By analysing horror movies and recognising the language of fear in the form of imagery and sound I wanted to have the power to predict when the viewer’s anxiety would be heightened and why. Being a horror movie fan I enjoyed watching a variety of slasher, thriller and psychological horror films by directors Hitchcock, De Palma, Craven, Lynch and many more.
By writing short reviews (found in the link Psychoanalysis in horror film) I was able to pin point the height of fear within horror film. I expect to expand my knowledge of horror films and recognise a structure of fear based on the body language of the characters and through sound and other imagery (blood, weapons, darkness, etc)
Within most horror movies from classic to contemporary I recognise the constant power struggle between the dominant male character (usually the villain) and the passive female character (usually the victim), however I haven’t decided to explore these notions further as gender in horror tends to lead to issues of femininity and Freudian theories based on the female as a sexual object. I do not feel that this will enhance the breadth of my research or drive my practice forward, although I recognise that most horror films deal with the notion of regressing the woman and seeing the woman as a threat to the male villian or monster because of her female sexuality thus giving her power.
Evelyn Ankers, the 1940’s established Universal number one horror film heroine starring along side Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi in The Ghost of Frankenstein.
