Author Archives: jseewagen

In Harry M. Benshoff’s article, “The Monster and the Homosexual”, he looks at how homosexuality is often considered to be a monstrous condition. He talks about real life horrors, like the AIDS crisis, which further reinforced people viewing gays as monsters spreading death.He explains that when depicted in film, homosexuals are often lurking in theContinue reading “A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge”

In Robin R. Means Coleman’s article “Studying Blacks and Horror Films”, she looks at how films in this genre reveal and portray Black cultural tropes, as well as the sociopolitical questions raised by them. She explains how horror movies raise many important issues because they deal with not only good and evil, but also socialContinue reading “Candyman”

In Skal’s article “It’s Alive, I’m Afraid” he points out America’s fascination with freaks and monsters. He talks about how human’s are most fascinated by freaks that are products of human reproduction. Much of this has to do with sex, and this obsession reached its height when sex became a lot more relaxed and promiscuousContinue reading “The Babadook”

In Tony Williams’s article “Trying to Survive on the Darker Side: 1980s Family Horror”, he argues that in the 1980s, horror films became more complex and contradictory. He says that while films during the genre’s renaissance in the 70s brought questions against societal norms, the films of the following decade attempted to maintain the dominantContinue reading “The Stepfather”

In the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director Tobe Hopper presents a twisted version of rural America. Many scholars view this film as apocalyptic, meaning that the events of this film were unprovoked and unpreventable, and it could only end in death. While this film has a very apocalyptic feel, Tony Williams believes thatContinue reading “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

When one watches Brian De Palma’s 1976 film Carrie, one could easily come to the conclusion that it is a revenge film. After all, the film’s most triumphant moment is when Carrie White lashes out at the people that have constantly berated her. While Carrie’s actions in the film are very much based on rebellingContinue reading “Carrie”

In the 1973 film The Exorcist, director William Friedkin uses the horror genre to explore what society views as despicable. In her article “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, Barbara Creed classifies these things under the word abject. Creed cites the abject as “that which does not respect borders, positions, rules, and that whichContinue reading “The Exorcist”

When one looks at the climax in popularity of the teen slasher film, Wes Craven’s 1996 film Scream is just that. This film is an unapologetic homage to the genre as it clearly stays true to the formula that all slasher films of the 70s-90s followed. This is very much a meta-film because it isContinue reading “Scream”

When one thinks of the slasher film, John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of the first films that comes to mind. This is because the 1978 film was one of the first to utilize all of the elements that turned the slasher genre into one of the most iconic genres of all time. Carol Clover, inContinue reading “Halloween”

In his 1960 classic, Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock redefined the idea of a horror film. Not only did Hitchcock introduce a monster who is terrifyingly human in Norman Bates, he drastically changed the role that women and femininity can play in this genre. As said by Linda Williams this “marked a significant break in the structureContinue reading “Psycho”