Slasher Horror and Emotional Response

• Learning objective:

Develop understanding of, and opinions about, how slasher horror films attempt to manipulate audience emotional response, focusing on Scream and Halloween.

• Literacy objectives:

25 and 26.

DO NOW!• DISCUSS – Do you think the following characters

have hidden emotions or desires?

Frodo Baggins Dracula

Iron Man

The Hulk

Batman (and Robin)

Robin Wood’s Repression Theory

• You have just been exploring examples of Wood’s repression theory.

• Wood believed horror films showed us the repressed evil desires of society (the “beast within”) that are projected as a “monstrous other” (e.g. as Norman Bates and Michael Myers).

• He suggested, therefore, that in horror films the audience are encouraged to identify with the male killer.

• Carol Clover, however, thought that this identification process shifted to the “final girl” at some point in the film (so horror becomes empowering for women).

Scream

• Made in 1996 and directed by Wes Craven.

• Scream arguably re-invented the slasher horror sub-genre, just as Halloween (dir. John Carpenter) did in 1977 (itself inspired by Psycho (dir. Alfred Hitchcock in 1960)).

• It is part of a trilogy, including Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000), each of which also contain various “rules” (e.g. the sequel always has to be bloodier and have a higher body count than the original).

Starter

• Read the script of the opening scene of Scream. We need: Casey, Man and Stage Directions.

• How might the audience’s emotional responses to the scene be manipulated? Annotate key ideas and evidence on the script.

• Tip: Focus on small pieces of evidence (“say a lot about a little”)

Opening of Scream

• What are the similarities and differences of this scene compared to:– Group 1: The script of Scream we have just read?– Group 2: The opening of Halloween?

• Some ideas you might want to consider:– POV shot.– Music.– Location and time.– Use of mask.– Identity of killer.– Inter-textual references.– The victim.– Robin Wood’s repression theory.

Written task

• How might the audience’s emotional responses be manipulated in the opening to Scream? How does this compare to Halloween?

A grade

Bgrade

Cgrade

Dgrade

Halloween - recap

• Discuss:

– Does the film have a moral message about American youth?

– How does Dr Loomis describe Michael?

– Whose perspective is the film told from? Can this be related to Robin Wood’s spectator theory?

– Is Michael’s mask significant?

– What could you say about the use of lighting and sound in the film to create atmosphere?

Opening Scene

1. What micro aspects distinguish it as a slasher horror?

2. Are there any point of view shots from the killer’s perspective?

3. Does it subvert audience expectations? How?

4. What effect does the fact that our “pleasures” are not longer “predictable” have on us as the audience?

Essay Planning

Spectatorship: Popular Film and Emotional Response

“Emotional response to a popular film is dependent on the ways in which we are made to identify with particular characters.” How far has

this been your experience?