Analysis V:  Horror Films

Stereotypes of horror films are predictable situations or characters that are presented to the audience.  Rituals in horror films are a set of actions that are reoccurring or specific in nature, that serves a purpose to the movie. 

Horror films display both positive and negative heroes.  In many, horror films the catholic priest are looked to as a hero when help is needed in demonic situations. The priest is able to cast out demons and evil spirits returning the home back to normal.  The priest shows bravery, determination, courage and dedication to resolving the problem. This type of hero is displayed in such films as the Exorcist, The Omen, The Exorcist of Emily Rose, The Rite, and The Amityville Horror.  A negative hero would be a leader of cults, vampires, werewolves, and murderers.  These heroes possess the same attributes that a hero portrays but uses them for evil purposes.  This type of hero is displayed in horror films such as:  Sinister, Twilight, Chainsaw Massacre, and Saw.

Popular culture formula is the tendencies of different stories or situation to turn out a certain way based on what it is about.  According to Browne, P. & Browne, R.B. 2005, “In effect, the romance, crime novel, adventure novel, and all others are like western; only the names, characters and atmosphere are different.” 

I think the theory that related to horror films the most was stereotypes and rituals, because these are both present in horror films.  The stereotypes and rituals were the most interesting to learn about from the analysis because once you figured out the stereotypes, you could see more stereotypes being played out in the movies. 

The insights gained from the analyses of horror films are being able to enjoy each film independently, being able to identify how the films are all similar in comparison, heroes are all around us, celebrities are not heroes, and all horror films are the same, only names, characters and sceneries change.

References

Browne, P. & Browne, R.B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture. Madison, WI.