Need some ideas for my school paper on horror

[neverending]

Well, I said he had his time frame wrong.

[Staal]

Originally Posted by Despare

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?

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.

[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by Staal

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 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.

Originally Posted by Staal

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.

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?

[Doc Faustus]

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.

[ferretchucker]

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

[Roderick Usher]

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?

[neverending]

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.

[stubbornforgey]

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.

[Staal]

Originally Posted by Roderick Usher

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?

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.

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by Staal

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.