Horror theory research

I decided to do some theoretical approaches to Horror texts and research theories and theorists of this genre, which i think will be very useful for my product. William Friedkin (director of the exorsist) once said that there are only really three reasons for making movies: to scare people; to make them laugh; or to turn them on. And that means there are only three genres of movie. I agree that these are key emotions of a film and every single film includes at least one of these. Theory 1 The Parasite I am very interested in the work of Michel Serres and found his theories on horror very interesting and useful. The parasite theory looks at social relations as well as communications. An example of this is how supernatural forces in J-horror films often use a medium (e.g water, television static) to invade the human world. Theory 2 Angels Theory In this theory Serres links the past to the present using the idea of the angel-as-messenger. This is another example of the return of something we had left behind (or repressed). He argues that we humans are infact more primitive than we are modern and that these primitive impulses are not far below the surface. Theory 3 Genre Theory Genre theory asks the fundamental question: are genres "out there" in the world, or are they artificially constructed after the fact? Genres can be identified by their themes, or by their iconography. Iconography tends to take precedence. In horror, psychological fears are often more important than the appearance of things. Theory 4 Audience Theory Perhaps more than any other genre, horror texts attract an audience which persues the genre with a passion, almost like a cult following or sub-culture. Given its psychological nature, the reception of horror texts by their audience is of crucial importance. Many film critics actually become critics because of their love for horror and often enthusiasts start their own magazines or websites (for example, http://www.finalgirl.blogspot.com/). Theory 5 The Uncanny This is a very old theory, nearly 100 years, but it still has relevence in modern films. Freud links the uncanny with repressed childhood memories and primitive human experience. "The return of the repressed" can be seen as a theme of many horror films. Theory 6 Disenchantment Sociologist Max Weber refers disenchantment to the devaluation of mysticism (the repression of magic or the supernatural). Weber described modern, secular society (in which scientific understanding is more valued than belief) as disenchanted. In many horror texts, reason/rationality comes under specific attack by paranormal forces. Its the "return of the repressed" aspects of society (primitive experience/beliefs), which leak back into our disenchanted world. This links well to Freuds idea of the uncanny. The return of repressed childhood memories often refers specifically to the experience of disenchantment in childhood - loss of innocence, or buried memories. Things that scare us as adults often scare us as children too! (for example, clowns). Theory 7 Abjection The idea of Abjection origionated in the works of feminist, psychoanalyst and critic Julia Kristeva. First off, to be abject is to be 'cast off' or degraded (the lowest of the low). In critical theory, the term abjection is used to describe the state of marginalised/peripheral groups - those excluded from the mainstream. The abject is that which does not "respect borders, positions and rules". In horror texts, we frequently encounter an abject. This is usually in the form of body horror (this is often what makes us turn from the screen). In the slasher sub-genre the abject is often represented by extreme gore and blood. When in our minds we think that some things in horror are 'just not right' this is often the abject. For example, a precocious child or something that looks wrong when it moves (for example, the girl climbing out of the well in the ring). This theory can be linked to Michel Serres ideas about the parasite and about the angel. Abjection is concerned with borders and the space between, just as parasites and angels are (in michel Serres case, the space between is the medium through which messages pass). The excluded third that Serres also writes about in The parasite could also be described as 'the abject'. In horror texts, the abject is also the repessed thing that returns to cause havoc on the disenchanted, rational world. Theory 8 Purity and Danger The idea of the abject also relates to the anthopologist Mary Douglas' work on purity and danger. Just as many humans have the urge to narrate, they have a need to sort out into catagories: that which is safe/pure and that which is dangerous/impure. Many horror texts are concerned with catagories: Human/Inhuman; Good/evil; Alive/dead etc. Horror texts often use things that fail to fit a catagory: The abject, the undead, the not-human.