Greg Frey Journal # 2 Plots/Theories

Generally, most horror movies share similar plots regardless of the movies content such as wearwolfs or even killer Barbie dolls. Carroll points out that we generally get a sense of what is going to happen or a good range of what might happen at certain climaxes in the film. A typical horror film is set up in the Complex Discovery Plot. The monster is first made apparent and is causing some sort of disruptions or horrific actions. From here, one or more people discover the creature and try to convince others sometimes successfully and some not. The others usually do not realize it until it may be too late and finally confirming that the monster exists. Finally the climax of the story is the confrontation between man and beast with usual predictable outcome—monster defeated and hero gets the girl.
In the book, Carroll also talks about the Universal and General Theories of horror films and why do we as the audiences enjoy watching them. Both of these films discuss how humans being curious, are also fascinated by what is unknown. The Universal theory is directed more with the art horror (disgust and fear) which is entertaining to let our imaginations go free. The General theory is designed to grab the audience because of the plot and not so much the monster. I feel like the movie Carrie (1976) used the General Theory very well that drawled the audience into the character and life of the teenaged girl to ultimately set up her wrath at the end. Even though Carrie was not a monster, the audience, speaking from my perspective, was fascinated by the super-natural and the unknown. This is also Todoron’s definition of “the Fantastic.”
I am indeed intrigued by what is the mystery of the unknown associated with the high level of disgust from a monster. Horror films are an expression possibility related to that time of era such as Gojira a Japanese film of the Godzilla version to which we know released in 1954 to signify the destruction of World War II. These imaginations of horror writers allow us to escape reality and be scared, amused, or fascinated by something out of the norm.