Conventions of Thriller

Fears and the films that play of them

PERSONAL

Clowns - IT (1990)

Trees - Harry Potter (2001+), Poltergeist(1982, 2015)

Insects - Temple of doom(1984)

Spiders - Arachnophobia(1990), Harry Potter(2001+)

Ghosts - The Conjuring(2013), Paranormal Activity(2011)

Loneliness - Martian(2015), I Am Legend(2007)

Death/Pain - Saw(2004), Human Centipede(2009)

SOCIETY:

Terrorists - James Bond(1962+)

Youth - Eden Lake(2008), The Children(2008)

War - Patriot(2000)

Government & Control - V for Vendetta(2005), The Purge(2013)

End of the World - 2012(2009), Day after Tomorrow(2004)

Recession - Wolf of Wallstreet(2013)

Artificial Intelligence - 2001(1968), Ex Machina(2015), I Robot(2004), Terminator(1984+)

Zombie Apocalypse - the Walking Dead(2010+)

Why do we like scary films?

Aristotle

The Catharsis Theory by Aristotle believes in the idea that we watch scary films to cleanse our own negative feelings. Watching or experiencing violent/frightening things can reduce the anger held back (ideas like these are also explored in movies like ‘The Purge’). We go to movies for them to affect us emotionally, otherwise they would not be enjoyable.

Glen D. Walters

Glen D. Walters stated that there are 3 primary factors affect how we enjoy these movies, the first being the creation of tension by the microelements. The information and narrative need to be manipulated. The second factor is relevance to the audience; it needs to be recognisable and hold some meaning. His final point was that it had to be viewed as unrealistic. He based this off earlier studies such as one where students were exposed to real life horrors through a documentary. The vast majority could not watch till the end. However, many of these students would turn a blind eye to the far more graphic depictions of violence in horror, due to the factor of Unrealism.

Dolf Zillman

The final theory we studied was one by Dolf Zillman about excitation transfer, who said that the negative emotions gained throughout the film would intensify the positive ones towards the end (for example: when the bad guy is killed off). The audience enjoys the punishment of evildoers who have caused horrors and grief. This is the Dispositional Alignment theory.