Need some ideas for my school paper on horror
 

Hi everyone.

We've been assigned a sort of "head" paper at my second year of college. The class is danish and the topic were whatever we wanted.

So naturally, with horror movies taking up most of my spare time, I wanted to do it on horror.

Now, I spoke with my teacher regarding ideas for this kind of paper. My initial thought was to compare a classic horror movie to a modern one.

I was thinking of The Birds vs. something new like The Strangers to show how "the killer" has gone from being zombies/dracula/birds/monsters to people that could have been your neighboor.

What's your thoughts on this? Any other ideas for movies to compare?

Need some ideas for movies to watch?
 

Now, I'm starting to run out of ideas on which horror films to see.

So basicly, I need suggestions.

Movies I like are "The Strangers", "Vacancy", "Shrooms". For some reason, even though most people do not like these movies, I find them to be the most scary.

Anybody got any ideas for movies that are sort of the same?

But thats no true. You could compare 'Psycho' to 'Cloverfield' and say how the killer has gone from being people that could have been your neighboor(sic) to zombies/dracula/birds/monsters..

Or you could compare Birds to Birds 2 and say that the monster are still zombies/dracula/birds/monsters...


How about a study on how 'Torture porn' is a media contruct used to pigeon an already maligned genre.

Or how there is less dogshit in John Waters recent films.

Or why its easy to join a forum online to get ideas rather than think for your self..

I was thinking the same thing...

Compare Nosferatu to Freaks just for fun.

how about the relation to horror films with whats going on socio-economically in the world..

I know it's been said, but, that... isn't true at all.

sigh

Human Monsters have always been present in cinema - And they ALWAYS "could have been your neighbor." Not novel of the 21st Century.

Black Christmas
Peeping Tom
Tenebre
Psycho
Halloween
Alice, Sweet Alice
Etc.

There's no transition here. Human Monsters existed AND Inhuman Monsters existed. There's no transition between the two.

Maybe pick a subgenre of horror and compare it to itself - The progression of the Slasher, for example...

Take the movies above and compare them to Ils, Inside, The Strangers, Halloween (remake), etc.

Or, as Urge mentioned, more relevant would be how horror movies reflect current socioeconomic times. How do horror movies reflect our collective conscious of fear?



What?! THINK FOR YOURSELF?! :eek: Now THAT is a truly horrifying concept. Go talk about that.


WHY is it that n00bs join and just TAKE TAKE TAKE - WHAT'S IN IT FOR US?!?!?!?!?!?!

Thank you very much for an answer instead of a flame.

I was actually not aware, that the horror genre had not changed in this way. I always thought it had.

Anyways, i'll try to look into your suggestions. Thank you :)

Oh, and to that other guy. Thinking for myself does not rule out being inspired by the opinion of others?

We didn't get where we are today by keeping our thoughts to ourselves.

I did an interesting little paper on the evolution of horror movies and the roles of women therein not too long ago. I can pull up a link if you like. I still need to type it out for everyone anyway.

I dunno- I think Staal's instincts were pretty accurate- even if his time frame was a bit off.

Except for a few examples from German silents- M & Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- early horror films WERE pretty much monster based- Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy- all theway up to the 50s. You can find isolated examples here and there- 1931's Maniac, for example, or Freaks. Monster films were certainly the dominant form of horror in this era.

It wasn't until the 1960s, with films like Corman's Poe adaptations (and many other Corman films- like Bucket of Blood) that we start getting human monsters as a dominant force. There's a reason many film historians point to Psycho as the first truly modern horror film.

You want to write this paper accurately, contrast Dracula and Psycho.

To say that modern horror is "based on human monsters" is completely wrong though. Yes there were more films that portrayed that side of horror coming out around the 60's and beyond but what of the Hellraisers, Nightmare on Elm Streets, Candymans, Friday the 13ths, The Thing, Romero's "of the Living Dead" series, and countless other creature/monster/supernatural based horror films that were released after Psycho? Horror trends seem to change from year to year as far as marketability goes and the genre shifts its focus constantly.


If Staal was saying The Birds was the pick for a classic horror how could Psycho be a modern filck?

Well, I said he had his time frame wrong.

I was actually not aware of this. But I must admit that my knowledge of the "older" horror movies is quite limited.

Another thought I had on this paper, was to discuss wether horror films had become more graphic. How this scares people in a new way, and why they have become this way - But am I wrong again?

I mean, it's been a problem for me. I like those lame movies that makes you jump a bunch of times, but for the most part I seem to find most new horror movies that's being showed in Denmark more gory than scary.
(Saw, Hostel, The Signal, Murder Party etc.)

Some of you guys were talking about the socioeconomic situation. But I am not really sure how this effects the horror genre. Could anyone elaborate on this?

My final thought was to, as someone suggested, look into the progression of slashers. But then again - Is there enough to write about here? And which movies would be good for me to look up? As said, my knowledge when it comes to old horror movies is limited at best.

My God.

I just GOOGLED "how horror reflects society" and got:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/oct/31/horror
http://www.jademyst.com/essays/10.html
http://www.siu.edu/~perspect/06_sp/horror.html
http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/

The concept of horror (or art in general) being affected by society (socioeconomic times, strife, etc.) is not really a new one. Plato and Aristotle mused about the concept of "mimesis" wherein art specifically reflected society and nature. Put simply, when society changes, its art changes.


Googled "history of slasher"
http://www.notcoming.com/features/slasherhistory/
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/709/
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/b...sherfilms.html


If you're not comfortable or knowledgeable on the topic (or can't even use Google), then my suggestion is to do something else. Also - Isn't part of the point of research papers is to, uhm, do research?

There is more than plenty. In some ways it grew off of earlier, quieter horror films like the Lodger and more shocking visceral vintage horror like films with Lon Chaney. Look at the sadism and grue shown in the Unknown, the edginess of Freaks. Shocking portraits of twisted humanity. The real change is confronting the audience with direct violence, which reflects a society that can confront people with violence. Yes, the Victorians had police museums, but they didn't have war footage streaming into their living rooms. The things we could look at and are able to see virtually everywhere changed during Vietnam. it was the first war to really be in people's living rooms and one that taught us some gruesome things about ourselves. Romero's cannibal ghouls in Night of the Living Dead and ex hippie Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre reveal the instinctual feeling that love and peace couldn't be omnipotent in America no matter how many people joined hands and sang, dropped acid and rolled in the mud since now we knew that our government didn't care about our protests and that they still couldn't save children from being blown up by landmines and our youth from dying in a godforsaken jungle.

Maybe you could take a directors early work and compare it to some of their later work. Maybe Romero?

why are we doing someone's homework for him/her?

I am sick of people popping onto the site just to pick our (ample) brains and then leave, never to return. How lazy are kids these days that they can't even google to research thier work?

Well, we're not actually writing the paper for him. He's just asking for some ideas. Some people are just not very creative. No harm in admitting it.

In my opinion..the classic horror movies were better directed and the actors were more beleive able..
films like pyscho,hush hush sweet charlotte,the asylum..even the original dracula..films back then had the audience in suspense and kept us glued to the screen because we were never sure how the story line was going to end.
Now they are mainly copycat storylines..especially the slasher movies..
You know where the victim is going to run to..
you know they are going to have their guts torn out and there is going to be alot of blood..
you know where the bad guy is going to be waiting..
you know the guy or gal with the bitching karate..matrix move is going to come out unscathed after each fight and you know they are going to be the only survivor..
Freddie..jason or michael never die so there is bound to be another movie.
because its the younger audiences that are being catered for.
There isnt much originality left.

Honestly, come on? I don't see anyone doing my homework. I'm having trouble picking my subject, and therefore I asked someone who knows about this genre to help me out with some ideas.

If you don't want to help, that's fine. But there's no need to get offended.

Don't worry a lot of people on here like to get on their high horse over shit.

I need a special regulation horse ladder to get on mine. I recommend the Equimaster 6000.

Alright guys. Now, I know I keep bugging you guys, so feel free to not reply to this thread, if you have no intention of giving me valueable advice (Thanks to everyone that already helped me out.)

Now, having googled (yes, googled) the history of slashers, I found this a topic I might go for, as these are the kind of movies I think I could do a decent paper on.

I'm not sure how far I should go back. Halloween 1978 vs some modern one. (Switchblade Romance/All The Boys Love Mandy Lane or something to eloborate on the "the killer is herself" part?) [By the way, just outta curiousity - who introduced this plot twist?]
- Please give me your thoughts on this.

I also considered a suspense-movie like the birds vs some "gory" modern flick. (Hostel? Saw? maybe with references to Murder Set Pieces).
I know there's probably loads of gory pre 80's movies. But isn't it more typical for the modern horror movie?

I like the comparison of an old slasher to a newer movie. Only problem is that a lot of slashers stick to the same theme. A pshycho is on the loose killing all teenagers who drink etc etc. You mention All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and I think that's a great modern(er) movie, because of the gender role reversal and atypical final girl ending. Perhaps if you based your essay on a comparison of what scares us in older movies, compared to the new ones.

I admit I haven't read a whole lot of this thread so I'm sorry if I am repeating things or missing something.

Well, that was my thought. But yes, it is hard to pin down the differences in movies that are all made from the same recipe.

Although, I have to be honest. Im not sure what scared people back then? I mean, being just a kid, I've always been watching the modern flicks. When I looked up Halloween, Friday the 13th etc., I found them not to be scary at all.
- Why they were back then is still a mystery to me.

Not sure what I need to google to figure this one out.

I'm sure its been arounf since the start of cinema but I always think of William Castle when I see it...

Unless they read the book :-)

Seriously though i don't think you can generalise and say the ld stuff was more original. Look at Universal's Dracula/Frankenstein movies - they ran that series into the ground. As much as I love them House of Drac/Frank are complete trash - compare them to the original of each monster film if u think me wrong.

Yah but they're much more entertaining trash than modern trash.

Googled "birth of slasher":

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/S...6/history.html

Psycho's contribution to the birth of the slasher movies lies in its death scenes. Prior to 1960, no major motion picture dared to depict murder in such a blatant fashion as Psycho did. Though there is hardly any blood in the film and no shots of the actual "slashing" (the blade piercing the skin), Psycho's use of sudden, high-pitched musical strokes and brutal murder scenes were the first bold step in the creation of what would become the slasher movie genre.

Start with Psycho and good GOD don't leave out Black Christmas. As groundbreaking as the original Halloween was, it owes all of its success to Black Christmas.

Also, the most recent slasher I've seen is My Bloody Valentine 3D. No joke. It actually was a perfect homage to the 80s slasher film while simultaneously creating one of its own.

For something more serious, the best modern slashers I've seen in recent history were Ils and Inside, both French films. I'd say that they are both essential to wrapping up the topic.

Thank you ChronoGrl.

I have actually never heard of Black Christmas, but I'll get hold of a copy as soon as possible. Regarding Ils and Ilside, I've never been able to track these down. I don't think there's any nordic releases for these. But I should have no problem finding it on a british site

I think i'll go with your idea. Start out with Psycho, try to check out Black Christmas as a "mid stop" before wrapping the paper up with a modern one. I've heard great things about both Ils and Inside, so these might be the way to go.

I just hope I'll be able to pinpoint the differences in these movies and explain the evolution of the genre.

Edit: Just to be sure, this is the Black Christmas you're talking about?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071222/

I'm sure it is........its the original.

Yeppers! That's the one!

Just picked up a copy at my local movie dealer. Hoping I'll like it :)

Black Christmas? Gotta love it, hehe...

ChronoGrl, beware, you did a slight oversimplification of the concept of mimesis...

I was thinking... I agree when you say that horror movies in general have become more graphic... And, though I do think it opens up a huge variety of new ways to scare the audience, I also think more and more writers and directors focus too much on the... Well... Graphic parts, and the result are movies which have a lot of blood and guts, but fail to cause any lasting impression because they lack decent acting, well built mood and so on. Maybe that's something you could use on commenting modern movies, I don't know...

Too true but I was just explaining how milking a francise/concept is nothing new.

If you want to examine the birth of the slasher you also have to take in the influence of the Giallo film in particular Blood and Black Lace.

Robert Louis Stevenson. Before that, Hinduism. Although, in more modern horror, Urban horror basically began in the forties with stories like Smoke Ghost by Fritz Leiber that are about civilization bringing on madness and a heavy focus on the killer inside us. Examples of movies might include the Lodger and Hangover Square.

Quite accurate, Faustus...

I think it would be a nice approach... Even because, if one is willing to do the hard work, it allows some strong psychosocial and/or psychoanalytical theoretical analysis, usin stuff like Das Unglück in der Kultur, by Freud, and some other works that came after that...