Enjoying Horror Research
In the “Dead Letter: The Aesthetics of Horror” from The Harvard Crimson Jude Russo opens by discussing a very graphically morbid painting that hangs in a famous museum (Prado Museum in Madrid). The painting is so graphic, it depicts a man eating a baby, that there is a discussion of why did Goya (the artist) even paint it. The painting itself was never meant to be museum art according to the author, but was hung in his house. The author then posses the question “What if he is?” this is asking, “Is it permissible to show something that inspires horror for it’s own sake?” This really asking about the limits of art, and there is no question that horror for art’s sake pushes this boundary. The author then goes on to defining horror in two different ways. He says that it is first, an emotional response to stimulus. The second definition is an extension of this; it is the “genre of art that is somehow connected to this emotion.” This emotion is described as the bristling of the hair on the back of your neck. It is this emotion that people are after when they seek out forms of horror, be it film or other forms of art. The author explains that people have sought to find a more rigorous definition, but this definition is apt. The author then goes on to talk about terror and dread which are used fairly interchangeably. He makes a distinction that “Horror is when you see something, there’s something graphic about it… Terror is when your fear is compounded by your uncertainty and your doubt.” The author goes on to talk about Horror for horror’s sake, that is to say that there is no moral message, and that there is no ethical bounds that the artist is operating under, they are just trying to provoke the desired emotions to create the horror genera and what makes it appealing. He goes on then to talk about the movie “A Serbian Film” which is an incredibly in your face disturbing film, however it is incredibly good at conveying horror and dread and if we do not worry about morals than that is the end goal of the artist. Having said that it does seem a bit off, this position seems to “permit much that should not be permitted so easily” so there is a question of what are the limits of this art and when do we consider ethics.
This question still remains because “There is an instinctive discomfort that arises from the idea that Goya is showing us.” This is the abject, the things that are so outside the norm and outside what we would normally seek out for enjoyment. This creates a drive to then seek this out, like the kid who is told to not take the cookie from the jar, he only then realizes that he wanted a cookie in the first place. We as humans have a strange urge to seek out this feeling of horror and dread because in a way it fulfils our desire to step outside the norms.
My second source was from a horror movie aesthetics blog. This blog really described some concepts of mis-en-scene, particularly the use of affects that can help low budget horror movie film makers hide the fact that they are forced to use less expensive makeup and costume. The writer encouraged the use of mis-en-scene concepts with lighting and camera work, like dim lighting, soft focus, and tight framing. The author explains that this forces the audience to “leave the creature’s nature up to our dark imaginings.” This concept is furthered by sounds, which can be incredibly cheap and easy to deploy, and good horror acting and body movement. This article and the blog in general really delves deeper into the concepts of Digetic Sound, non-digetic sound and mis-en-scene that we talked about this week.
Together these to articles along with the reading and presentations we have seen this week have really shown how horror for horror’s sake really pushes the limit on what we consider art. I would say it is a non-tradition way of looking at art, but the process of using all of the different techniques and imagery to give the viewer or audience a specific emotion and sense of unease that the artist is trying to provoke. This is the abject that the audience seeks out when they go and watch a horror film. They are seeking out this feeling that is outside the norm, this hair bristling
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/10/28/arts-cover-horror-aesthetics/
http://horrorfilmaesthetics.blogspot.com/
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I think an excellent example of Diegetic sound comes fairly early in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which Buffy is in a classroom and starts to dream in this dream there is a little girl with a small wooden box singing a song with a bit of a nursery rhyme cadence. The song seemed to go, “Can’t even shout, can’t even cry, the gentle man are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors, they need to take 7 and they might take yours. Can’t call to mom, can’t say a word you are gonna die screaming and you wont be hear.” This is a pretty classic horror trope. A little girl singing a nursery rhyme that has a bit of an ominous tone and language to it. I chose to use this example for Diegetic sound because this is something we see all the time in horror movies and it has a creepy, chilling, effect to it that makes the audience feel a certain way.
My example for Non-Diegetic sound happens at about 13:09 into the episode and there is some ominous music as the camera pans to a clock tower in the night, this again as several classic horror tropes in it as old clock towers in the night are used often in horror movies. Then there is a box next to some hands of a man who is clearly very old, however we do not see his face yet. Next there is more Non- Diegetic sound with inaudible whispering as the box steals some ghostly mist from the bodies of several people including Buffy. This was really the best example of Non- Diegetic sound I found in this episode as it pertains to horror movie affects. Non- Diegetic sound is a very important part of horror movies, particularly in the form of background music, as it helps create the creepy aesthetic that directors of these types of films are after. There is a reason that the most iconic part of many classic horror movies is the theme music.
My example for mis-en-scene happens directly after the example above, as the old creepy hands shut the box closed that has just stolen some kind of mist from the bodies of the people in the town, the camera slowly pans up and reveals the face, the same face Buffy saw for a flash in her dream. The face of the man was a very intricate and elaborate costume consisting of large fake silver teeth, clammy looking grey colored skin, an elongated nose, and piercing yellowish beady eyes. This is a clear example of mis-en scene and the slow pan of the camera before the reveal of the face gave the shock value that makes this valuable in the context of a horror movie. There is also a bit of an ominous feel to this scene as this is a face that Buffy has seen before and this character will clearly be the antagonist that Buffy will have to deal with. Mis-en-scene like Non- Diegetic sound is incredibly important for horror movies and costume, scenes, and camera work all play there part in creating the horror movie aesthetic. Similar to how iconic theme music is remembered, many horror movies are remembered for the famous costumes of the main antagonist.
I think that these three instances are great examples of Diegetic, Non- Diegetic and Mis-en-scene respectively, especially in the context of a horror movie or show. They all add to the creepy, foreboding feeling that the director of a horror movie is trying to make his audience feel. There is an impending since of doom at this point in the episode as the man with the evil looking face has just stolen something that is valuable to the people in the town, and even Buffy herself. All of these concepts have played a part in this episode to create the feel and the aesthetic that the director of this episode wanted to give it the classic feel of a horror movie. It is this aesthetic that gives the audience that tingling in the spine and need to look over their shoulders that they want to feel when they go to watch a horror movie and stays with them for days weeks or even month after. Without these film making concepts it would not be possible to give a movie feel or character, it really wouldn’t be possible to make any type of movie at all. This is why these concepts are so important.
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