Horrors Films I've Recently Watched.

First of all I'd like to say welcome to my horror blog. As I said on my 'About Me' section, this blog will consist all of the work I'll be producing that will count towards my fainl A Level grade. The projects consist of creating a 1 minute horror teaser trailer, a film magazine cover and a movie poster.

To begin the journey, for the past month in Media, we've been studying the horror genre and how it affects mass audiences today.

Films we've previously watched in Media Studies are:

Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu is a classic 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel (for instance, ‘vampire’" became ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘Count Dracula’ became ‘Count Orlok’). The story of Nosferatu is similar to that of Dracula however, in contrast to Dracula, Orlok does not create other vampires, but kills his victims, causing the townfolk to blame the plague, which ravages the city. There are many sexual connotations in Nosferatu, especially when he sets his eyes on Ellen. He’s left bewildered by her beauty and sets on to find her. When he eventually does, he bites her resembling the intimacy and closeness however, he ends up killing her.

Dracula (1998)

Dracula is a 1992 American Gothic horror-romance film directed and co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Dracula was greeted by a generally positive critical reception and was a box office hit. In 1462, Vlad Dracula, a member of the Order of the Dragon, returns from a victory against the Turks to find his wife, Elisabeta, has committed suicide after receiving a false report of his death. Enraged at the notion of his wife being damned for committing suicide, Dracula rebels against his chapel and renounces God, declaring that he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness. However, unlike other Dracula's, his primary motive is not destruction. The use of shadow is very significant in Coppola's Dracula as it's as if his past follows behind him - as if he can't let go. The audience feel some sort of sympathy for Vlad Dracula as we're given a back story.



Psycho (1960)

Psycho is a 1960 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The novel was loosely inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. Psycho was a low-budget, black and white oddity that shocked audiences across the world. Some would say the film was cinematic brilliance; others would say 'the film should've been box office suicide'. Hitchock misleads his audience in Psycho. The term 'psycho strings' evolved from the box office hit and establishes that shometing is truly insane. At the beginning of the film, we meet Marion Crane. The audience are led to believe that she's an innocent character however, as the audience watch on, we discover that she's actually a 'criminal' attempting to escape her past. When she arrives at the Bates Motel, we're introduced to Norman Bates. At first, we're led to believe that he's just a 'mama's boy' who's fixated by taxidermy - he loves to suff animals (particularly birds). As we were led onto the infamous shower scene, this is the first big shock in Psycho. The knife that the killer uses to kill Marion doesn't actually penetrate the skin. It's the Bernard Herrmann's music that pierces the skin and carries out the murder.

                                  The Infamous Shower Scene from Psycho.


Let The Right One In (2008)

Let The Right One is a Swedish romantic horror film directed by Tomas Alfredson. Based on the novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay, the film tells the story of a bullied 12-year-old boy who develops a friendship with a vampire child in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s. The film is based on one boy's struggle with bullies in a Swedish school. As well as this, the roles of Oskar and Eli played on the stereotypes of vampires. The director also plays on the fact that 'monsters' are often invited guests however, 'normal' characters are unable to notice who they're talking to or inviting in.

Case 39 (2009)



Case 39 is a 2009 American horror film directed by Christian Alvart and starring Renée Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, and Ian McShane. Social worker Emily Jenkins is assigned to investigate the family of ten year-old Lilith Sullivan, as her grades have declined and an emotional rift with her parents has emerged. Emily suspects that the parents have been mistreating Lilith, and proposes to her department to take the child away from her parents' custody. Emily's fears are confirmed when Lilith's parents try to kill her by roasting her in the oven at their home. As the audience watch on, we discover that Lily has actually been possessed by a demon and so, her parents believe their only way of surviving is by the killing the body the demon is using. In Case 39, the director has placed the audience in a domestic setting which makes us feel slight unease as our homes are supposed to make us feel safe. Alvart also plays on the innocence of a young child threatened by those around her. Lily is depicted as an innocent young child who just wants to be loved however, there's another side to her.



Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface, the main antagonist. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Although it was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate, its plot is entirely fictional; however the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein. Hooper produced the film for less than $300,000 and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor. Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a "PG" (Parental Guidance) rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it "R" (Restricted; children under 17 require a parent or guardian). The film faced similar difficulties internationally. Within Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the audience are presented with the documentary element. This made it seem like real-life and makes the audience feel uneasy. The audience also acts as voyeurs as it's as if we were following the characters around - as if we were actually present in the scene.

                                   Texas Chainsaw Massacre opening scene.


The one film that struck me the most was Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although we only watched two clips from the movie, the directors decision to record the film as if it were a documentary created a tense and what seemes like a real life atmosphere. The documentary element contributes to the scariness of the movie and it makes the audience feel more related to the movie as it could happen (this was evident when we researched into the life of Ed Gein).


Plot summaries taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/