Wow! That is a pretty in-depth response, thanks!

Yeah that's what I really want to know, what proper horror film fans consider as non-gory psychological stuff...and what gets the biggest 'respect' on the the scene. Do you think a film festival which caters only for good, non-gory films would be successful?

Oh and if anyone wants to enlighten me on the whole 'psychological horror film' genre, it'd be much appreciated. As in, is there actually a sub-genre of horror that covers non-gory films??

Thanks!

"Psychological horror" is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs, and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot. Psychological horror is different from the type of horror found in "splatter films," which derive their effects from gore and violence, and from the sub-genre of horror-of-personality, in which the object of horror does not look like a monstrous other, but rather a normal human being, whose horrific identity is often not revealed until the end of the work. Well-known examples of psychological fiction include The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project. The Others is a more recent example of a psychological horror film.

Psychological horror tends to be subtle compared to traditional horror; typically it plays on archetypal shadow characteristics embodied by the Other. In other words, it creates discomfort in the viewer by exposing common or universal psychological vulnerabilities and fears, most notably the shadowy parts of the self most people repress or deny.

Psychological horror comes from within--it exposes the evil that hides behind normalcy, while splatter fiction focuses on bizarre, alien evil to which the average viewer can't easily relate. Though Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho shocked many people with its blatant gore, much of what made the main character so frightening was how normal he seemed on the outside. Likewise, Hannibal of Silence of the Lambs fame captured moviegoers' fascination because he could disguise his often-blatant evil behind the veneer of gentility.

Carl Jung has argued that our attraction to the uneasiness caused by the Other is an attempt to integrate the "otherness" of the shadow while others believe horror serves only to repress it.

Occasionally - such as in the film Blair Witch Project - the antagonist is never revealed. With no explicitly defined threat presented on screen, the "fear of the unknown" theme becomes central and can be explored fully.




cut & paste stikes again:D

I don't think there's a specific "non-gory" genre, but there are scores of horror movies that are not gory at all. The Changeling, as newb suggested is an awesome Haunted House movie without a single trace of gore.

If you want a more recent movie that is extremely psychological, I suggest you try Frailty, directed by Bill Paxton and staring Paxton and Matthew McConaughey.

Thanks! I got that all from Wikipedia aswell though ;) :D

I want to know what YOU guys think of Psychological Horror as a genre too...no cheating allowed! ;)

I'll let these guys help ya with this one... I like the gory shit.

It´s my favorite horror genre. I can always live without the blood and gore.

It´s ghosts and creepy atmosphere that gives me the kicks in horror movies.

No.
I'd go for the complete opposite with some interesting flicks like Calvaire and Edmond thrown in.
Splatter/gore/extremities get filed under trash for 90% of movie goers. Show them something different that kicks their ass and changes their perception.

The "Psychological" crap gets shoved down everyone's throat 24/7. Everyone's seen it and after all the shitty CSI TV shows who cares?
Festivials are about showing something more offbeat and challenging on the big screen not the "let's join the FBI" flicks are so fucking overdone these days.
Thru the eyes of a pyshco is more effective but that always frowned upon as exploitative (Ted Bundy and The Hillside Strangler were buried but who cares... the true movie lovers find it and make dipshit critics eat their words, I shit you not these two flicks are amazing).

...but whatever there's always room for inovation and motherfuckers are doing it.

Perfect! I may have to quote you guys in all this work! And if I win the award out of it, I'll do the whole crying thing at the podium too! I'm so glad I came on here and did this!

Keep the opinions coming! :)

So if you guys could come up with a specific theme for a new festival, what would it be? What part of horror would it focus upon?

I was thinking of doing it also on Asian horror...but I'd really like to do something quirkier and as you say, more innovative stuff. Something out of the ordinary, but not overly twisted and controversial.

If you´re living in the states, my safest bet would be a blood and gore film-festival. That´s what seems to be IN in your screwy country. Psh! :rolleyes: