Dissertation / Thesis / Final Paper Question

[rickfa]

Do the Psychological Techniques Employed by Horror Filmmakers Have a Direct Relation to Societies Fears and Paranoia?

I'd be extremely interested in hearing everyones views on the subject and would of course give full credits and recognition to any opinions used in the final document - as horror fans you are all primary sources of information.

I'm very aware how vague that question might seem so below, please find my contents page which will hopefully make my train of thought clearer to you all.


Introduction
Identification of Subject
Research Methodology
Introduction of Subject

Chapter 1
The Conventions of Horror - A Nightmare on Elm St. vs. Alien
Commonplace Imagery
Enclosed Spaces
The Floating Camera
Concealment
The Story
The Screaming Victim
Subliminal Sexual Imagery
Social Themes

Chapter 2
Early Horror
Global Threat
The Cold War
Post War Paranoia

Chapter 3
Body Horror
Consumer Obsession
The Thing - Cancer/Disease
The Blob - Organic Disease
The Fly - Aids

Chapter 4
Zombies
Origins
Hallmarks
Of The Dead
Social and Political Undertones


I'm particularly interested in hearing peoples opinions about early horror and underlying themes regarding the cold war (The Day the Earth Stood Still) and Post-War (Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

However all views, thoughts and opinions on the question will be more than welcome.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Rick

[urgeok]

no offense but this has been beaten to death already.
there is a ton of information readily available all over the internet that will reflect the same thing you'll hear here, but it'll probably be a little more elequent.

but for a short answer ..

of course.
it's a stupid fucking question when you think of it.
what technique would a horror film director use other than to play on our fears.
otherwise it would be a comedy.
and our fears are 'Societies Fears and Paranoia'.
We are society.

As far as the cold war red scare paranoia theme in the 50's sci-fi horrors ... it's all been said before. What could we possibly add to whats been said countless thousands of times before.

Not to mention that the vast majority of the people on Horror are too young to relate - and probably havent had exposure to these films anyway.

[urgeok]

you posted this in at least 3 different places ...


that will bring the wrath of hell upon you via the other members.

I'll just sit here and watch.

[AUSTIN316426808]

Originally posted by rickfa
Do the Psychological Techniques Employed by Horror Filmmakers Have a Direct Relation to Societies Fears and Paranoia?

I'd be extremely interested in hearing everyones views on the subject and would of course give full credits and recognition to any opinions used in the final document - as horror fans you are all primary sources of information.

I'm very aware how vague that question might seem so below, please find my contents page which will hopefully make my train of thought clearer to you all.


Introduction
Identification of Subject
Research Methodology
Introduction of Subject

Chapter 1
The Conventions of Horror - A Nightmare on Elm St. vs. Alien
Commonplace Imagery
Enclosed Spaces
The Floating Camera
Concealment
The Story
The Screaming Victim
Subliminal Sexual Imagery
Social Themes

Chapter 2
Early Horror
Global Threat
The Cold War
Post War Paranoia

Chapter 3
Body Horror
Consumer Obsession
The Thing - Cancer/Disease
The Blob - Organic Disease
The Fly - Aids

Chapter 4
Zombies
Origins
Hallmarks
Of The Dead
Social and Political Undertones


I'm particularly interested in hearing peoples opinions about early horror and underlying themes regarding the cold war (The Day the Earth Stood Still) and Post-War (Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

However all views, thoughts and opinions on the question will be more than welcome.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Rick

You know you only have to post something one time.
Elf Fucking Newb

[ShankS]

Originally posted by urgeok
no offense but this has been beaten to death already.
there is a ton of information readily available all over the internet that will reflect the same thing you'll hear here, but it'll probably be a little more elequent.

but for a short answer ..

of course.
it's a stupid fucking question when you think of it.
what technique would a horror film director use other than to play on our fears.
otherwise it would be a comedy.
and our fears are 'Societies Fears and Paranoia'.
We are society.

As far as the cold war red scare paranoia theme in the 50's sci-fi horrors ... it's all been said before. What could we possibly add to whats been said countless thousands of times before.

Not to mention that the vast majority of the people on Horror are too young to relate - and probably havent had exposure to these films anyway.


ditto.

[rickfa]

Well first of all I apologise for posting the same message on different boards - I simply didn't know how specific each board is/was frequented by anyone - a simple mistake which can be deleted.

But to be fair it seems that I've stumbled on a group of elitists who are more than happy to sit content and search for definition within eachother to appease themselves.

no offense but this has been beaten to death already.

I have no doubt about that but I'm choosing it as a case study and thats my choice.

it's a stupid fucking question when you think of it.

Thanks - why are you bothering to reply with things like that? I was just asking for peoples thoughts and opinions.

[movieman64]

I am gonna defend ya, although I will catch hell for it. This person is using a resource available on the Internet for research, specifically H.com.

IMHO, every generation has its classic Horror films. What most probably consider, “the classics”, are Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari, Phantom of the Opera, “Lugosi’s” Dracula, James Whale’s Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Etc…etc. These films starred actors who are the Grandfathers/Mothers of Horror. They did, (both the film and actor) what a Horror film is intended to do shock, scare, and frighten it’s viewers. They also allowed people to compare the real/tangible horrors of real life with those imagined in their own psyche. Put a face on these monsters and terrors, in the early stages of film, allowing us all to realize that despite our differences were are very much the same.

These Horrors have evolved as have Society and it’s own Horror’s, invasion’s from space, nuclear holocaust, demonic/apocalyptic reign, serial killings and loss of innocence. Fear is just as strong an emotion as is love, or hate, and a lot more entertaining for me.

So there is my 2 cents.

[chaos731]

I don't care if I "catch hell" for replying seriously to this guy's post...
so here goes.

Personally, I think that not only is there a direct relationship, but that the relationship "swings both ways" so to speak.
The fear of "foreign invaders" (i.e. aliens, Germans) had a direct impact on the genre filmmaking of the late 1940's and early 1950's. The fear of "commies" (i.e. pod people, etc) heavily influenced the genre filmmaking of the late 1950's and early 1960's. WWII, followed by the "cold war", followed by the Korean War, followed by the Cuban Missile Crisis, followed by the early stages of the Vietnam War, followed by the official end of the "flower child" era (as indicated by the Manson Family murders of Tate, Folger, et al), followed by the later years and end of the Vietnam War, etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseum...
Any of these events can be written on paper and picked at random out of a hat, and then directly associated with a film or films that perfectly encapsulates the nature of the widespread fear directly associated with that given event. Obviously, like others here have said, the issue has been beaten pretty severely...but IMHO not quite to death. This is an issue that will never actually die. If it were to die, then genre filmmaking at large would die with it. The goal, I think, is to try to stay one step ahead of those fears...or perhaps one step behind. Nowadays, to purposefully inject "social commentary" or reaction to "current events" into a horror film is not only "frowned upon", but it's looked upon as being (gasp) pretentious and manipulative.
There have been books written, posts posted, theses explored, and discussions aplenty had about this very issue...but only because the issue is always timely...always valid. So, to stand behind the position of "it's been said before" in this case just ain't valid...it's a cop out. People will always look for meaning in their favorite films, books, etc because it's part of human nature to do so. We search for reflections of our fears in the activities we take part in during our "off hours". That helps us deal with our fears.
Anyway, like others have said, "It's been said before"...
But that doesn't mean it's any less true now than it was during the cold war...

I would recommend reading the first half of Stephen King's book "Danse Macabre"...wherein King offers his perspective on this very issue (at length, I might add).
Good luck on your paper, and don't worry about the people who criticize your choice of subject matter. You might not bring anything new to the table in your paper, but you'll at the very least continue the fine tradition of talking about horror films from a relevant-to-society perspective. And that's the point of "horror movie forums", is it not?
Cheers...

[Death By Jell-O]

I Plead The 5th

[urgeok]

i cant wait to see the next question ..


'How does breathing improve the quality of your life ?'


My opinions are my thoughts.
No less valid than the ones of the people who wanted to respond.

thats the thing about forums ,, you just might get honesty back for an answer.

There are less obvious more interesting, origional avenues you could tackle.

I dont know why the other folks thought they would catch hell for answering - more power to them ..

If they feel the subject is fresh enough to interest them, have at 'er.


those were simply my views, thoughts and observations.

[rickfa]

Just a quick note to apologise again for posting on all the other forums - a genuine mistake.

And also to thank the people that have replied - I realise that it's not an original subject but I chosen a subject that I don't have a huge amount of knowledge and one that would be both interesting to read and to write.

The comments so far have been great and will be used as primary research to back up statements and theories -

IMO horror fans are the most devout fans of any film genre - and it's for this reason that i decided to post the question on a forum like this.

Please keep your opinions and comments coming in - they're greatly appreciated.

Rick

[ShankS]

yeah.

[Haphazard]

Why do you guys speak of "catching hell" from other members by replying to an honest to god question/inquiry.

So what if this person is a newb, and may only post this one time.

Reply to who...and with what you wish. Fuck the other members.

This person is looking at horror.com as a primary source for his paper. Regardless of the topic...that should be a compliment. Maybe this person didn't have many topics to choose from or whatever. But they are seemingly working hard on the project.

Good luck with your paper.

I would personally help you out...but I don't know jack squat about horror...:D

[Gren the cake]

think of the effects of Jaws.... i remember watchign a documentary, i dunnow hot iw as, the film maker perhaps, but he said something like he kind of regretted making the film becuz it ended up being a backlash on sharks, people blatantly killing sharks etcetc. when he portrayed them as a nonstop kiling machine when really they r just part of the food chain

are we afraid of piranhas in th same way? well, there have been piranha movies but not nearly anything as big as jaws

how about congo? did people become afraid of monkeys?

:)

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Gren the cake
think of the effects of Jaws.... i remember watchign a documentary, i dunnow hot iw as, the film maker perhaps, but he said something like he kind of regretted making the film becuz it ended up being a backlash on sharks, people blatantly killing sharks etcetc. when he portrayed them as a nonstop kiling machine when really they r just part of the food chain

are we afraid of piranhas in th same way? well, there have been piranha movies but not nearly anything as big as jaws

how about congo? did people become afraid of monkeys?

:)

if not they should be ! they eat their own poop !

now, would you kiss a monkey ?

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Haphazard
Why do you guys speak of "catching hell" from other members by replying to an honest to god question/inquiry.

So what if this person is a newb, and may only post this one time.

Reply to who...and with what you wish. Fuck the other members.

This person is looking at horror.com as a primary source for his paper. Regardless of the topic...that should be a compliment. Maybe this person didn't have many topics to choose from or whatever. But they are seemingly working hard on the project.

Good luck with your paper.

I would personally help you out...but I don't know jack squat about horror...:D

nothing like a fucker pretending he's not a fucker for 5 seconds !!
ahahahaha :)

[Gren the cake]

Originally posted by urgeok
if not they should be ! they eat their own poop !

now, would you kiss a monkey ?

is he hot? brunette? white?? then ok!!! :D lol

o ya, has to have a good size penis too. and big hands.

[Haphazard]

Originally posted by urgeok
nothing like a fucker pretending he's not a fucker for 5 seconds !!
ahahahaha :)

C'mon urge...that took way longer than 5 seconds. Gimme some credit.

Naw...I just thought it was funny how people weren't sure if they should respond or not.

Fuck it...it's not like we're the bloods or crips here!

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/archives/SummitAlbums/erinSummit032002/cw_IAgangsign.jpg

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Haphazard
C'mon urge...that took way longer than 5 seconds. Gimme some credit.

Naw...I just thought it was funny how people weren't sure if they should respond or not.

Fuck it...it's not like we're the bloods or crips here!


yeah i know ...i thought that was weird too ..

my point came from the fact that i was going to answer properly than i thought .. why bother .. the question was so bloody obvious and beaten to death.
5 min worth of research will bring up tons of better informed opinions.

[I_Still_Know!]

Originally posted by urgeok
yeah i know ...i thought that was weird too ..

my point came from the fact that i was going to answer properly than i thought .. why bother .. the question was so bloody obvious and beaten to death.
5 min worth of research will bring up tons of better informed opinions.

Wow.... its not that often that Urg's feathers get ruffled... (no avatar pun intended ) ;)

[rickfa]

Its cool - it's part of the findings - obviously horror films use underlying themes based on socieities fears at the time. The task is putting together a 10,000 word document that proves it.

urgeoks comments will be valid - even if its to just say that horror fans are sicko of silly noob's asking repetitive questions ;)

Please keep the genuine comments etc coming guys...

Rick

[urgeok]

not to much repetative ,, its just so obvious it has no merit.
think about it ...


recently due to the increasing focus on Japanese horror cinema we discussed how horror differed culturally in specific terms ..it was an interesting take.

dont mistake my comment for noob bashing - they werent ..

my point was that the actual question posed was - for me - just too obvious.

and so far you have about 2.5 replies with actual content so that suggests to me that other folks may have felt the same way ..

i dunno ...

[movieman64]

Originally posted by urgeok
not to much repetative ,, its just so obvious it has no merit.
think about it ...


recently due to the increasing focus on Japanese horror cinema we discussed how horror differed culturally in specific terms ..it was an interesting take.

dont mistake my comment for noob bashing - they werent ..

my point was that the actual question posed was - for me - just too obvious.

and so far you have about 2.5 replies with actual content so that suggests to me that other folks may have felt the same way ..

i dunno ...



I respect your opine, but maybe most people are lazy and would rather bash then provide a reply of some substance. If they don't like the thread don't read it.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by movieman64
I respect your opine, but maybe most people are lazy and would rather bash then provide a reply of some substance. If they don't like the thread don't read it.


1) i wasnt bashing

2) if you are too lazy to reply then you obviosly didnt think it was worth it

3) how do you know if you like a thread or not if you havent read it ??!!

[movieman64]

Whoa, settle down cowboy, I was not referring to you, just putting in my 2 cents worth. After reading the original post, I know if the thread is going to be worth reading/responding to, IMHO. I do sift through a lot of flames/bashing on many threads finding little which is relative to the original subject, but hay if that’s what people want to do, so be it. I was just making an observation.

[urgeok]

no problem !


although i do like being called cowboy ..

the old west kind of cowboy .. not the YMCA kind of cowboy.


sort of like a Doc Holliday - without the lethal influenza.

[I_Still_Know!]

Originally posted by movieman64
Whoa, settle down cowboy, I was not referring to you, just putting in my 2 cents worth. After reading the original post, I know if the thread is going to be worth reading/responding to, IMHO. I do sift through a lot of flames/bashing on many threads finding little which is relative to the original subject, but hay if that’s what people want to do, so be it. I was just making an observation.

Topics evolve... it happens!

[newb]

URGE THE COWBOY

http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/village-people/randy.jpg


YEAH...I can see that.

[urgeok]

yippe kai yi yay motherfuckers :)

[rickfa]

I'll say it again - I don't deny to question within itself is obvious - in terms of a yes or no answer - if I could just provide a yes or no answer and get a good grade then I wouldn't have bothered posting the question. Its a little bit more involved than that.

Like i said, formulating a 10,000 word document that is well structured and shows evidence and arguments for the topic is the challenge - not actually answering the question.

Again, i'm thrilled that you've wasted this much time on a topic you think isn't worth answering again because it's already been answered before, but if it bothers you that much why are you still posting on this thread?

[I_Still_Know!]

Originally posted by rickfa
Again, i'm thrilled that you've wasted this much time on a topic you think isn't worth answering again because it's already been answered before, but if it bothers you that much why are you still posting on this thread?

That is why we usually post on a thread. We either agree or disagree with the topic\question.

No offence should be taken.

[urgeok]

i was worried that the folks here had the perception that they would be lame if they replied - and i didnt want anyone to think that. For your benefit and theirs.
and with every reply you post it's apparent that you dont understand what i'm saying so i wasted my efforts in trying to make myself better understood.

apparently reason bounces off you like rain off of turtle wax.
either that or you simply ignore any point i made that doesnt fit your point of view.

i understand a yes or no answer isnt what you were looking for.
i understand the points you listed as guidlines.

my other point clearly stated was that you would get far more and better informed answers with a different kind of research.
Not to take away from the folks that did reply but from what you have here i'd say you have probably 9,950 words to go.

[chaos731]

Originally posted by urgeok

Not to take away from the folks that did reply but from what you have here i'd say you have probably 9,950 words to go.

Aw, c'mon...surely my post was worth an additional three words or so...
:rolleyes:

As everyone knows, one can take just about any subject and, through effective bs'ing and clever verbosity, stretch that sumbitch out to 10,000 words. Just see Roger Ebert for reference.
:D

[urgeok]

or see some of my english reports from highschool ...

[chaos731]

Originally posted by urgeok
or see some of my english reports from highschool ...

And mine, and everyone else's...
that's kind of what I'm saying.
Still, I stand by the opinion that this is a valid and ever-timely subject.

[Haphazard]

Originally posted by chaos731
Aw, c'mon...surely my post was worth an additional three words or so...
:rolleyes:

As everyone knows, one can take just about any subject and, through effective bs'ing and clever verbosity, stretch that sumbitch out to 10,000 words. Just see Roger Ebert for reference.
:D

You said, "sumbitch."


Awesome.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Haphazard
You said, "sumbitch."


Awesome.

and then he spit a 5 pound hock of chewin' tabbacky on the floor :)

[Haphazard]

Originally posted by urgeok
and then he spit a 5 pound hock of chewin' tabbacky on the floor :)

http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~karen/Photo/redneck.jpg

[chaos731]

Originally posted by Haphazard
http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~karen/Photo/redneck.jpg

Jeez, Hap...I didn't know you were bold enough to post pictures of your mom...

:D :D :D

JK

Yeah...I said "sumbitch"...as in "all you sumbitches is dumb, and you sho do talk funny".

:D

Or, "all you sumbitches gots to do is play nice and mebbe Haphazard won't ass rape you".

:D :D

Sorry...waaaay off topic.

[chaos731]

Originally posted by urgeok
and then he spit a 5 pound hock of chewin' tabbacky on the floor :)

And urgeok, it's spelled "chawin' terbacky", you dolt.
:D

Try it...

Chawin' terbacky...

(trippingly off the tongue)

or...

All dem sumbitches done stole my chawin' terbacky...

[urgeok]

i suppose i'm gonna take shit for not living in a rusty old trailer with the confederate flag for blinds .. and not making daily trips to the bingo hall ? :cool:

[Haphazard]

Originally posted by chaos731
Jeez, Hap...I didn't know you were bold enough to post pictures of your mom...

:D :D :D

JK

Yeah...I said "sumbitch"...as in "all you sumbitches is dumb, and you sho do talk funny".

:D

Or, "all you sumbitches gots to do is play nice and mebbe Haphazard won't ass rape you".

:D :D

Sorry...waaaay off topic.

WHOA! WHOA! Where the phuck did all this come from?????

I come in peace...stop picking on me. :(

Anyway, that's not my mama...that's ma sister. She's so purdy. I'm 'onna marry her sumday.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Haphazard
WHOA! WHOA! Where the phuck did all this come from?????

I come in peace...stop picking on me. :(

Anyway, that's not my mama...that's ma sister. She's so purdy. I'm 'onna marry her sumday.


woah !

i'd think twice about the oral sex part of your relationship with that mouth full of rusty meatgrinders ..