“Fear is the most powerful emotion in the human race and fear of the
unknown is probably the most ancient. You are dealing with stuff
everybody has felt…If you are making a horror film, you get to play
with the audiences feelings.”
John Carpenter
Horror movies originate from fictional work that portrays the dark side of life with the primary aim of frightening and terrifying its audience. By presenting horrifying images, of several incorporating sub-genres and repeated themes, such as vampires and werewolves, demonic possessions, evil children, cannibals and zombies, alien invasion and mindcontrol, film makers like John Carpenter create a world where the worst nightmares become true. According to the adolescents who are providing the genre’s target group, monster movies always deal with the irresistible temptation of the unknown and forbidden, and therefore shock with a horrific impact of terrifying elements. (...)
Since horror and monster movies stand for an important part of the American film industry and with it of its popular culture throughout the last eight decades, it is useful to look at the development of the horror genre in its historical and cultural context, and thus to focus again on the question of interpretive perspective. As horror movies, despite all obscurity, still deal with real fears of a society or the urge to break with social conventions, concentrating on the change of themes, styles and characters of the genre, means to learn more about the American collective consciousness and what was bothering a whole society during the 20th century.
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Compares Walter Evans’s and Stephen King’s explanations of horror’s appeal
- Examines classic monster films including Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman
- 11 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
„Horror movies as a part of American Popular Culture“
Inhaltsverzeichnis:
1. Introduction
2. The History of the Horror Genre
2.1. Horror of the 1930s and 1940s:
2.2. Horror of the 1950s and 1960s:
2.3. Horror of the 1970s and 1980s:
2.4. Horror of the 1990s:
3. The Affection for Horror Movies
3.1. Monster Movies: A Sexual Theory (Essay by Walter Evans)
3.2. Why We Crave Horror Movies (Essay by Stephen King)
4. Conclusion – Horror as the Maligned Genre
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the development of horror movies as part of American popular culture, asking how the genre reflects its historical and social context, why audiences are attracted to it, and whether its violence poses a danger to viewers.
- The historical development of horror movies from the 1930s through the 1990s
- Connections between screen monsters and social, political and technological anxieties
- The influence of science fiction, psychological horror and slasher films
- Walter Evans’s account of adolescence and monster movies
- Stephen King’s explanation of the appeal of horror
- Debates about screen violence and its effects on audiences
Excerpt from the Book
2.2. Horror of the 1950s and 1960s:
Contrary to the gothic-oriented monster movies of the earlier decades, the horror genre of the 1950s and 1960s rather turns toward the modern, dealing primarily with concerns about the speed and motives of scientific changes, especially regarding the threat of nuclear weapon. In particular, the 1950s were defined by the anxiety and paranoia of the Cold War and the fear of communism in general. Beside the Red Scare coming rather from the outside, political activists with anarchic beliefs allegedly established the menace of disrupting the social order. Furthermore, the UFO sighting that had already begun in the late 1940s turned into a rush, so the existence of extraterrestrial life outside the planet Earth provided a main subject for further disaster movies. Therefore, the horror genre stood in a strong connection with science fiction at that time, called post-war science fiction. These stories frequently have a prophetic nature, foreshadowing how technological advances may affect society, whose future is often presented dehumanized, post-apocalyptic and therefore dystopian.
Alien invasion and mind-controlling Martians as in Invaders The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) or Invaders from Mars (1953), deadly mutations of people and insects such as giant ants, monstrous tarantulas and hairy beasts, mostly creatures distorted by nuclear holocaust representing the anxiety towards scientific failure, appeared on the screen (Godzilla, 1954).
During the 1960s science fiction turned even darker and was joined by non-supernatural but socio-political and psychological horror. Apparently, Alfred Hitchcock had his most successful time presenting Psycho in 1960 which confronted the viewing public with mental terror by paying much attention to exact details according to the people’s psyche. Additionally, Stephen King started his career by leaving “prehistoric creatures” wandering around at night time behind and rather reflecting the people’s worst fears of everyday-life. That is the reason why King’s stories take place in “vulnerable Western institutions” such as schools, communities, families and relationships what makes it a lot easier for the audience to identify directly with the characters’ dreads on screen. In other words, that darkly imagined world of the 1950s and 1960s provides a powerful record of the political and technical change and its resulting anxieties.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction defines the subject and poses questions about horror’s history, cultural significance, appeal and possible effects on viewers. It outlines a historical overview and a discussion of two essays.
2. The History of the Horror Genre: This chapter traces changing themes, characters and styles from the 1930s to the 1990s, relating films to their historical and cultural contexts.
3. The Affection for Horror Movies: The chapter discusses Walter Evans’s interpretation of monster movies in relation to adolescent development and Stephen King’s account of why people enjoy horror.
4. Conclusion – Horror as the Maligned Genre: The conclusion considers arguments about screen violence, censorship and the possible influence of horror on audiences, before presenting the author’s position.
Keywords
horror movies, American popular culture, monster movies, film history, social anxiety, science fiction, adolescence, Walter Evans, Stephen King, screen violence, audience appeal, censorship
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this paper about?
It examines horror movies as a part of American popular culture, considering their history, audience appeal and perceived social effects.
What are its central themes?
Its themes include the development of the horror genre, the relationship between films and social anxieties, theories of audience attraction and debates about screen violence.
What is the paper’s primary question?
The paper asks how horror movies developed and relate to American society, why people are drawn to them and whether they may harm viewers.
What research method does the author use?
The paper presents a historical overview of films and discusses published interpretations by Walter Evans and Stephen King. It does not describe an original survey or experiment.
What does the main body cover?
It traces horror films from the 1930s through the 1990s and examines two explanations of the genre’s appeal.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Horror movies, American popular culture, monster movies, social anxiety, adolescence, screen violence and audience appeal are among its central keywords.
How does Walter Evans connect monster movies with adolescence?
The paper discusses Evans’s comparison between monstrous transformation and the physical and psychological changes associated with adolescence.
How does Stephen King explain the enjoyment of horror?
As presented in the paper, King considers motives including demonstrating courage, reaffirming normality and enjoying a distinctive form of entertainment.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Rehberg (Author), 2004, Horror movies as a part of American Popculture, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/70912
