Category Archives: Uncategorized

  Summary: In Harry M. Benshoff’s article “The Monster and the Homosexual”, Benshoff discusses the relationship between the homosexual and the monster. According to Benshoff, the concept of “homosexuals” and “monster” arouse many of the same fears in people about sex and death. This was especially true in the time of the AIDS crisis. ViewedContinue reading “Blog Post 11- A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge”

Summary: In Robin R. Means Coleman’s article “Studying Blacks and Horror Films”  Coleman discusses the difference between “Blacks in Horror Films” and “Black Horror Films” as well as horror as a genre. Coleman discusses a book by Isabel Pinedo and how she defines the horror genre. According to Pinedo there are five key descriptors: (1)Continue reading “Blog Post 10- Candyman”

Summary: In David Skal’s article It’s Alive, I’m Afraid, the main topic of discussion is deformities. The opening line of the article is “All monsters are expressions or symbols of some kind of birth process, however distorted or bizarre.” This quote anchors the discussion throughout the whole article. Skal discusses the arrival of birth controlContinue reading “Blog Post 9- The Babadook”

Summary: In Tony Williams’s article Trying to Survive on the Darker Side: 1980s Family Horror, Williams provides a critique of Carol Clover’s depiction of women in horror films. Clover argues against categorizing slasher films as films that display male voyeurism towards the female body. Before analyzing Clover’s view on the feminine in the horror film,Continue reading “Bog Post 8- The Stepfather”

The Summary: In Tony Williams’s article, Chain Saw Massacres: The Apocalyptic Dimension, Williams defends the stalker and slasher films that are often considered worthless trash. These types of films were the product of a cultural movement that started in the 70’s and erupted into the 80’s. Williams poses his views that “the full nihilistic apocalypticContinue reading “Blog Post 7- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) is an excellent example of the monstrous feminine. Throughout the film, we see Carrie make the transformation from her childhood into womanhood with the arrival of her first period. With the said arrival offers the idea of the possibility of sexuality. In Shelly Stamp Lindsey’s article, she discusses how theContinue reading “Blog Post 6 – Carrie”

William Freidkin’s The Exorcist (1972) is a great example of the monstrous feminine. Throughout the film we see the concept of abjection. As Reagan becomes possessed by the demon claiming to be “the devil himself”, he violates order in the McNeil’s lives (Creed’s article). To restore order, the demon must be expelled from her bodyContinue reading “Blog Post 5 – The Exorcist”

Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) is a great example of a postmodern slasher film. In the film, there are many slasher film elements seen. The final girl is clearly laid out from the beginning of the film. The audience sees Sidney Prescott as the boyish and very reserved virgin and as the character that seems toContinue reading “Blog Post 4 – Scream”

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) is a postmodern film that highlights the different components of the slasher films (killer, locale, weapons, victims, and shock effects) which are discussed in detail in Carol Clover’s “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film”. The opening scene of the film shows Judith Meyers and her boyfriend engaging in sexualContinue reading “Blog Post 3 – Halloween”

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) is an excellent example of the male gaze concept. The male gaze concept states that women in film are used for visual pleasure and are presented as sexual objects for male pleasure. Throughout the film, we see this concept quite literally as Norman Bates watches Marion Crane from the peephole lookingContinue reading “Blog Post 2-Psycho”