Help with some sources for film studies essay

[skifer]

Hey guys nice site you have here just found it,

I need some help answering my own question which is;

To what extent has the horror genre evolved in terms of fetishising violence to reflect socio-cultural and political anxieties?

I just need a book and a magazine article that reflects the question I'm having difficulty finding resources.

Thank you so much if you can help me you could save me alot of time

[ferretchucker]

I would help you if I could, but I'm afraid I can't.

And why must you film studies students always come here with your questions? I mean, at least this one isn't the typical "How are women portrayed in horror?" question, but what ever happened to doing your own work?

[Ferox13]

To what extent has the horror genre evolved in terms of fetishising violence to reflect socio-cultural and political anxieties?

I'm not really sure it has. Its mostly done for exploitation reasons - HG Lewis pretty much kick started the 'gore movie' and did so for economic reasons (the nudie cuties just weren't making the cash).

Salo definally has a politcal agenda.

I suppose It could be argued that Hostel is comment on the decadence of the west and how anything can become a commodity.

[Elvis_Christ]

You should watch the documentary American Nightmare it covers the socio-cultural anxieties post-Vietnam a little.

It's a really poorly worded question IMO because the fetishising of violence hasn't really been used in that way. I guess you could grasp at straws and prove it somehow. Plenty of examples of horror reflecting socities flaws/anxieties (Romero's work for example) but I doesn't have anything to do with fetishising violence.

[scouse mac]

Dawn of the Dead, American Psycho, Eden Lake are films I reckon you should be looking at for starters. As for literary sources, I havent really got too much of a clue Im afraid.

[Ferox13]

You should watch the documentary American Nightmare it covers the socio-cultural anxieties post-Vietnam a little.


And many 50's Sci-Fi the social anxieties of living with a Nuclear armed world.

But again - as Elvis says nothing to do with the fetishising violence.

The Giallo genre definall has a fetishtic approach (very stylised with many conventions) but (though I'm no expert on the subgenre) I don't see much social commentry in them..

[Elvis_Christ]

I guess by "fetishising" violence they are meaning the visceral thrills/impact of the violence in the films (perhaps?) and how it's stylised to have a disired effect to further illustrate the desired effect.

[skifer]

Hmmmm thanks for the input and help guys maybe you could help me re word the question. I'm finding it hard to write a question for myself concerning the horror genre or maybe could anyone help me out asking myself something else to write a essay on.

[Ferox13]

Still along your original lines - and what ppl here have already mentioned - something about how social/cultural/political issues have influenced the horrow genre.....

[itsneverover]

Still along your original lines - and what ppl here have already mentioned - something about how social/cultural/political issues have influenced the horrow genre.....

Sorry reading the political in this, I think of the (newer) Hills Have Eyes 2 which sucked but wasn't it about soldiers training for Iraq?

[Zero]

Amazon's top sellers in books about horror films:

1.
Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture by Kendall R. Phillips (Paperback - Sept. 29, 2008)

2.
The New Horror Handbook by A S Berman (Paperback - July 11, 2009)

3.
Horror Film Reader (Softcover) (Limelight) by Alain Silver (Paperback - Aug. 1, 2004)

4.
The Horror Film: An Introduction (New Approaches to Film Genre) by Rick Worland (Paperback - Nov. 6, 2006)

5.
Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies by Aaron Christensen, Brett Harrison, and Tom Savini (Paperback - Aug. 31, 2007)


6.
The Horror Film by Peter Hutchings (Paperback - July 1, 2004)