Does a movie really need to have a monster that is not possible according to modern science in order to be considered a work of art-horror? According to Noel Carroll, this is a requirement. The monster must also be out of place in its environment, dangerous, and impure. Surely any movie with a character such as a vampire or werewolf is horrific. However, I do not think that it necessarily needs to be a requirement.
Personally, I find movies that do not focus on an impossible monster to be more horrific and scary than those that do. Seeing a movie with a scary monster is frightening and shocks me, but later on I can explain it away by telling myself that there are no such things as zombies and ghosts and I am not so scared anymore. If I know that something I saw in a horror movie could potentially happen, I am much more scared. After watching such a movie, I am usually looking over my shoulder and avoiding walking by myself in the dark for weeks.
One example of a movie that has no supernatural monster is Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I would consider this to be a horror movie because it is extremely scary. The cannibal killer chases after five teenagers who are passing through the town with a chainsaw and kills and tortures them. Although “Leatherface,” as the serial killer is called, is a human being and could exist, I would consider him to be a monster. If we can assume that, all the other elements of horror are there and Texas Chainsaw Massacre would be classified as horror. Clearly, Leatherface is threatening and dangerous. Wielding a chainsaw, he chases after his victims who can only run for their lives. He is also disgusting because he wears a mask made out of some of his victim’s faces. The movie is full of blood and gore, which makes it even more disgusting.
Like the films Carroll classifies as horror, Texas Chainsaw Massacre aims to evoke an emotion from the audience that mirrors that of the characters. Members of the audience are supposed to feel scared and horrified as they watch the character’s reactions of immense fear and disgust.
The plot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows the complex discovery plot, as well. There is an onset when we learn of the ‘monster’s’ existence. The characters discover him and then try to convince the authorities and anyone they can find that the killer is chasing them. Unfortunately as each character confronts or is confronted by Leatherface, he or she is killed. One of the main elements of a horror film is its plot, according to Carroll, and this movie clearly follows a plot similar to many horror movies.
In addition to a good horror plot, Texas Chainsaw Massacre has suspense. There is always a question as to what is going to happen next. There are macro-questions, such as ‘Will the teenagers escape the killer alive?’ as well as micro-questions like ‘Will the car start when they are trying to drive away?’ With the cannibal killer chasing unarmed teenagers around with a chainsaw, it is obvious that the morally desirable outcome of the teenagers surviving is highly unlikely. Also, the morally undesirable outcome of the teenagers being killed is very likely. This follows Carroll’s formula for suspense.
A movie with a psychotic person who harms those around him can have all the same characteristics as a horror film that meets Carroll’s definition including a fearsome and disgusting ‘monster,’ an emotion of horror from the audience which is based on that of the characters, a complex discovery plot, and suspense. The only difference is that the ‘monster’ could possibly be real. At the beginning and end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, footage is shown which is supposedly real video of police investigating the killer. The camera dramatically falls to the ground as the police officer encounters him and is killed. The audience may actually believe that this is real footage because it is entirely possible. However, after investigating its truthfulness, I found out that the footage is all just part of the movie. The movie is based on serial killer Ed Gein, who did not kill his victims with a chainsaw, but was in fact a cannibal and used human skin to make himself a mask, clothes, and furniture. Even though the footage was not real, the fact that it could be real makes it a lot scarier. That is why I think that a horror monster should not have to be impossible or supernatural, but could be a person who might actually exist.
Erin Baumgartner
No comments:
Post a Comment