NCJ Number
168085
Date Published
1995
Length
24 pages
Annotation
In exploring the public's reaction to horror films, this paper considers the various theories applied by media researchers who are working in the field of reception analysis, followed by a review of the history of the horror film genre.
Abstract
Media researchers in the field of reception analysis have developed the following theories of attraction to horror films: catharsis theory, syringe theory, copy-cat theory, and trigger theory. One problem with this research is the plurality of theories and methods. A bigger problem, however, is whether the field of reception analysis offers any valuable insight into the meaning and use of violence in horror. Measuring the effect of violence in horror is dubious without analyzing the nature and the meaning of violence, which is why reception analysis cannot explain why the audience of a modern "splatter" movie reacts with laughter instead of fear when faced with violence, blood, mutilations, and killings. Violence always carries a meaning located beyond imagery and setting, a meaning under constant change due to the historical development of the genre. An analysis of the attraction of horror shows that it is a mirror that reflects that which society would prefer to remain hidden. The ultimate horror film attacks all social, psychological, and physical integrity, annihilating fears, desires, neurosis, and the unconscious, thus making the audience mock and subvert all social rules. The last phase of horror, the post-modern grotesque "splatter" movie, has brought all taboos into bright daylight. The laughing audience at such a film (as observed by the author) is the scary part, not for reasons of the threat of real-life violence, but because it shows the disintegration of the unconscious in modern society. 50 notes, a 20-item bibliography, and a list of horror films considered in the genre review