"Men, Women and Chainsaws"
One source we used to find out about horror theory was Carol Clover"s: "Men,Women and Chainsaws". In this she talks about many different aspects of horror including killers and victims.
Killers: The book says that killlers usually have problems with their childhood such as Mike Myers in Halloween which relates to us because Amara saw her family killed when she was a child. It also mentions that they may also be sexually disturbed such as Freddie Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street being a child molestor
Terrible Places: Clover says that decaying and haunted mansions are good and terrible not just because of their physical state but the families and stories that gop with it. She also says that often in horror walls that at first seem safe by keeping out the killer are often flipped so that they serve as cages keeping the victim in.
Weapons: Clover straight away states that there are no guns in slasher films. Occasionaly a victim will pick one up but it wont work just as the phone and car engine did. The critic Kaminsky says that this is because weapons which are "personal extensions" ae more favourable to our typical horror film killer.
Victims: It first says that there used to be only one beautiful woman being killed in horror movies. Schoell (an American author) says "the only thing better than one beautiful woman being gruesomely murdered was a whole series of beautiful women being gruesomely murdered". Clover says that victims of slashers are sexual transgressors and the deaths of women are always the deaths that linger on screen.
Final Girl: Clover tells us that in horror the last girl standing is smart, not sexually active and we see her right from the start of the film. She is often resourceful, watchful and quite boyish sometimes by name: Stevie, Marti, Laurie, Stretch, Will, Joey, Max or even Riply.
Another source we used was a book called "Film+Philosophy vol 1 1994" by Wheeler Winston Dixon.
He says that "Women and men in horror films are sites of activity, situations rather than characters". This relates to our OTS because the character that Laura is playing is simply their to die at the start.
Killers: The book says that killlers usually have problems with their childhood such as Mike Myers in Halloween which relates to us because Amara saw her family killed when she was a child. It also mentions that they may also be sexually disturbed such as Freddie Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street being a child molestor
Terrible Places: Clover says that decaying and haunted mansions are good and terrible not just because of their physical state but the families and stories that gop with it. She also says that often in horror walls that at first seem safe by keeping out the killer are often flipped so that they serve as cages keeping the victim in.
Weapons: Clover straight away states that there are no guns in slasher films. Occasionaly a victim will pick one up but it wont work just as the phone and car engine did. The critic Kaminsky says that this is because weapons which are "personal extensions" ae more favourable to our typical horror film killer.
Victims: It first says that there used to be only one beautiful woman being killed in horror movies. Schoell (an American author) says "the only thing better than one beautiful woman being gruesomely murdered was a whole series of beautiful women being gruesomely murdered". Clover says that victims of slashers are sexual transgressors and the deaths of women are always the deaths that linger on screen.
Final Girl: Clover tells us that in horror the last girl standing is smart, not sexually active and we see her right from the start of the film. She is often resourceful, watchful and quite boyish sometimes by name: Stevie, Marti, Laurie, Stretch, Will, Joey, Max or even Riply.
Another source we used was a book called "Film+Philosophy vol 1 1994" by Wheeler Winston Dixon.
He says that "Women and men in horror films are sites of activity, situations rather than characters". This relates to our OTS because the character that Laura is playing is simply their to die at the start.
"Danse Macabre"
Another source of horror theory is Stephen King's book "Danse Macabre".
Stephen King is a horror legend with countless iconic horror novels. Not only has he written Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Cujo, Christine, Children of the Corn, Pet Semetry, IT, Misery and Sometimes They Come Back, he also has written an action novel: The Running Man as well as two of the best film adaptations ever made: Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. However what King really knows is horror and in "Danse Macabre" he talks about his inspirations and what makes horror popular.
He talks about one theory in particular called Apollonian and Dionysian horror. This comes from Greek mythology. In Greek mythology Apollo and Dionysus are both sons of Zeus. Apollo represents reason and logical thinking whilst Dionysus represents chaos, raw instincts and insanity. King states that although he is slightly going into what he calls "academic bullshit" but King says that in order to make horror you have to combine Apollonian and Dionysian methods. This makes the perfect blend. "Without order, there is no insanity"-Stephen King
Stephen King is a horror legend with countless iconic horror novels. Not only has he written Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Cujo, Christine, Children of the Corn, Pet Semetry, IT, Misery and Sometimes They Come Back, he also has written an action novel: The Running Man as well as two of the best film adaptations ever made: Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. However what King really knows is horror and in "Danse Macabre" he talks about his inspirations and what makes horror popular.
He talks about one theory in particular called Apollonian and Dionysian horror. This comes from Greek mythology. In Greek mythology Apollo and Dionysus are both sons of Zeus. Apollo represents reason and logical thinking whilst Dionysus represents chaos, raw instincts and insanity. King states that although he is slightly going into what he calls "academic bullshit" but King says that in order to make horror you have to combine Apollonian and Dionysian methods. This makes the perfect blend. "Without order, there is no insanity"-Stephen King