Artifact V: Horror
Artifact: Horror
Objectives:
- Explore the psychological and emotional curiosity for and impact of horror art on individuals and society
- Analyze the unique aesthetic qualities of horror art.
- Understand and utilize some basic principles of film and television analysis.
Reflection:
This unit was probably the most conflicting for me. I personally hate horror movies. I never understood the appeal. I don’t believe in the supernatural, and I understand the psychological thrillers are depictions of greatly exaggerated events, but I still have a hard time sleeping at night after watching a scary movie. After reading the assigned article for week six, however, I was introduced to ideas about the genre that helped me to understand why people paid to see horror movies.
The appeal of horror goes back to the idea of aesthetic value and aesthetic stimulation, which we covered early on in Unit 3. Carroll talked about how the unsettling events were presented in an aesthetic context, and the viewers (who enjoy the genre presumably) find pleasure in the way the aesthetics are worked into the narrative (Carroll, 277). The story line plays a huge role in how the aesthetics are received by the viewer, which Carroll mentions often in Why Horror?
In the assignment for the horror unit, I was able to look at an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which is a kick-ass show by the way) to get a feel for some of the technical aspects of the horror genre, and explore how those aspects play into the aesthetic qualities of the show that make the genre so appealing.
Moving Forward:
In the future, I really want to better understand the appeal of horror flicks. I will really have to force myself to sit down and watch them without a blanket over my head in order to do so. I think I can learn a lot about art by observing and interacting with a medium (the horror genre in this case) that I don’t particularly like. If I can look past what I don’t like about it to see the aesthetic value, I’ll broaden my understanding of art in general.