American Horrors

3 units

Horror movies. Fright films. Scream marathons. Blood and gore fests. Why should we want to look at movies that aim to frighten us? What is the attraction of repulsion? Is there an aesthetics of ugliness? Except for some early prestige literary adaptations like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the horror film began as a low class genre, a notch above exploitation movies. In the 1970s-1980s, it became the dominant commercial genre by offering increasingly graphic images of violence and mayhem. The horror film had arrived: lavish budgets, big stars, and dazzling special effects in mainstream major studio films competed with low-budget, no frills productions that helped establish artistically ambitious and quirky filmmakers like George Romero and David Cronenberg. By a chronological survey of the American horror film, this course will explore how differing notions of what is terrifying reflect changing cultural values and norms. Throughout, we will consider the difficult questions raised by horror's simple aim of scaring its audience. In addition to weekly screenings, work for the course will include analytical and theoretical essays on the horror film. Written analyses of films with a close attention to visual style will be required. Prerequisite: Film 220. Required screenings.