ipl-logo

Theme Of Violence In Horror Movies

2214 Words9 Pages

Introduction
The theme of violence is a key element that is used in numerous horror films. Since the goal of a horror movie is to evoke the emotion of fear and terror, violence helps deliver this to the audience through visual media. From classic slasher films to modern horror cinema violence has evolved in numerous aspects with the development of technology and changes in society 's norms.But the extent to which violence has increased in horror movies is still debatable. To analyse and identify the growth of violence in horror films this essay will use two famous horror movies from different time periods i.e Psycho (1960) and Saw (2007). Alfred Hitchcock is a renowned director of the 20th century whose movies are admired to this day. Considered an auteur, his adept craftsmanship in movies is reputed for being distinctive and innovative. After all it was Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) that broke former taboos in the depiction of violence in mainstream cinema …show more content…

When the montage of shots in the shower scene are examined frame by frame, we can see that the knife actually penetrates Marion’s body. Hitchcock used a prosthetic to showcase this act and it was very cleverly hidden in the montage sequence of the shower scene.
Therefore we can see that violence was actually vivid to a certain scale even back then. But considering that Psycho was the film that broke many taboos and risked such graphic visual imagery, it is safe to say that the display of violence in mainstream horror movies has increased.

Looking at Psycho and it controversial release, it is evident that the societal norms during that time were a lot more conservative than those of now. Psycho was the movie that broke those norms and opened new doors to violence in movies. Similarly the popularity of Saw brought to society the dramatic dimensions of

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The Race Beat By Gene Roberts And Klibanoff

    1378 Words  | 6 Pages

    These violent incidences evoke certain emotions in the audience reading this book today in addition to those exposed to it back then. Television broadcasts were primarily responsible for displaying public violence and they had a great affect on viewers and ultimately the

    Read More

  • Summary Of Projected Fears By Kendall Phillips

    1630 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the introduction to Kendall Phillips’ book, “Projected Fears,” he discusses “horror films that made such an impression on American culture that they became instantly recognizable and, indeed, redefined the notion of what a horror film is.” (Phillips 3). This list of movies includes many favorites, such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream. Phillips later states his thesis, “...my argument in this book is that these [movies] are the most ‘successful’ and ‘influential’ in American history and that their level of success and influence can be correlated to broader cultural anxieties into which they somehow tapped” (Phillips 3).

    Read More

  • Review Of Fist Stick Knife Gun By: A Personal History Of Violence

    1171 Words  | 5 Pages

    He states “violence has always been around, usually concentrated among the poor. ”(pg23) From his experience of growing up in the ghetto to seeing it now, he argues, popular culture has strongly influenced and supported an ethic of violence. He describes how the different kinds of violence evolved from his childhood to him being an adult. He explains that when he was a kid,when a problem emerged, him and his friends would solve it using their fists and sometimes weapons such as small knives.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In 1950s And 1990s: Roman Holiday And French Kiss

    3780 Words  | 16 Pages

    The concentration is on comparing and finding the changes that history made to this movie genre, especially considering the gender roles. Results will clearly explain the psyche of society in two different periods, which confirms that people reflect the movies as movies have an impact on people. The Introduction It is often said that the element of surprise makes the movie more interesting and leads the plot. There are many masters of storytelling

    Read More

  • Maggie Nelson's 'Great To Watch'

    1829 Words  | 8 Pages

    The American obsession with spectatorship is a phenomenon created by the inaccessibility of timely and relevant knowledge. This oddly leads to an increase in the demand and likeability of terror. In her piece “Great to Watch”, Maggie Nelson explores the origins of this fascination with horror and gives an

    Read More

  • Stephen King Rhetorical Analysis

    579 Words  | 3 Pages

    The build up of emotions may have led to all of the people killing one another. There are various ways to express the variety emotions. Horror films bring out the frightful emotions within everyone. The answer to “how is lynching a lot like horror films today?” is quite simple.

    Read More

  • Sympathy In Frankenstein

    972 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Looking At The Monster: Frankenstein And Film." Critical Inquiry 24.1 (1997): 133. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

    Read More

  • Cultural Influences In The Grudge

    1838 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Cultural Influences in Japanese Horror Film and Its American Remake (A case study of Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) and The Grudge (2004)) Abstract: Hollywood has produced a number of remakes of Asian horror films, especially Japanese horror films. As the remake is embodies the cultural aspects or American point of view, this research is conducted to see the cultural differences between Japanese horror film and its Hollywood’s remake. Using Joseph Champoux 's observational model and David Edelstein’s Hollywood adaptation rules, this research will identify the specific cultural elements in both movies. The result is separated into two subdivision where the cultural aspects of both country is depicted in both films; the clear explanation of the cause of

    Read More

  • Violence In Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    Violence is never the answer, unless it is in literature. The work of Crime and Punishment is one of the greatest examples of how violence moves along the storyline. The scenes of violence in Crime and Punishment contribute to the work because it drives the characters insane, impacts the lives of the characters, and finally it was used as a way for our main character to prove himself as an above-average person. The act of murdering the pawnbroker and her sister caused Raskolnikov’s to spiral into insanity. Soon after the crimes were committed Raskolnikov found it difficult to stay conscious because he experienced multiple fainting spells.

    Read More

  • Psychological Themes In Alfred Hitchcock's Horror Film Psycho

    774 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, film critic, Robin Wood, argues that ‘since Psycho, the Hollywood cinema has implicitly recognised horror as both American and familial’ he then goes on to connect this with Psycho by claiming that it is an “innovative and influential film because it supposedly presents its horror not as the produce of forces outside American society, bit a product of the patriarchal family which is the fundamental institution of American society” he goes on to discuss how our civilisation either represses or oppresses (Skal, 1994). Woods claim then suggests that in Psycho, it is the repressions and tensions within the normal American family which produces the monster, not some alien force which was seen and suggested throughout the 1950 horror films. At the beginning of the 60’s, feminisation was regarded as castration not humanization. In “Psycho” (1960) it is claimed that the film presents conservative “moral lessons about gender roles of that the strong male is healthy and normal and the sensitive male is a disturbed figure who suffers from gener confusion” (Skal, 1994). In this section of this chapter I will look closely at how “Psycho” (1960) has layers of non-hetro-conforming and gender-non conforming themes through the use of Norman Bates whose gender identitiy is portrayed as being somewhere between male and female

    Read More

  • Violence In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1461 Words  | 6 Pages

    Bram Stoker, describes one of the verbal taboos of the Victorian era, violence, through the representation of vampires as “monsters” through the point of view of their victims in his novel Dracula. Stoker portrays violence in three distinct categories- physical, visual and psychological. Each one of these categories is described by one of the antagonists in the Novel, with Count Dracula as the physical aspect of violence, his underlings, the female vampires as the visual and Renfield, the patient at Dr. Seward’s mental asylum, as the psychological aspect of violence. This essay looks at the portrayal of such Categorical violence as different renditions of a “monster” and considers why Stoker would segregate violence in such a manner.

    Read More

  • Insanity In Stephen King's Why We Crave Horror Movies

    1234 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Stephen King’s essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, he discusses his view that everybody is insane but they keep it within themselves and horror movies is what controls their hidden insanity. King gives examples that even daily, people have small episodes of insanity that gets exposed but they still buy tickets to watch horror movies that challenge their hidden insanity. King then digs into the reasons as to why people are willing to buy tickets to watch horror movies. He simply states that people watch them to prove that they can withstand the scare and adds on how horror movies are similar to roller coaster rides: they both give a scare at unexpected places and is aimed for young audiences.

    Read More

  • Funeral Parade Of Roses Analysis

    2104 Words  | 9 Pages

    One of the lengthiest and most obscure debates among cinema fans regards the topic of what is cult, what art-house and what mainstream. Usually, discussions like that do not reach a definite conclusion, however, there are some themes, notions and events that define what is cult, which is the point of interest of this particular list. The filmmakers that shot the films in this list challenged the notions of everything considered normal and even acceptable by society, in terms of politics, culture, history, society, violence and sex. This tactic originated from their non-existent regard for commercial success and resulted in broken taboos, offensive and even blasphemous images, characters, dialogues and themes, and even to a number of hilarious

    Read More

  • Stephan King: Why We Crave Horror Movies

    935 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are multiple people who are intrigue and love horror movies without knowing the reason. In Stephan Kings essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” he does his best to find an answer to the question “why do people crave horror movies?” Throughout his essay he came up with certain key points to answer the question. At the beginning of his essay, he makes a bold statement that “we are all mentally ill.” He motions that people just watch horror movies to portray their fearlessness while suppressing their true emotions.

    Read More

  • Psychoopaths In Film

    802 Words  | 4 Pages

    The concept of psychopaths and sociopaths in Western society and culture is not clearly defined, and covers a great range of character, attitudes and behaviour. This range includes everything from someone who is introverted and not socially adept to mass murderers and cannibals. Characters of psychopaths in early films were often created without a real understanding of psychopathic personalities. They were often portrayed as caricatures, being emotionally unstable, sadistic, sexually compulsive and with an urge to engage in random violence, murders, and destruction. This was often accompanied by bizarre mannerisms, such as giggling, laughing, or facial tics, often creating famous but unreal characters.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Violence In Horror Movies

Open Document