Halloween horror film screening
An installation room was set up on Halloween for participants to watch horror movies while their reaction was captured via a video camera. The significance of the audience reaction to horror films was fundamental because it allowed me to pin point the scene and the cause of anxiety.
I wanted to investigate how a group of people reacted to horror movies.
Was the tension and suspense infectious?
When did the group jump in fear?
When did the group cover their face in disgust?
I sat amongst the audience which enabled me to witness the reaction of the audience first hand. I felt that this screening had made an important connection with other students that had a passion for horror movies. Further ideas for screenings were discussed and many students would like to collaborate and screen their own horror films and video pieces in the near future.
The scene below captured a moment in the audience reaction when a graphic and violent scene from Hellraiser was shown. The notion of being caught up in a film and completely immersed is explored by film critic Slavoj Zizek. The Perverts Guide to Cinema:The difference between the symbolic and reality. Cinema explores the symbolic that bursts through realities and produces reassuring fantasies. It also examines the construction of the symbolic realities and the breaking of those realities.
Slavoj Zizek comments: "Cinema doesn’t give you what you desire; it tells you what to desire." Desire is a wound of reality. Our fantasies and dreams are projected on to the screen by characters in the story. The paradox of belief in cinema and the story can be powerful and the viewer should take a step back and let themselves be emotionally effected by the moving images and sound."
