COLLEGE COURSE FILE: STUDIES IN GENRE—HORROR

Author(s): SCOTT R. OLSON

Source: Journal of Film and Video , Spring-Summer 1996, Vol. 48, No. 1/2 (Spring-
Summer 1996), pp. 67-79
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the University Film & Video
Association

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 COLLEGE COURSE FILE:
STUDIES IN GENRE?HORROR
SCOTT R. OLSON

The Studies in Genre course essentially and horror. This broadening is important
explores genre theory with the "hook" of because the study of categories and cate
a particular popular genre that serves as gorization is of increasing interest in a
case study and exemplar for more general number of fields. Other disciplines have
theories of genre. The concepts and meth begun to examine the creation and utility
odology of genre analysis thus become the of genres and categories, which makes this
subject matter of the course, to some course contemporary, even as its subject
extent independent of the particular genre matter is familiar. Genre theory has been
studied, but the selection of a familiar of interest to critics since the days of
genre as exemplar makes it easier for Aristotle, but through the work of Witt
students to wander through some fairly genstein, Rosch, and Lakoflf, it has re
difficult terrain. cently become the object of study for
philosophers, linguists, and psychologists.
This approach differs slightly from that of Indeed, a whole school of cognitive psy
most courses on film and television genre. chology?prototype theory?has sprung
In this course, the primary focus is on the up around the premise that generic cate
theory and application of genre as an gorization is central to human experience
exegetic tool, for which the film and tele and understanding. Consequently, this
vision screenings serve as examples and course tries to situate itself not only within
secondary focus. In many courses, the film studies, communication, and literary
primary focus is on a group of films gath analysis but also within a broader cultural
ered together because they have some and academic context.
elementary properties in common, which
are then examined for their particularity, The course has a modular design, so that
often using what is essentially an author in successive semesters or years, other
ship approach. This arguably portrays exemplary genres may be plugged into its
genre only through an authorship filter. structure. The first three units, for exam
There is nothing wrong with that ap ple, easily suit whatever genre is under
proach, but this course attempts to keep consideration with almost no modifica
genre theory and methodology on the cen tion. Most of the other 11 units (with such
ter stage. titles as "Authorship and Genre" and
"Culture and Genre") can easily be mod
The course also attempts to address the ified, because they are general enough to
broader cultural significance of both genre permit application to other genres with a
little resourcefulness. So there is a bit of
homology to the design of the class: it is a
Scott R. Olson is an associate professor of
communication at Central Connecticut State class on genre theory with a somewhat
University. His most recent book is The generic design. The course has been of
Symbolic Workplace: Communication in Orga fered for four years; two other genres have
nizations.
been explored using this structure: com
Copyright ? 1996 by S. R. Olson edy and science fiction.

JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 48.1-2 (Spring-Summer 1996) 67

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An ancillary advantage to this structure is to rethink and rewrite, a process that can
that the application of genre theory to be invaluable when they are working on
different genres encourages problem solv new and difficult material. It also encour
ing and critical thinking. For example, ages them to think of education as a dia
writing assignments can require students lectical process, not an outcome. The
to apply a genre theory or exegetic method procedure has usually been that a redone
to a particular text, compelling them to item must be turned in one week after the
reflect on the method, make a claim, seek graded assignment has been given back to
substantiating evidence in the text, and the class.
write in a clear and descriptive manner.
Selecting a manageable number of texts
Critical thinking is only one part of a larger for the course is difficult, because so much
pedagogical strategy that deserves at least of the useful material is found in so many
cursory discussion here. An American As different sources. The students should
sociation for Higher Education report probably purchase Tzvetan Todorov's
(Chickering and Gamson) has emphasized The Fantastic, Noel Carroll's The Philos
that cooperative, active learning produces ophy of Horror, and Barry Grant's Film
the best results, so one hallmark of this Genre Reader. Todorov's work is superb
course has been two group projects. Each on two counts: it is a descriptive and
project requires the group to apply certain applicable account of literary approaches
methodologies to a small collection of to genre, with an interesting discussion
representative films, then write a brief of genre problematics, but it takes as its
report and make a presentation to the subject the fantastic, a genre closely re
class. By creating informal discussion lated to horror. Carroll's work is broad
groups that meet outside class, this tech enough to consider horror in all its literary
nique makes students delve into a topic contexts, rather than just the cinematic
in a way classroom time does not permit. one, attempting to situate it within a cul
The technique has been successully ap tural context. Grant's anthology will be
plied to group studies and presentations familiar to most film scholars. The other
on subgenres of horror and on directors items on the reading list can be placed on
who work predominantly in this genre. library reserve or assembled into a reader.
With the exception of the H. P. Lovecraft
The course has several educational objec selection, which is out of print, they
tives. The first is that the students will should be fairly easy to find.
become familiar with some of the basic
cinematic and televisual texts of the hor
ror genre. A second is that the students Unit 1: Elementary and Historical
will be able to use several approaches and Theories of Genre
tools when analyzing texts, including au
thorship, psychological, and mythological This unit introduces the main concepts of
analysis; cultural studies; and discourse popular film genre theory. Here students
analysis. This enhances their critical are exposed to basic tools used to put film
thinking skills. A third objective is that the and television texts into categories, in
students will develop a clearer sense of addition to some discussion of the limits of
how one defines genres and the problem these approaches. There is also some ex
atics of genre-based approaches. amination of the broader concept of cate
gories from Aristotle, Wittgenstein, and
One final note on critical thinking peda Rosch covered in the George Lakoff read
gogy: as this course has been taught, any ing in an attempt to situate these catego
project, quiz, or paper may be redone for ries intellectually and justify various
a better grade. This encourages students approaches to genre.

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Todorov's conception of a "hesitation" Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things.
the reader shares with a primary character Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1987. 5-11,
is perhaps unique to the genre of the 91-114.
fantastic, but the reader/spectator cer Pye, Douglas. "The Western (Genre and
tainly has a role to play in a generic Movies)." Film Genre Reader. Ed.
experience. Consequently, an examina Barry Grant. Austin: U of Texas P,
tion of genre in terms of its effect on its 1986. 143-58.
audience is explored, referring back to Todorov, Tzvetan. "Literary Genres." The
Aristotle's Poetics. This theme will be Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a
developed more fully later in the course. Literary Genre. Ithaca: Cornell UP,
1975. 3-23.
The formalist methods of Ed Buscombe, Tudor, Andrew. "Genre." Film Genre
Jim Kitses, and Douglas Pye are a good Reader. Ed. Barry Grant. Austin: U of
entry point to genre analysis because they Texas P, 1986. 3-10.
constitute a fairly simple litmus test as to
whether a particular text belongs in a
genre or not. Students find the iconogra Unit 2: Complex and Theoretical Genres
phy/archetype/setting/theme/voice typol
ogy clear and useful, and it also has broad Todorov distinquishes between elemen
applicability, at least within popular tary and historical genres on the one hand
genres. But this method should be treated and complex and theoretical genres on the
only as a starting point ; many of the genre other. Unit 1 concerned those genres con
analysis methods students encounter in stituted by the presence or absence of a
the rest of the class actually deconstruct single attribute (elementary genres) and
this rudimentary method. by those that have a historical existence
as a genre known by audiences and emu
Possible topics for discussion include: Are lated by authors. The second unit deals
there an infinite number of genres? How with genres of a different type: complex
and why do genres come into being? What genres, which are genres constituted by
cognitive and cultural functions do they the presence or absence of many factors,
serve? How do genres evolve over time? and theoretical genres, which are genres
What basic tools are used to analyze the used by critics as tools for analysis and
popular culture genre? How does aes which may be unknown to audiences and
thetic effect relate to genre structure and even authors. This unit builds on the pre
signification? How can formalism be used ceding unit to introduce more complex
to define specific genres? How does the and transmediated notions of genre?in a
western exemplify and embody attributes sense to break out of the notion of genre as
of film genre? something confined to popular culture
analysis. It also begins to consider the
political and ideological roles genre can
play in a culture.
Readings
If generic forms are used repeatedly, they
Buscombe, Ed. "The Idea of Genre in the can be seen to have a cultural significance
American Cinema." Film Genre Reader. beyond the text itself. Northrop Frye's
Ed. Barry Grant. Austin: U of Texas P, theory of myths from Anatomy of Criti
1986. 11-25. cism is often used to illuminate the origins
Kitses, Jim. Horizons West. Bloomington: of these forms in antiquity and, by infer
Indiana UP, 1970. ence, to explain why they still have such
Lakoff, George. "The Importance of Cat significance to Western culture. Judith
egorization" and "Radical Categories." Wright's "Genre Films and the Status

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Quo" is quite critical of the role genres and textual meaning. Plot dice (which cre
play in this ongoing signification, since ate a spontaneous plot when rolled), "you
they serve to perpetuate existing power have a plot" cards (which build a plot
relationships and value systems. serendipitously as the plotter randomly
draws cards labeled "protagonist type,"
Potential discussion topics include: How "setting," or "conflict"), and other simi
can genre theory be applied across media lar techniques that were commonly used
to cover works from different times and in in Hollywood in the 1930s and '40s serve
different media? In what ways is this prob as useful reminders of the standardization
lematic? What is the difference between and universality of most popular plots.
generic semantics (the explanatory power Although each of these allowed some vari
of specific structural elements) and ge ation, the basic parameters of what con
neric syntax (the broad applicability of stituted a plot were rigid.
thematic relationships)? Is there a tension
between broad generic applicability and John Cawelti's Adventure, Mystery, and
explanatory power? How do genres main Romance is the best source for a general
tain status quo ideology and power rela discussion of formula: his analysis of ad
tionships? venture, mystery, and romance is specific
and illustrative, and he considers the cul
tural context of formula, the significance
of formula for the audience, and the inter
Readings play of familiarity and uniqueness in any
text.
Altman, Rick. "A Semantic/Syntactic Ap
proach to Film Genre." Film Genre The formulas for horror find their origins
Reader. Ed. Barry Grant. Austin: U of in the silent cinema. David Skal's The
Texas P, 1986. 26-40. Monster Show examines the roots of hor
Frye, Northrop. "Theories of Myths." ror in the silent cinema, where the elemen
Anatomy of Criticism. Princeton: tal properties that would come to be the
Princeton UP, 1971. 131-239. formulas, tropes, and archetypes of the
Wright, Judith. "Genre Films and the Sta genre began to coalesce. Skal's approach
tus Quo." Film Genre Reader. Ed. is primarily historical, but this provides
Barry Grant. Austin: U of Texas P, a good background to the films screened
1986. 41-49. during this unit and acts as a counterpoint
to the structuralism and formalism in
Todorov, Carroll, and Grant.
Unit 3: Formula

Having considered some theories for both

popular culture and literary, transmedi Possible Screenings
ated analysis, students need to consider
the formulaic roots of the texts they ex The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
amine, in hopes of seeing even broader Nosferatu (1921)
connections between them. In this unit, The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
the notion of formula is considered, pri
marily with an emphasis on Hollywood,
but also with some discussion of more
"literary" formulas. Readings

Time can be dedicated in class to the many Cawelti, John. "The Study of Literary
ways in which formula has shaped texts Formulas" and "Toward a Typology of

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 Literary Formulas." Adventure, Mys The films selected for this unit exemplify
tery, and Romance. Chicago: U of Chi core attributes of the horror genre at the
cago P, 1976. 5-50. beginning of the sound period. They also
Skal, David. '"You Will Become Cali take students from studies of early horror
gari': Monsters, Mountebanks, and films in the German cinema to American
Modernism." The Monster Show: A representations. In particular, the contrast
Cultural History of Horror. New York: of Nosferatu (1921) with Dracula (1931)
Norton, 1993. 37-61. should lead to an interesting cross-cultural
analysis. Frankenstein (1931), in addition
to being a most important early-sound
Unit 4: Defining the Horror Genre American horror film, is a good illustration
of Carroll's concept of the biological pa
In this unit, the students actually begin to rameters for horror.
work on the ostensible focus of the
course?the specific genre of horror. Nev
ertheless, for the rest of the course, the
content will modulate between horror as a Screenings
particular case and genre as a general
Frankenstein
system of textual experience.
Dracula
Todorov's three-part test for the fantastic
genre (hesitation of the reader, hesitation
of the character, and the rejection of alle
gorical readings) provides a good frame
work for discussing several issues,
including the complex relationship be
Carroll, Noel. "Definition of Horror."
tween author, text, and reader. His struc The Philosophy of Horror. New York:
turalist approach and rejection of the Routledge, 1990. 12-58.
Kitses typology (iconography, archetype,
Kawin, Bruce. "Children of the Light."
theme, and setting) reveal to students that
Film Genre Reader. Ed. Barry Grant.
Austin: U of Texas P, 1986. 236-57.
there are many ways to conceptualize
genre. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A
Structural Approach to a Literary
Carroll's commentary on defining horror, Genre. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1975. 24-40.
from The Philosophy of Horror, is excel Yacowar, Maurice. "The Bug in the
lent in that it considers both the literary Rug." Film Genre Reader. Ed. Barry
effects of the genre and its syntactic and Grant. Austin: U of Texas P, 1986.
semantic structural elements. In particu 217-35.
lar, the discussion of the biology of horror
imagery presents a number of provocative
descriptors that could lead to an interest Unit 5: Horror Subgenres
ing analysis of what does or does not pass
As any genre matures, it begins to develop
for horror in everyday life.
a variety of permutations. It is useful to
Bruce Kawin's "Children of the Light" examine this process early in the course
and Maurice Yacowar's "The Bug in the because it illustrates some essential prin
Rug" are more traditional film studies ciples about how genres evolve. There
approaches to genre in general and the isn't really time in this unit to develop all
horror genre writ large. Their examina these subgenres fully, so one useful as
tions touch on elements of science fiction signment has been to create small groups,
and disaster movies, but these act as a each of which works on a particular sub
good counterpoint to Carroll. genre.

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Some subgenres or categories of horror to
be discussed or developed in projects are Readings
monsters, exploitation horror, ghosts, Carroll, Noel. "Plotting Horror." The
devils, gore, science fiction horror, nature Philosophy of Horror. New York: Rout
gone wild, slashers, psychological horror ledge, 1990. 97-157.
(the horror of personality), cinematic an Silver, Alain, and James Ursini. The Vam
thology, television anthology, and televi pire Film from Nosferatu to Bram
sion episodics and serials. Todorov's Stoker's Dracula. New York: Limelight
"themes of the fantastic" provide another Editions, 1993.
way of subdividing the genre, in a manner Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A
that could encompass the breadth of liter Structural Approach to a Literary
ature from popular to "elite." Genre. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1975. 41-57,
91-106.
The discussion of subgenres of horror
nicely parallels Todorov's discussion of Unit 6: A History of the Horror FUm
the subgenres of the fantastic: the uncan
To develop a thorough understanding of
ny-fantastic and the fantastic-marvelous.
the genre, its history needs to be consid
Todorov sees these as a part of a contin
ered. This unit is deliberately placed in the
uum, with the text a process with the
middle of the semester, however, to avoid
potential of going in any number of sub
a strictly telelogical, as opposed to the
generic directions. Carroll's "Plotting
matic, treatment.
Horror" is a systematization of the key
thematic and dramatic elements of the There are several good sources on the
genre. Alain Silver and James Ursini's The history of the genre, but time constraints
Vampire Film examines a particular sub prohibit the selection of any but the most
genre in detail. concise. The selected readings describe
in microcosm particular periods, technol
ogies, or films that embody some elemen
To keep the course focused on studying
tal quality, hence providing a general
the genre, it is best to avoid a chronolog
insight based on a particular event. Ska!
ical sequencing of the films, which would
considers the significance of the year 1931
deemphasize their thematic relationships.
to the development of American horror
Of course, this is not completely possible,
and until this unit the films in the course cinema; Tom Gunning's "The Primitive
Cinema" discusses early silent film exper
have been viewed primarily in chronolog
iments in trick photography, which even
ical order. At this juncture, however, The
tually led to the special effects horror
Bride of Frankenstein (1935), representing
films; and Lotte Eisner's The Haunted
the full development of the monster movie
Screen examines German expressionist
subgenre, should offer an arresting con
cinema, in which the student can discern
trast to The Exorcist (1973), a capitulation
some stylistic roots of contemporary hor
of another subgenre, satanism and witch
ror. Freaks (1932) and King Kong (1933)
craft. They should provide an effective
contrast in that both deal with female would be useful films to study, since they
tie together the discussion of historical
monster figures.
impact, special effects, and expressionist
narrative style.

Screenings
Screenings
The Bride of Frankenstein Freaks
The Exorcist King Kong

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 Several methodological readings that may
Readings provide additional insight into these con
cepts include Brad Chisholm's "Difficult
Eisner, Lotte. "The Predisposition to Viewing," which examines some of the
ward Expressionism," "The Begin issues involved with how a viewer derives
nings of the Expressionist Film," and
pleasure from a narrative; Ien Ang's con
"The Symphonies of Horror." The sideration of the meaning of a text to
Haunted Screen. Berkeley: U of Cali particular readers, using the soap opera
fornia P, 1973. 9-36, 95-113.
Dallas as her subject; Mike Budd's "The
Gunning, Tom. "'Primitive Cinema'?A National Board of Review," which dis
Frame Up? or the Trick's on Us." Cin cusses a particular moment of text/
ema Journal 28.2 (1989): 3-12.
audience engagement, using Caligari as
Skal, David. The Monster Show: A Cul
its example; and Henry Jenkins's notion
tural History of Horror. New York:
of fan "poaching," most applicable to
Norton, 1993. 113-59.
science fiction texts but exemplifying an
intensity of textual engagement usually
associated with generic expectation.
Unit 7: Horror and the Audience
A number of screenings are possible, but
It is clear from the discussion of formula the ones mentioned below are useful be
preceding this unit, particularly illustrated cause they provide a good setting for
in Cawelti, that genre is closely tied to discussing matters of reception. The Si
aesthetic effect and audience anticipation. lence of the Lambs (1991) works well
Even the name of the genre, "horror," because of its critical acceptance and Os
implies a certain way in which the audi car success: What is usually expected of
ence engages the text. Consequently, to the genre? Did this film fulfill or defy
understand this and other genres, it is expectation? What does it mean for the
essential to examine who the audience is, Academy to confer success and respect
how those viewers engage the text, and ability on a text and consequently on a
the sociocultural implications of this en genre? Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
gagement. (1993) or episodes of the Twin Peaks TV
series (ABC; 1990-91) will illustrate nicely
the concepts in the Chisholm article. The
Reception theory and reader-response
X Files (Fox TV; 1993-) or any other
criticism provide two ways of approach
contemporary horror television series will
ing the reader/text dialectic. Within recep lead to an examination of how television
tion theory, Hans Jauss's Toward an Aes
differs from film in structuring and satisfy
thetic of Reception and Wolfgang Iser's
ing expectation.
The Act of Reading are most influential,
the former for examining the reader's "ho
rizon of expectation," the latter for con
sidering the "implied author" and Screenings
"implied reader" in any text. It is perhaps The Silence of the Lambs
more beneficial in a course not focused on Twin Peaks
these particular approaches for the in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
structor to summarize their methodologies The X Files
in lecture. One illustrative novel to sup
plement Jauss and Iser is Stephen King's
Misery, an examination of the abuses of a
Readings
reader with a disappointed horizon of ex
pectation and the misprision of the implied Ang, Ien. "Dallas and the Ideology of
author. Mass Culture." Watching Dallas. Trans.

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 Della Couling. New York: Methuen, audience has of a particular auteur affect
1985. 86-116. the way the audience perceives the au
Budd, Mike. "The National Board of Re teur's work in a particular genre of film?
view and the Early Art Cinema in New From a pragmatic standpoint, what is the
York: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as relationship of the auteur to his or her
Affirmative Culture." Cinema Journal studio?
26.1 (1986): 3-18.
Chisholm, Brad. "Difficult Viewing: The During this unit, students could do an
Pleasures of Complex Screen Narra other project in which they analyze the
tives." Critical Studies in Mass Com specific way a genre has been embodied in
munication 8 (1991): 389-403. the work of a particular auteur. Some
Halberstam, Judith. "Skin Flick: Post contemporary American horror auteurs
human Gender in Jonathan Demme's worth considering are John Carpenter
The Silence of the Lambs." Camera (Halloween, The Fog, The Thing, Chris
Obscura 27 (Sept. 1991): 37-52. tine), Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes,
Iser, Wolfgang. The Act of Reading. Bal Shocker, Nightmare on Elm Street, The
timore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1978. Serpent and the Rainbow), David Cronen
Jauss, Hans. Toward an Aesthetic of Re berg (Rabid, Scanners, Videodrome,
ception. Trans. Timothy Bahti. Minne Dead Zone, The Fly, Dead Ringers, They
apolis: U of Minnesota P, 1982. Came from Within, Naked Lunch), and
Jenkins, Henry. "Fans, Poachers, No George Romero (Creep Show, Night of
mads." Textual Poachers. New York: the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead,
Routledge, 1992. 9-49. Day of the Dead, Tales from the Dark
King, Stephen. Misery. New York: New side, Monkey shines), plus films from the
American Library, 1988. books of Stephen King (Carrie, Cujo,
Young, Elizabeth. "The Silence of the Pet Sematary, The Shining, Creep Show,
Lambs and the Flaying of Feminist The It, Misery, Christine, The Tommyknock
ory." Camera Obscura 27 (Sept. 1991): ers, The Stand). Students may wish to
5-35. choose non-American or noncontempo
rary auteurs as well, which might include
Dar?o Argento, James Whale, Tod Brown
Unit 8: Horror and Authorship ing, the Hammer studio, and the Toho
studio.
As mentioned above, many genre courses
are really authorship courses in genre Lovecraft's Supernatural Horror in Liter
clothing; that is, they examine a series of ature is valuable to use, particularly if
auteurs associated with a particular genre. students will be reading any of his short
There is nothing inherently wrong with stories or screening any adaptations of his
this approach, but it does subsume genre writings. His influence on contemporary
within authorship and minimizes a consid horror can scarcely be overstated. John
eration of what genre is and how it works Caughie's Theories of Authorship pro
in the broadest sense. This course has vides useful methods for analyzing the
avoided a consideration of authorship un role authorship plays in the process of
til late in the term in order to steer clear of creating a text. Robin Wood's "Ideology,
this conundrum. Genre, Auteur" examines how an auteur
expresses the political ideology of a par
The authorship approach is considered ticular sociohistorical context.
strictly in its relationship to genre. How
does the notion of a particular genre affect Any films or television shows that are
the choices the auteur makes? Referring representative both of the genre and of the
back to Iser, how does the perception an work of an auteur are good choices for

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screening. The ones chosen here are dou Joseph Henderson's subject in "Ancient
bly beneficial because they embody at Myths and Modern Man" is not film, but
tributes under consideration in Carroll the article provides a rudimentary toolkit
and Todorov and at other points in the of terms and techniques for a Jungian
course. analysis of film or television texts. Some
of the concepts Henderson presents, use
ful for mythic analysis of the horror film,
are the tension between self and ego, the
Screenings concepts of anima and animus, and the
shadow.
Psycho (1960)
Halloween (1978) The films chosen for screening evidence
The Thing (1982) an interesting and accessible displace
ment (retelling) of myths or occupy them
selves with mythic themes. Dawn of the
Dead (1979) and Day of the Dead (1985)
Readings both examine the tension between scien
tific and mythic ways of knowing. The
Caughie, John, ed. Theories of Author Company of Wolves (1984) isn't strictly a
ship. London: Routledge, 1990. displacement of myth at all, but its literal
Lovecraft, H. P. Supernatural Horror in ized retelling of the Little Red Riding
Literature. New York: Dover Editions, Hood tale remakes it into a horror story.
1973.
Wood, Robin. "Ideology, Genre, Au
teur." Film Genre Reader. Ed. Barry
Grant. Austin: U of Texas P, 1986. Screenings
59^-73.
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Unit 9: Mythological Approaches to
The Company of Wolves
Horror

Myths aren't far below the surface in

horror films, many of which are reenact
Readings
ments of mythic legends and tales. The
myths can be of the classical, pagan,
Henderson, Joseph. "Ancient Myths and
Judeo-Christian, or contemporary secular
Modern Man." Man and His Symbols.
variety. This unit helps students see how
Ed. Carl Jung. New York: Doubleday,
contemporary culture recapitulates the an 1964. 104-57.
cient themes, tropes, and archetypes of Schatz, Thomas. "The Structural Influ
myth and consider the resulting cultural ence: New Directions in Film Genre
implications.
Study." Film Genre Reader. Ed. Barry
Thomas Schatz's "The Structural Influ Grant. Austin: U of Texas P, 1986.
ence" examines how myths are retold as 91-101.
cultural rituals in cinema, although he
does not provide a detailed consideration
of any exemplary myths. His interest is Unit 10: Psychological Approaches to
how myths have evolved into particular Horror
formal elements that enable a shorthand of
continuing engagement between films and There are many psychological approaches
audiences. to cinema, but perhaps Freud provides the

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 greatest access to the horror film. The Unit 11: Technology and Horror
process of psychoanalytic interpretation
should prove interesting and beneficial to The modern world has wrought many hor
students as it has implications beyond the rors, most of them associated with one
horror film texts themselves. Care must be technology or another. With this unit, the
taken that classroom discussion continu course seeks to shift the emphasis from
ally harkens back to the generic issues the understanding of genre within a
related to the psychological analysis of strictly literary and cinematic framework
film. to its study within broader cultural, histor
ical, and sociological contexts. This might
Stuart Kaminsky's "Psychological Con entail the historiographie use of film, al
siderations" discusses science fiction as though this is admittedly problematic. Do
well as horror films, but that helps refer films tell us something about the period
students back to the generic concepts in which they were created? How can an
handled at the beginning of the class. His act of creation be understood in a cultural/
essay analyzes many of the films screened historical context? Do the images in hor
during the course, and Kaminsky fre ror films embody aspects of contemporary
quently uses myth as the basis of the social angst, and, if so, how can we know
psychoanalytic interpretation, per Freud this?
and Jung. There is also some discussion of
the mythic basis for dominant themes in These general questions can be addressed
horror films. through a consideration of the particular
relationship between the modern world,
technology, and horror. Chon Noriega's
"Godzilla and the Japanese Nightmare"
reinvigorates the familiar connection be
Possible Suggested Screenings
tween Godzilla and nuclear angst. Donna
Haraway's "The Promises of Monsters"
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
examines state-of-the-art technological
The Birds (1961)
terrors, including bioengineered organ
Eraserhead (1976)
isms, although not from the standpoint of
Dead Ringers (1988)
the cinema; connections to cinematic rep
Naked Lunch (1993) resentations are not hard to make. Janice
Rushing and Thomas Frentz's "The Fran
kenstein Myth" analyzes contemporary
cinema from the standpoint of what they
Readings call the "dystopian shadow myth"?a
myth of human obsolescence. The Skal
Freud, Sigmund. "The Ambivalence of reading continues his historical examina
Emotions." Totem and Taboo. Trans. tion of American horror traditions, con
A. A. Brill. New York: Vintage Books, centrating on the 1980s.
1946. 26-97.
-. "The Uncanny." The Standard Technological angst suggests any number
Edition of the Complete Psychological of appropriate films, although the ones
Works of Sigmund Freud. Ed. and selected here are particularly urgent and
trans. James Strachey. 24 vols. 17: 219? unsettling in their depiction of machines
56. gone wrong. X: The Man with the X-Ray
Kaminsky, Stuart. "Psychological Con Eyes (1963), with its mystical conclusion,
siderations: Horror and Science Fic is especially interesting and serves the
tion." American Film Genres. New theme of romanticism developed at the
York: Laurel, 1977. 130-54. end of the course.

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 the great film hucksters, many of whom
Screenings are associated with the horror genre (e.g.,
Kroger Babb, Drew Friedman, Herschell
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) Gordon Lewis, William Castle, Roger
Reanimator (1985)
Corman). It would also be appropriate to
The Fly (1986) examine exploitation horror. There are a
number of interesting biographies of film
makers better known for their artistry in
promotions and exploitation than their
Readings cinematography, including the autobiogra
phies of David Friedman, Castle, Corman,
Haraway, Donna. "The Promises of Mon and Sam Arkoff listed below. Also of
sters: A Regenerative Politics for Inap interest is Mark McGee's history of Amer
propriate/d Others." Cultural Studies. ican International Pictures and Alan Bet
Ed. L. Grossberg, C. Nelson, and P. rock's history of the teen exploitation film.
Treichler. New York: Routledge, 1992.
295-337. Ang's Desperately Seeking the Audience
Noriega, Chon. "Godzilla and the Japa examines how audiences affect the eco
nese Nightmare: When Them Is U.S." nomic decision-making process in the
Cinema Journal 21 (1987): 63-77. television industry. Barbara Klinger's
Rushing, Janice, and Thomas Frentz. "Digressions at the Cinema" considers
"The Frankenstein Myth in Contempo intertextuality and the commodification of
rary Cinema." Critical Studies in Mass reception. Although not directly related to
Communication 6 (1989): 61-80. economics, the Creed article on Alien
Skal, David. The Monster Show: A Cul (1924) crystallizes many themes of the
tural History of Horror. New York: course in its use of Freud, Kristeva, and
Norton, 1993. 353-90. classical mythology to analyze a contem
porary film. The movies selected for
screening should display a contrast be
Unit 12: The Economics of Genre tween the mainstream, Hollywood, audi
ence-pretested, big-budget variety and the
In this unit, horror and genre are exam marginal, independent, accidental, low
ined for their utility in reducing films to budget type. Alien (1979) and Robot Mon
economic commodities. Genre serves in ster (1953), both on the same theme,
the marketing, advertising, distribution, provide quite a contrast.
and critical reception of a film, and in turn
these elements shape the public percep
tion of what they are about to see and
what they have seen. This means, of Screenings
course, that marginal expressions within a
genre are further marginalized, making Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959) or
horror one of the most politically conser
Robot Monster (1953)
vative of genres. Alien (1979) or Aliens (1986)

Perhaps more than any other genre, horror

films have been marketed in all manner of
ways. It would be useful to spend some Readings
time discussing generic expectation and
the use of a film "gimmick," such as 3-D Ang, Ien. "Conquering the Audience"
or its sillier cousins: odorama, percepto, and "Marketing the Audience." Des
emergo, psychedelic hypnovision, and so perately Seeking the Audience. New
on. There should be some consideration of York: Routledge, 1991. 15-98.

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Arkoff, Sam. Flying through Hollywood examination of the role of gender in the
by the Seat of My Pants. New York: horror genre.
Birch Lane, 1992.
A successful exercise here could be the
Betrock, Alan. The I Was a Teenage Ju
application of different cultural methods
venile Delinquent Rock n' Roll Horror
and understandings to a certain text to
Beach Party Movie Book: A Complete
show how easily its signification system
Guide to the Teen Exploitation Film,
can shift with cultural context. This might
1954-1969. New York: St. Martin's,
1986. include a feminist reading of a film, a gay
reading, or an African-American or His
Castle, William. Step Right Up! Vm
panic reading. Lakoflf may need to be
Gonna Scare the Pants Off America:
revisited here, as his work examines the
Memoirs of a B-Movie Mogul. New
cultural basis for categorization and the
York: Pharos, 1992.
manifold possible contexts in which any
Corman, Roger. How I Made a Hundred
object can be placed.
Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a
Dime. New York: Random House, 1990. Any horror film with a complex narrative
Creed, Barbara. "Horror and the Mon could be screened for this unit, but revis
strous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjec iting?with new eyes?a film used earlier
tion." Screen 27.1 (Jan.-Feb. 1986): 44 in the course may provide illuminating
71. insights. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Friedman, David. A Youth in Babylon: would be a good choice because it lends
Confessions of a Trash-Film King. itself to multiple readings.
Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1990.
Klinger, Barbara. "Digressions at the Cin
ema: Reception and Mass Culture."
Cinema Journal 28.4 (1989): 3-19. Screenings
McGee, Mark. Fast and Furious: The
Story of American International Pic The Silence of the Lambs
tures. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1984.

Unit 13: Horror and Culture Readings

This unit attempts to further coax horror Clover, Carol. Men, Women and Chain
out of its literary shell and into the broad saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.
est cultural contexts. Specifically, what Princeton: Princeton UP, 1992.
signification system is used by genre in Fiske, John. "Cultural Studies and the
general and horror in particular in certain Culture of Everyday Life." Cultural
cultures and subcultures? This is a com Studies. Ed. L. Grossberg, C. Nelson,
plex question, and the extent to which it and P. Treichler. New York: Routledge,
can be explored depends to some degree 1992. 154-73.
on the prior exposure students have had to Kaplan, E. Ann. "Feminist Criticism and
semiotics and cultural studies. John Television." Channels of Discourse.
Fiske's "Cultural Studies" and E. Ann Ed. R. Allen. Chapel Hill: U of North
Kaplan's "Feminist Studies and Televi Carolina P, 1987. 211-53.
sion" formulate a good first encounter
with this way of thinking about texts, but
it will be up to the instructor to make the Unit 14: Horror and Romanticism
connections to genre and horror. Carol
Clover's Men, Women and Chainsaws can There are 14 units rather than the usual 15
help in making this connection through its because at least one week during the se

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mester is taken up with student presenta Corman, making it susceptible to both
tions of the subgenre and authorship authorship and economic analyses; it
projects. draws on romantic/transcendental themes;
and it permits the application of methods
This final unit attempts to situate horror found in Todorov, Carroll, and Grant.
within the broadest Western intellectual Dark Shadows can also illustrate some of
and historical traditions, in a sense to these points, although not as comprehen
complete the connection made between sively.
this genre and common ways of knowing
and seeing, referring back to the generali
zations of Todorov and Frye.
Screenings
For the horror genre, one interesting way
to do this is to examine nineteenth-century Dark Shadows (ABC; 1966-71)
romanticism, transcendentalism, and Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
gothic form from our late twentieth
century perspective. In particular, a read
ing of Emerson's transcendental eye/I and
Shelley's Prometheus Unbound quickly
Readings
contextualizes the themes, archetypes,
and tropes of horror within a larger histor
ical/cultural framework. Carroll, Noel. "Why Horror?" The Phi
losophy of Horror. New York: Rout
ledge, 1990. 97-157.
Although not strictly on this point, Car
roll's "Why Horror?" rounds out the
course by seeking other cultural contexts
to account for the genre. The film Frank
enstein Unbound (1990) is one of the best Works Cited
possible choices for conclusive reflection
on the part of the students for several Chickering, Arthur, and Zelda Gamson.
reasons: it intertextually cannibalizes the "Seven Principles for Good Practice
history of horror cinema and weaves it in Undergraduate Education." Wing
into a bricolage; it is directed by Roger spread Journal 92 (1987): 1.

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