Scary Movies
American film-goers often experience connection or empathy with the monster of a film, which can be either a connection of pity or a sense of power gained through acts of masochism turned outwards, but in many cases there is a distinct line drawn between us and the monster we must truly fear. The human monster can show us the potential for evil in all of us, or even show that perhaps we are the monsters, through tropes like good intentions gone wrong or sympathizing with a character pushed too far (Briefel 2005, Koven 2000). Films such as George Romero’s zombie movies have been released as potent allegories for the things society hates and fears, and as a catharsis for painful events in our own history, from the Vietnam and other wars to fears of mindless consumerism. Most importantly, perhaps, is that the evil in American horror is often defeated, at least temporarily, to give the characters surviving a hope for the future or to make a more poignant statement about the way the filmmakers see the world (Bunch 2006, Lowenstein).
Horror films in East Asia based around psychology and dangerous technology have become increasingly popular at the start of the twenty first century. These films often show traditional ghosts and curses adapting and travelling through new technologies like cell phones or video tapes, making the tech as terrifying as the curse itself in years past. Psychological horror, like some of its American counterparts, addresses consumerism and capitalism as corrupting, showing the rich taking part in violence or the vengeance of those wronged by others. The message of these movies differs though, not showing the defeat of evil but intended as a showcase for the loneliness inherent when all people are connected and privileged by wealth and technology, but lacking deeper personal connections and oblivious to the horrors of the real world that still take place around them (Bunch 2006, Hendrix 2004).
Since the innovations that led to the growth of the film industry, movies have been sources of both delight and revulsion, of excitement and fear for viewers around the world. In the later part of the twentieth century, films and television shows specifically made to bring about feelings of fear, shock, and even disgust have seen an increasing market and a devoted fan base (Hendrix 2004, Hentzi 1993).
While our connection to these types of media may be as simple as enjoying the campiness of older films (Hentzi), it may go much deeper than that. Seeing the symbolic representations of a culture’s past trauma can be cathartic, especially when the evil in the film is defeated, and this holds true for the specters of a society’s fears, too, like consumerism or mindless obedience (Lowenstein, Bunch). The paradox of horror shows that experiencing fear that we know is fake can be a rewarding experience, whether it’s because we know it’s fake, we have an interest in the macabre, or simply because we can bond with the rest of the audience- after all, they’re scared too (Briefel, Strohl, Dickson 1998).
-Sonja Johnson
