute and orchestra theme at end credits

As we can see even though it is a horror film, there are major Spielberg icons that
still fill each scene. Perhaps it more logical to determine the horror through whether
or not even as a Spielberg film it succeeds in creating the 'condition'. Apart from its
dramatization of heroism and family values, the film does succeed in shocking the
audience in certain parts, such as the table and chairs scene. Compared to the
technique usage in Kubrick's film where the camera fails to shock in as it turns and
reveals a shocking image, this shock is quite surprising; mainly because of its
juxtaposition to the image before. The fast pace used in this shot as the mother squats
to get something from the cupboard below creates the condition of impossibility,
which is why it comes as shocking when the continuous shot reveals the table chairs
stacked upwards. Other scenes such as when the mother tries to escape the swimming
pool is recognizable in that she barely escapes and is pursued by entities grabbing her
leg. The sense of danger and 'need to escape' puts this scene in the hall of horror.


Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Silence of the Lambs and its popular character Hannibal Lecter have been
popularized as symbols of the subgenre psychological horror; this statement though is
very debatable. The plot centers on a young FBI student still in training. In her reach
for a serial killer, she must play a psychological game with the notorious Hannibal
Lecter, who even though label clinically insane, has more insight to the case than the
FBI. In dealing with the serial killer and Hannibal, Clarice Starling must face her
own demons and come to terms with her childhood drama.
If observed through the horror lens, the film does have some attribute similar to
that of the horror genre formula:

Opening scene is her running, sense of urgency introduced
The killer's back story is unraveled slowly, piece-by-piece
"Horror flying at the camera": Hannibal attacks the police guard bringing his
second dinner in."
Violent scene where Hannibal kills the guard is a MCU of Hannibal's face
and blood splattering from the camera.
POV shot: Clarice looking for Bill; Bill looking at Clarice (night googles).
Creates tension and puts protagonist into the horror prerequisite.

As we can see the qualities are not many in terms of horror, simply because it
cannot be considered a horror film. The film is more accurately described as a crime
thriller. The inaccurate label of psychological horror probably comes from the films
usage of tension and suspense build up familiar in horror films. Yes, it is psychological
in the sense that the topics, characters and themes are psychological; but it is not a
psychological horror. The purpose of the unraveling of the killer's story serves for an
investigative narrative in which the protagonist is not terrorized because of it. Neither
can Buffalo Bill be considered a 'horror entity' as that would require his character to
objectively haunt the protagonist. In this film the wrongly labeled horror entity and
the subject do not have direct relations, neither does the back story create one for
them.


House of Wax (1953)
Before its 2005 adaptation, House of Wax was originally a 1953 horror film that
centered on one protagonist and one antagonist. The treatment of this film in the
analysis of it as a horror genre film is quite different from the films discussed earlier;
mainly because of its production date. The film's style is iconic of the earlier
Hollywood color films. It emphasizes the usage of artistic mise-en-scene and make-
up in order to create the horror effect. But regardless of its limitations, the film shares
in the creation of the horror condition in its choice of narrative sequence.
The film centers of the deformation of a wax sculptor whose museum is burned
down at the beginning by his greedy partner. The fire leaves the sculptor incapable of
ever sculpting again. After the event, a deformed man figure is encountered by a
Helen who discovers him murdering her roommate. A new House of Wax opens and
Prof. Henry Jarrod (the sculptor) is seen un-deformed like the creature Helen
encountered; with the exception of his legs as he is in a wheelchair. Helen visits the
museum with her friend and recognizes one of the sculptures as the spitting image of
her murdered roommate. In her investigation to this matter she discovers that the
professor is indeed the deformed creature who has been hiding his face in a wax mask
of his former self. In his desire for revenge the professor has become violent and
vengeful; stealing real bodies to create his new sculptures.
Horror elements observable in the film:
Horror comes from artistic department: wax melts and creates disfigured faces
accompanied by creepy dramatic music.
Falling eyeballs and heads when the 'house of wax' burns down. The
disfigurement foreshadows the creation of the horror entity.
Make up on the protagonist after he gets burnt: White, disfigured and melted
like wax.
Usage of dark room lighting: E.g. when Helen goes to find Cathy, when
Helen enters the museum after dark.
Back story for horror entity is created instead of revealed in beginning.
The 'horror'-entity-identity slowly revealed and kept suspense.
Door suddenly closes while Helen's inside the room with skeletons. The
protagonist is contained and isolated before horror occurs.
The Horror is revealed with a twist: Helen hits the professor's face and it turns
out to be a cast of wax.
Helen is chained: situation that she 'might' not get out of, risk and danger
created.

The film's lack of effects actually makes determination easier than its successors.
Like most Hollywood films of the 30s-50s, the film is clearly the product of
commercial production. This is evident in its easy to follow narrative structure, the
direct usage of cinematic elements such as lighting or make-up to show a single point,
the stereotypical female who is saved by male protagonists and the horror entity who
is capture in the end. The film screams of horror genre in its form and style. What is
debatable is only its achievement in creating the 'horror condition' whether or not the
film succeeds in creating audience victims. Viewed in the present, it serves shock and
excitement that people are too familiar with today. But in respect to the time and
period of the film, it most definitely created these effects to those who newly
introduced to the images.


Child's Play (1988)
Child's Play was one of the most popular horror films of the 1980s, it became
iconic in its breakthrough usage of a child's plaything as possible horror entity. The
usage of Voodoo dolls has been long established a part of dark magic (which is
common in the horror genre), but this film uses the object of a children's toy found in
real life. The utilization of the 'human-like doll' popular at the time probably created
the horror condition itself. Using an icon that was actually identifiable outside the
cinema gave audiences reason to identify with the horror situation on screen. Such
that, children and even parents became frightened and cautious of these dolls long
after the film finished. It was also probably this film that created the stereotypical
'horror' image of creepy dolls soon to be over-exploited horror films that followed; not
necessarily as the focus of the narrative but in almost every horror film, there will
probably be a possessed doll (the conjuring).
The film creates its horror condition in two ways: the usage of the doll icon (as
discussed) and the usage of common cinematic techniques and narrative formula:
Back Story created in beginning, the serial killer transfers his soul into the
doll.
Usage of dark lighting and flashing lights and loud sounds, Toy Store.
The doll is artistically creepy to begin with.
'Unseen' source of horror: the tv turns on by 'itself', heard by sound.
The sound technique: quite/soft backsounds, loud sfx. For jolting shock effect.
Door handle opens by itself, camera POV shot, we don't who it is when
Chucky runs to the living room.
Suspense created when aunt Maggie goes into the dark kitchen and turns on
the lights.
Victim is 'alone at night', horror condition fulfilled.
Suspense shot, when aunt Maggie goes to check the plants by the window,
building back sound => implying something scary is approaching or behind it.
There is nothing behind the pots, but it is behind her. -> Iconic: If its not
behind the thing covering it, then its behind you.
Usage of mysterious sounds: Chucky's footsteps, breath
Camera POV show information slowly so as to extend suspense: When
showing what's behind the staircase.
Suspense build/horror revealed in steps: Karen finds the batteries in the box
Car scene in dark: audience given only partly lighting/information
Full back story revealed: Chucky's past
Andy 'almost' doesn't get saved, before his mom breaks into the apartment.
Karen trips over the table, falls, Chucky POV jumps at her.
Karen shoots Chucky piece by piece, Horror keeps approaching.

The cinematic effects work into creating the horror effect because a certain aspect
of the narrative has been established: The audience knows something the characters
don't. In this way, the audiences are constantly in suspense an expectation of when
and how Chucky will strike. The audiences practically waits in tension over when the
protagonists will finally discover the truth about Chucky and put an end to this horror
menace.
Child's Play is a strategically produced horror film in that it makes the audience
identify the story with their real lives (by using a real life icon), it uses all the popular
horror shots and attempts to use shock as a factor for scare.


Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Nightmare on Elm Street is a combination of visceral and surreal horror that uses
the aspects of dream and gore. The film associates the brutality of a serial killer and
the inescapable realms of the dream world. Four friends are terrorized in their dreams
by an unknown entity (at first) who seems to know their names. The film becomes
horrific when the characters realize that what they experience in their dreams have
real life consequences. One-by-one they fall into Freddy Krueger's claws until Nancy
decides to confront Freddy and bring him into the real world.
The killing weapon is introduced, only shot of hands making it, setting is
dark, Tina is alone. Horror happens as the film starts as it appears from
behind.
Lighting is used to create suspense and horror condition in film: It is dark and
blue when Tina gets called out of the house.
Tina walks into the dark, alone and secluded
Uses artistics: Freddy's deformed, ugly face
Karen GOES to the dark boiler room in the basement.
Freddy approaches her very slowly in the dark/partial lighting
'Dream/fantasy' theme makes it more horrific. Horror entities are more
'inescapable' when given a supernatural attribute; risk for protagonist is more,
audience who identifies with the protagonist is more terrified.
! Can't runaway from the horror.
Centipede's come out of corpse mouth
Freddy pops out of back
Camera follows Nancy, when she runs back to house
Fantasy: The phone rings even after being plugged out, Blood flows upwards

This film is determinable as a horror film through its narrative and already
established usage of cinematic effects. It shares the same verdict as its successor,
Child's Play. That being said, the film's most contributing factor to its 'horror
condition' is its utilization of the dream fantasy. The horror entity of the film lies in
the surreal and therefore would seem less ominous as compared to Chucky who
operates in the same dimension. But the film succeeds in bringing this entity into the
horrors of reality dues to the specificity of the surreal plane: it is not any random
dimension, rather the dream world; a dimension that every human being must
experience in their sleep. Therefore even if it is surreal, it still falls into relevancy. It is
actually this aspect that makes the film more terrifying than Child's Play; that the
plane in which the horrors takes place is unavoidable and under the horror entity's
control. The film fulfills both the content of horror subjects and hypothesis of the
'horror condition' required for a film to achieve the horror status.


Scream (1996)
Probably is probably one of the most controversial, iconic, and well-known
slasher horror films of its time. As a 'turn of the century' film, it incorporates horror
elements from its predecessors and mixes it with new elements yet to be used in the
21st century. What is controversial about this film is its self-conscious quality; the
film is a horror film that knows it is a horror film. In addition, it takes the qualities of
established horror genre films and parodies it through its characters. Lines like
"There's a formula to it! A very simple formula! Everybody's a suspect" are thrown
casually in the film as if unimportant to the narrative itself. It uses this aspect to twist
a predictable plot into an unpredictable suspense. As an homage to past horror films,
the film itself uses the techniques and elements of the horror genre formula:

Dark lighting in the house in the beginning
Blond Drew Barrymore is alone at home
Audio sfx is chiaroscuro: a play between silence then loud music
! Loud drums, then silence, then doorbell rings. This effect creates
shock.
Horror entity is introduced in the beginning as a psychopath human voice
Play with light and dark: she's asked to turn the off and on the porch lights
Loud sfx: the chair burst in and when Ghostface jumps out the window.
When camera zooms into Casey's hanged body and thunder strikes.
Creepy jolting music even though the scene is daylight and not scary:
Establish shot of the school. Sidney is surprised by her friend who suddenly
enters the side of the frame.
! When Sidney opens the closet door.
! The music seems to be present in every scene such that the scary
atmosphere is created.
The backstory isn't evident in the beginning.
Sidney's father goes out of town: She's alone in the house and it fast forwards
to night.
The killer is 'behind' the protagonist.
Suspense: The killer gets stuck at the door, but Sidney can't use the room
phone. She almost gets caught.
School is evacuated, principal is left alone in the faculty room -> victim
prerequisite.

'Stalking' camera POV, watches Sidney and Tatum from the bushes.
Tatum gets beer, she gets secluded alone in the garage (door locked), that is
dark
The backdoor of the van opens: killer 'behind' the protagonist.
The 'exposed butt' circumstance. Where the protagonist must escape through
an exit that exposes a part of her body at risk to the killer: "Sidney escapes the
van through a small opening on the side of the van.


As we can observe the film created new shots that have become new 'iconic'
horror shots such as the car back rear mirror shot and the stalker POV. Its usage of
audio polarity takes horror audio to another level, in that it comes when the audience
least expects it. In terms of technical creation of condition, Scream adheres to all types
of audiences and spectator motivations.
In terms of content, the film is quite unique. The film uses the fact that the
characters know it's a horror film (and therefore also the audience) to control the pace
of the film. People already expect this to be a horror film so they expect something to
jump out, grab out or appear. So every time the music grows louder or creepy, this is
what they expect. It is this exact expectation that makes the audience create their own
tension and suspense. The audience not only becomes victim to the cinematic effects,
but to the film's narrative. The audience expects the horror entity to pop out or strike
but does not know exactly when, they expect the characters to die but don't know
how. All knowledge created by past horror films that give insight to the audience
about these things are overruled and made irrelevant as the film states these itself:
'rules' of a horror film:
- You can never have sex. "Sex equals death"
- You can never drink or do drugs
- Never in any other circumstance say: "I'll be right back"
Such that when Stu directly says: "I'll be right back" afterwards, we no longer can
predict what will or will not happen to him.
Scream is scary because it is expected to be scary; as an expected horror film, it
escapes from the restrictions of the genre formula that people have accustomed
themselves to. Because of which it succeeds in creating the 'horror condition' and
victimizes its audience.


Dracula (1992)
Following Bram Stoker's classic story of Dracula, Francis Coppola adapts the
literary work into an expressionistic work of film. The film is also a more colorful and
more dramatic adaptation of Murnau's Nosferatu (1922).

The lighting turns dark red when Jonathan Harker reads Dracula's letter.
Dark lighting, sudden selective spotlight on the wolf's head.
Omniscient atmosphere through wolves and fog.
Character travels to the far end of the country and puts himself alone.
The gates closing symbolize the separation of him and the world.
Usage of shadow, Dracula's presence goes over Lucy and Mina
Suspense, Dracula 'shave' Jonathan's neck
The horror is something audiences know but the protagonist doesn't
Shocking insert shot: Mina and Lucy are talking in the garden suddenly it cuts
to Dracula's eyes in the sky with loud sfx.
Intercuts Shaky camera POV in the garden with the ship
Uses horror POV: Camera shot is accompanied with growling sounds
It's horrors lie in the film's usage of animalism, disease, and eroticism mixed
and jumbled uncomfortably together to create vertigo and disgust.
Erotic Dream theme: superimposed shots of Dracula, of his shadow, change
of colors from blue or red
When Dracula comes for Lucy, his POV is flickery and stop motion like. Like
a dream memory.
Lucy's head flies into darkness after being chopped off.
The prison scene where the 'servant' kills himself in filled with green light.

Coppola's version of Dracula is very debatable in the topic of genre and horror.
First, does the film even fall under a category of a genre film? Second, as a film itself
is it a horror filled film?
To the first, I must disagree. The film's narrative structure does not resemble the
common genre structure in which the plot is predictably done in several acts. The
development of plot seems to turn and change with the shift in protagonist focus. We
are introduced to Jonathan Harker who the camera follows and whose narrative voice
dominates off screen. But after Dracula leaves the castle the narrative voice changes
from Dracula to Mina to Professor Van Helsing. It becomes difficult to pin point the
narrative to one particular character. The film also extends beyond the common
resolution of the first protagonist being saved, the antagonist being destroyed and the
girl rescued. Rather the audience is directed to sympathize with Dracula (turning him
into a protagonist) and the girl falls in love with Dracula.
Does the film possess horror content? Yes and no. It does not contain horror
elements that are found in films like Scream or Child's Play. Its usage of artistic
cinematography resemble that of German Expressionism, but do not adhere to the
90's type of horror film. It uses iconic figures of horror such as the vampire, the
werewolf, the deranged patient and the succubus. It brings up the argument similar to
George Melies' short 'horror' feature.
It is hard to conclude the nature of this film in the aspects of horror since its
content and style serves for a different purpose. The usage of Dracula's character
romanticizes the idea of the horror entity to the extent that it is horrific. His presence
does not ascertain horror; to label the film simply so would be to ignore the
relationship horror films possesses with their audiences (that the horror films must
establish condition where horror can be expressed).

Horror films can be seen from two perspectives, their content or their style.
Either the content of the films use the figures, icons and narratives established by
society are 'horrific' or they create a condition where the audience becomes vulnerable
thus a state of horror can be created; a state I refer to as the 'horror condition'. In
some films we find that both elements are present, they use both horrific content and
cinematic style that victimizes the audiences. But in certain films labeled horror, only
one is present; either the film only uses horrific content or style. How then do we
determine whether or not they fall under the horror genre?
In observing the films taken for this study we find that a certain factor determines
whether or not the films can be categorized this way. This factor pertains to the genre
in question. The question of this study is specific to horror as a genre, genre in the
context of commercial films. Therefore what we truly seek are particular factors and
qualities that make the horror genre sell as compared to other genre. In these terms
we specify our question to the category of the 'horror condition'. What techniques
and methods does the film use in order to create horror for its audience? This does
not discriminatively mean that films such as The Shining or Dracula are not horror
films. It only means that they are not horror genre films. They share in the aspects of
horror qualities but do not sell to the audience because of these qualities; rather they
appeal to audiences because of their different approach to horror. We can only then
limit our answer to determining factors of the category of commercial horror, while
completely disregarding the non-commercial films. Otherwise the argument becomes
too ambiguous and will never reach a fixed point.
In determining the factors of the horror genre film, we compared the film's
elements to the genre formula. Comparing with the formula, we can conclude that
the horror films not only have to fulfill the criteria, but also create a condition in the
process. This condition is that where the audience (through the elements) is made
vulnerable to the film such that they too are victimized by the terrifying aspects on
screen and therefore simultaneously create horror. Films such as Scream, Child's Play,
House of wax, Poltergeist and Nightmare of Elm Street fall under this category while The
Shinning and Dracula do not.




""#$ % &'(
()*)+,)- &./0.123)- 4567


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