Fannntastic!!

This week we have watched a few films that have been classified as "the fantastic." What is "the fantastic?" It is a type of film that is opposite that of a "horror" film, according to Carroll. If there is a monster, it is never shown, which usually means that it would be something of the supernatural sort. According to Carroll, an example of "horror" would be "The Bride of Frankenstein." The reason it is considered horror is because there are monsters present (Frankenstein and his bride). The have the characteristics of monsters, ugly, disgusting, seem to be out to kill and so on and we have identified them.

Now for "the fantastic." This genre is much different from that of "horror." To some, films may be horrorific, but to Carroll, they are not "horror." They are "the fantastic." We hear about the monster, but the thing is, we never actually come into contact with the monster. Which leads Carroll to believe that this monster is really supernatural. We never see it, we only hear about the things that it does or the people that it kills. A perfect example of this would have to be "The Haunting." This film is about a doctor who wants to find out about the Hill House and all of the murders that have occured there since the beginning of the house. He gets a select few people together to go to Hill House to see if they can witness a supernatural first hand. Over a span of a few days, the house starts to act up, it appears to breathe, and move and shake. One woman in particular feels as if this house has taken control over her. Remember, that we have not identified a monster, according to Carroll. The woman keeps saying that the house wants her, but nobody else understands, until the big wooden door in a bedroom looks as if it is breathing. That is when they finally realize that there really is something at work in that house, monster or supernatural, they don't know. At the end of the movie, the woman is leaving Hill House and as she is driving away, something takes the wheel of the car and starts to swerve. The car ends up hitting a tree and she dies before she can leave the gates. This film is a clear example of "the fantastic," to Carroll at least. Some may see it as a horror film because it is very frightening, but Carroll sees it different. We knew that there was something at work, creating all of these murders, but we never know what it was. Carroll doesn't consider the house as a monster, because it doesn't have the characteristics of one. The only conclusion that we can come to is that there is a supernatural force at work in the house causing all of the murders.