Horror Film Research Articles

How horror films constructs Blackness: examples of White supremacist media’s enforcement of necropolitics in genre film

ABSTRACT Recently, there has been in uptick in Black horror in the horror genre, such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out, US, or HBO’s Lovecraft Country. Despite the recent growth of Black horror, many horror films continue depend on film technologies that contribute to oppression. The necropolitics of the horror genre is apparent as most horror films fail their Black characterss—often brutalizing or silencing them and using the screen to reify a life of suffering and death. I argue that horror can serve as a visual representation of white supremacist values and creates models of Blackness that perpetuate stereotypes and necropolitical control. The white monster, or the monstrous white, cannot allow the Black body to continue or, at least, not in an untouched state. Thus, recreating controlling images that contribute to viewers’ understanding and perception of the world around them. Using various staples of the horror genre, from the last 30 years, I will show how certain horror technologies function to oppress Black sexuality, survival, and hope by reinscribing suffering in an onscreen, affective, mimesis that is so widespread it has become almost inescapable within the genre.

Addressing Pedagogical Challenges in Teaching Social Justice Issues: Are We Scared Yet?

ABSTRACT While films are popular as teaching tools in social work education, to critique social inequalities, horror films have not been the conventional genre. This teaching note describes the creation and deployment of a course that uses horror films to address social justice issues as part of different critical reflection, which is linked to practice wisdom. The author describes the structure of course, readings, activities, and reflections for expanding the use of this genre and well as limitations. The use of horror films can be a useful and salient tool to engage students to draw upon social constructions of what it means to be fearful or scared, and teach about infractions to human nature from a social work perspective. Broad implications are discussed, including other genres and the availability of resources to replicate this course in other settings.

PENYAMPAIAN RASA TAKUT DALAM FILM HOROR QODRAT KARYA CHARLES GOZALI

The growth in popularity of horror films can be seen from the high number of horror films produced and their success at the box office. One example of a famous horror film is Qodrat, directed by Charles Gozali, which was released in October 2022. Qodrat is a horror genre film that combines action and religion with a duration of 102 minutes where Vino G. Bastian plays the main character in this film as a Qodrat chaplain. The aim of this research is to find out every scene that shows fear in the horror film Qodrat by Charles Gozali and to draw conclusions from the film about what are the signs and signifieds through semiotic analysis. This research uses a qualitative approach with Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic analysis method. In this theory, semiotics is divided into two parts, namely the signifier and the signified. This research was carried out by observing signs in several scenes, including the scenes at minute 35:30 and minute 1:05:39 which contain fear in the film Qodrat. Observations were made by watching films via the application streaming platform and taking screen captures of scenes that were deemed to contain markers and signs. The results of this research show that from the two Hude theories and Aditya's theory, differences can be seen where Hude expresses fear that occurs in changes in behavior, whereas according to Aditya the cause of fear can occur because of fear related to places, for example fear of the dark (achluphobia).

The Settler Supernatural: Contemporary Taiwanese Popular Culture, the Environment, and the Nativisation of Han Taiwanese Legends

Abstract This article examines how Han Taiwanese myths and urban legends have been associated with the environment and native fauna in the best-selling popular non-fiction publication Monstrous Taiwan and the hit horror film The Tag-Along. This article also looks at how these works can be considered within the framework of settler colonial studies in East Asia. Both works are interested in intervening in popular culture and genre cinema while reframing the horror or supernatural genre as particularly Taiwanese, drawing on urban legends and traditional folk tales. However, the creators of these works persistently characterise Han Taiwanese legends as interchangeable with the native fauna of Taiwan. This move positions Han Taiwanese as inheritors of the natural environment of Taiwan while minimising or, in some cases, tokenising the presence of indigenous Taiwanese people.

Female Monstrosity, Body and The Exorcist (1973)

The present paper attempts to analyse the phenomenon of horror in relation to the female body. The study underscores the ubiquity of representations of female villainy seen across various cultures to understand how monstrosity is constructed and perceived. The study suggests that cultural manifestations of monstrosity often represent the fears, anxieties, and repressions regarding the female or the feminine. It argues that the female body perpetually exists in otherness. The study investigates the primary function of horror in order to call attention to the gendered channel of horror which necessitates the subjugation or brutalization of female characters in horror cinema. Furthermore, the paper also looks at the social implications of portraying recurring female ghosts in media and discusses the relationship between the male and female characters in horror. Alongside elaborating on female identity and its relation to horror, the paper analyses the condition of horror and monstrosity in the cult-classic film, The Exorcist. Deviating from its commonly studied elements, this research strives to identify and deconstruct how the film achieves monstrosity through the body of the female victim.

Representasi Pelecehan Seksual Dalam Konsep Film Horor Religi Pada Film Qorin (2022)

The development of horror films in Indonesia continues to demonstrate innovation over time. One significant example is the film "Qorin" (2022), which introduces Islamic nuances with its storyline about mischievous jinn resembling humans. This research employs a qualitative approach to depict the social phenomena presented in the film, focusing on the levels of reality, representation, and ideology within scenes of harassment. Data collection methods involve observation, literature review, and documentation. The analysis, using John Fiske's semiotics, reveals reflective representations in the depiction of symbols conveying meaning. Horror films, including "Qorin," often depict supernatural elements, death, or mental illness, with antagonistic characters representing evil. With a duration of 109 minutes, "Qorin" provides audiences with an opportunity to comprehend that sexual harassment can occur in various situations and to anyone. Through this film, society is made aware of the diverse forms of sexual harassment, which may not have been recognized previously. Thus, horror films like "Qorin" serve not only as entertainment but also as a means to convey important social messages.

The New Final Girl Shares Her Trauma

Kyle Green and Kelsey Berry on the real fears behind scary movies.

Hybrid Recommendation Algorithm based on Product Popularity and User Preference

In today's society, recommendation system is widely used to recommend users' preferred products and content. However, with the rapid development of the Internet, there are more and more contents on the Internet, and the algorithm complexity of recommending products to users through the recommendation system is getting higher and higher, and the recommendation algorithm is also more and more inclined to recommend popular products to users, which also leads to the decline in the novelty and diversity of the recommendation algorithm. In order to solve this problem, the study first adopts the method of inhibiting the recommendation ability of current popular products, and on this basis, introduces the influence of user rating on the recommendation ability of different products. At the same time, the product is classified, take the movie for example, can be classified as action film, comedy, children's film and so on. There is a very high probability that an adult will not like children's films, and a very high probability that a child will not like horror films. Impose a penalty on a product category that the user may not like, reducing the likelihood that the product will be recommended to the user. The proposed algorithm is compared with other excellent algorithms in this field on MovieLens movie score dataset, and the results of the experiments showed that the algorithm improved in accuracy, diversity, and novelty.

The Use of Religious Identity in the Narrative of "Qorin" (2022): A Study of New Historicism

Qorin (2022) is one of the contemporary Indonesian horror films that incorporates Islamic religious elements as a theme in its narrative. This research aims to examine the use of religious identity both audio and visual in the narratives of contemporary horror films in Indonesia. The research method used is qualitative description with content analysis. The theory used to examine the film is the theory of New Historicism. Through this theory, the film Qorin (2022) will be examined based on 2 things: the interdiscursivity of the film text with texts outside the film and the world or meaning to be depicted in the film. The conclusion of this research shows that the movie Qorin provides an overview of the socio-cultural conditions that occur in Indonesia through religious identity. This can be seen especially in the relationship between religious leaders and their followers.

Lure of Jordan Peele’s Get Out!

What does it take to make a horror movie a household hit? Get Out, a debut film from acclaimed writer-director Jordan Peele, is a cultural behemoth—winner of 152 industry awards—that tackles the trauma that black people face within the horror genre and beyond the screen. This paper explores what it is about Get Out that shook the very foundations of the horror genre to its core, and why this movie is still relevant today. It considers the argument that Get Out became a cultural hit because it mirrors the reality of many black and brown people, and critiques the idea that—in exposing the horrors of racism—the movie is doing anything new. It closes by arguing that the central character Chris’ survival is one of the strongest reasons why Get Out performed as well as it did and completely dominated conversations around social commentary and its place in the horror genre.

The Effectiveness of Typeface on Masthead Design: Malay Horror Movie Poster

A well-designed typeface will have qualities that are consistent throughout the masthead design. We have been revealed with many film posters in this world. Despite a century of horror film production and entertainment, little study has looked at why people watch horror films and how it affects their behaviour, memory, and emotions. The paper considers a typeface usage on masthead design for Malay horror movie posters as one of the main keys for a good quality of horror movie posters. There are various of Malaysian horror movie posters that failed to visualize the elements to draw the emotions of the audience. Most of the failed element usage are typography usage. One of the reasons the issues arose was that our designers lacked understanding of the significance of using typography itself. Therefore, the main key for this research is to study the effectiveness and significances of typeface usage on masthead design for Malaysian movie posters. This paper will discuss on the elements of the masthead design which is Typography usage on Malaysian horror movie posters.

Wireless-based portable device heart rate measurement as biomedical devices for stress detection

Stress can increase the heart rate, causing dangerous conditions that cause significant harm and even death. Therefore, managing stress well to control the heart rate is vital. Monitoring stress levels using biomedical devices is essential to prevent further damage to the individual. Regular monitoring facilitates the acquisition of individual stress levels through heart rate information. In this research, a MAX30100 sensor can produce Beats Per Minute (BPM) data, which show the stress experienced by a person during four daily activities (sitting, walking, running, and sleeping) and when watching a horror movie. This research underscores the potential of cost-effective wireless solutions to increase portability and facilitate real-time monitoring and remote surveillance. The researchers introduced an innovative methodology by reusing everyday consumer devices, initially intended for routine activities, to measure stress levels in a unique context—precisely in a controlled experiment involving a movie-watching scenario. The ultimate achievement of this research was creating a stationary heart rate monitoring device that is easy to access, easy to use, space-saving, and adept at effectively tracking stress indicators. BPM readings obtained from the MAX30100 sensor have scores similar to those obtained from the heart rate app. The researchers proposed the inclusion of other sensors, such as a photoplethysmograph, an electrocardiogram, and galvanic skin response, to provide a more holistic assessment of stress. Leveraging cloud technology for data storage enables long-term monitoring and in-depth analysis of stress patterns over time.

1973 and the American horror film: Political futurity in The Exorcist and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

1973 and the American horror film: Political futurity in The Exorcist and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Acid flashbacks: The psychedelic horror film post-1979

Acid flashbacks: The psychedelic horror film post-1979

Resistance, Conformity, and Negotiation to Socio-cultural Anxieties: A Semiotic Reading of Female Aswang Characters in Selected Philippine Horror Films

The Philippines has a rich tradition of folklore, often portrayed in horror films to reflect cultural anxieties and hegemonic ideologies to circumvent political censorship. Among the most popular horror genres in the country is Aswang. This study examines the depictions of female Aswang in Aswang (2011), Corazon ang Unang Aswang (2012), and Maria Labo (2015) through Barthesian Semiology. Female aswang characters and their narrative exposition were analyzed on a micro, meso, and macro level. In the micro level, the Filipina aswang as a cultural reject tries to resist male chauvinism through her transformation towards her true nature, gaining control over her life, and divergence from the societal norms. On the other hand, she is represented in aswang films as someone who is being boxed with societal prescriptions, depicted as the weaker one, and is governed by her emotion. The meso level discusses how the female aswang is viewed in the context of her community, and how the latter affects her perception of herself and her decisions in life. The three films underscore the expectation on women to be domesticated, and the lead characters portrayed how women respond to these societal standards. Additionally, the macro level investigated how female aswang characters are discursively positioned in relation to socio-cultural struggles in the past and present to uncover their hegemonic constructs on poverty, injustices, mental health, and historical distortion. Keywords: Aswang, horror films, Philippine folklore, semiotics, socio-cultural anxieties.

INTEPRETASI TRADISI ADAT JAWA RUWATAN DALAM FILM PRIMBON KARYA RUDI SOEDJARWO

The increasingly rapid growth of the Indonesian film industry has experienced big leaps to date with many themes and film genre variants emerging for entertainment and conveying messages to its target audience. One of the films that always has a special audience and its own audience is films with the horror genre, and the horror film genre in Indonesian films has experienced a lot of rapid progress apart from the cinematography, setting, and content and stories from discussing religion and myths circulating in the world. society and currently there are more and more horror films highlighting Indonesian culture which is indeed diverse and interesting to discuss in a film's narrative. The aim of this research is to describe the interpretation of 'Ruwatan' from the horror film PRIMBON by director Rudi Soedjarwo. This qualitative research uses content analysis and historical analysis regarding the exact role of 'Ruwatan' in this film which has a big impact on Javanese culture in Indonesia. with the results of the analysis that the film 'Primbon' succeeded in introducing the ruwatan procession as a Javanese culture and custom that is very essential and cannot be replaced, because it is used as an important procession in salvation to eliminate disasters, a wider audience can understand this with the media films and film directors do not need to change the narrative or context to a more cinematic one, the actual procession can be shown as it is. Culture and customs are very relevant as narratives in films not only because of trends or market accommodation but for the broader purpose of introducing culture and customs by using film as a mass medium that can reach a wider audience.

Consumption of Psychological Horror is Associated With Reduced Stigmatization of Mental Illness

Abstract: Pervasive reactions toward mental illness include dehumanization and stigma. Given the portrayal of such disorders as threatening in psychological horror films, consumption of this subgenre of horror could be associated with pronounced stigmatization of mental illness through dehumanization. We report results of an online survey of U.S. undergraduates ( N = 202) who indicated how frequently they consumed various subgenres of horror films, in addition to their tendencies to dehumanize and stigmatize those experiencing mental illnesses. Only psychological horror consumption was associated with these ascriptions. However, and contrary to predictions, greater psychological horror consumption was associated with less stigmatization and dehumanization of mental illness. We provided updated empirical findings and theoretical conceptualizations to provide context for these unexpected findings and discuss the broader potential benefits of the horror genre in reducing stigmatization.

Features of translation of English-language horror filmonyms into Russian and German

The subject of the research of the article is the general features and specific features of the translation of horror discourse filmonyms from English into Russian and German. The object of the study is the original English-language and translated Russian- and German-language filmonyms of horror discourse. In our work, we will be interested in strategies and techniques for translating English-language horror discourse filmonyms, since the horror film genre is one of the most popular at the moment, and a large number of films are being released in English. When translating movie titles, a translator faces a number of difficulties and must solve them by choosing a translation technique and strategy. Often, the translation of a filmonym is accompanied by a shift in its leading function, or a change in the type of filmonym according to the peculiarities of its perception by the viewer. The work uses the continuous sampling method, comparative linguistic analysis of parallel filmonyms, as well as quantitative data processing methods. The research material was a sample including 150 original English-language horror-discourse filmonyms and their translation options into Russian and German. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the features of the translation of film names are studied in a comparative aspect using the example of Russian- and German-language horror discourse based on the material of the titles of films released over the past two decades. A methodology is being developed for a comparative study of the features of translating film names into different languages. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the domestication strategy of filmonyms is high-frequency; for German-language translated filmonyms, the use of a forenization strategy is much more typical. A feature of the German film distribution is the high frequency of combining two translation strategies, when the first forenized part of the filmonym is combined with domestication in the second part of the movie title after the dash sign. Due to the fact that German translated film names undergo less transformations, they are less characterized by a functional shift compared to translated film names in the Russian film distribution. When translated into Russian, preference is given to tonal-type filmonyms, which corresponds to the peculiarities of the horror genre.

Towards a planetary coalition (a Preamble)

When ‘megafires’ and ‘superstorms’ proliferate, who is the real sovereign of the Anthropocene: anthropos, or nature become monstrous? In the Teracene (‘tera’ meaning ‘monster’), I argue that sovereignty should mean the right to refuse that which turns our existential situation into a horror film, in order to defend what preserves life’s endangered conditions of possibility. To build this right, I first need to deconstruct the concept of sovereignty and to reveal its groundlessness. Acknowledging this groundlessness, I propose an ‘ecopolitics without guarantees’ in which the otherness at the core of possible new Constitutions would not engender an alternative sovereign subject (a subject that would just replace anthropos or the ruling class), but rather an unconditional requirement and the rights that it legitimates. I explain that this unconditional requirement concerns the necessity of caring not only for future generations but also for past ones. I finish my article with a political fiction: the outline of a Preamble for a Constitution able to give voice to the damned of the Teracene. To acknowledge the existence of those suffering from the ongoing exploitation and colonization of the Earth and of those who wither from a future erased in advance, this speculative Preamble is centered not around the present but around the heteronomous, divergent temporality of that which never existed enough and that which threatens to fall out of existence entirely.

The Effects of Color Grading on Audience Experience in the Context of Horror Movies.

Color grading is a fundamental aspect of horror filmmaking that can significantly impact the emotional experience of the viewer. Color grading used in Horror films is to create a specific mood of fear or atmosphere that enhances the feeling of fear and unease in the viewer. This Research explores the use of color grading in horror films, examining the various techniques and strategies employed by filmmakers to create a terrifying visual experience. The research will also investigate the psychological impact of color in horror films, exploring how specific color palettes can elicit emotional responses from the viewer. This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of how color can be used as a tool to create a visceral, emotional response in the audience.