Reading horror films

Media text, whether it is horror or romance, are open to multiple readings. Horror films are considered to be deliberately ambiguous in which the audience who watches them are more likely to misunderstand the whole plot (such as Babadook or The shining..)
 

Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist and a professor of sociology, looks at the role of audience in the interpretation of media texts by different social groups. Hall came up with a model suggesting 4 ways in which we may read a media text:

Preferred/dominant: This is when the audience will prefer to read the text (in our case, a horror film), in the way the producer has intended them to. So that the meaning is clear, natural and transparent to do so.

Oppositional: This is when there is a disagreement with the ideology/film from the genuine idea, so they reject the reading.

Negotiated: This looks at how the audience would work out the meaning of the film with the concepts that they disagree with or they don't understand (the intended reading) and they would sometimes modify it for their preferred reading.

Aberrant: This is when the audience completely misunderstands the film or they read it in a way in which it wasn't intended to be read.

Hall was concerned with how powerful the media was in terms of how it propagates particular social values, to create dominant ideologies; in this case, horror films arouse strong positive and negative readings, causing it to be easily misinterpreted. For example, most horror films are seen to glamorise violence, even though that isn't the case.

Controversial horror films:

These are films in which the case of aberrant reading has occurred, where the audience would see it as one thing but it turns out to be another. Something less gruesome or dark than the audience thinks or something that goes against the social rules of society at that time of its release, but now would be considered of less importance

Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock (1960):

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film has had many criticisms especially due to the fact that it featured many scenes that were shocking and divisive to critics and audiences alike - including uncommon violent and sexual content (for the 1960s). For example, in the 1960s an unmarried couple that were unclothed and in the same bed as each other was considered as taboo, Psycho had a scene in which unmarried Marion (Vivien Leigh) and Sam (John Gavin) were partially unclothed and in bed together.

Another example is the iconic shower scene, in which Marion dies in the shower which was criticised for how appallingly graphic it was and the character’s nudity. In modern times this wouldn't be considered as a negative thing, but nothing to be concerned over seeing as over time we have grown accustomed to such scenes.

In the end, the film had become incredibly successful and still is known as one of the most iconic horror films to this day. In many ways, Psycho paved a way for all future controversial horror films that followed by proving that pushing the boundaries could definitely pay off.

The Exorcist - William Friedkin (1973):

It is considered to be a true horror classic. However, when it was released in 1973, it was met with plenty criticism and controversy.  It was noted for its graphic depictions of violence towards and from a young protagonist, the film scandalised the audience.

There were scenes in which the protagonist would defile herself with a cross while yelling obscenities as projectile green vomit was released, the horrors inflicted on the young girl were too much for some of the audience. The Exorcist also caused various reactions within the audience in theatres during its initial run, causing everything from heart attacks to vomiting in the aisles. Its use of subliminal imagery also caused controversy to the point in which a Pastor actually believed that there was a demon within the reels of the film.

But despite its graphic content, it remains a favourite among horror fans to this day due to its unforgettable portrayal of good versus evil.

Texas chainsaw massacre - Tobe Hooper (1974):

This film is still considered to be one of the most scariest and influential film to this day. However, at the time it was released, it was met with strong views from critics. With it being banned from various countries - including the UK - due to its many brutal and dark scenes, which includes a scene in which one of the victims was impaled with an meat hook and had to watch another victim be chain sawed. On the contrary, critics later praised both the film's aesthetic quality and its power; saying how it managed to be horrifying without an excessive amount of gore and how it sets a new standard for slasher films.

Years later, the film received many rewards, to the point at which the film was placed into the Horror Hall of Fame in 1990 and it is part of the permanent collection of New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Which is a massive change from the time of its initial release, because of how societies have changed their values over time.

 

 

My opinion:

Personally, I believe that most horror films start of with negative criticisms; on the contrary, this cannot be applicable to all because there will be horror films out there that are considered to be extremely controversial, a more modern example would be the Human centipede. In which all 3 films are banned in various countries and is still banned to this day. However, as society grows, different values and ideas change along with the growth. Meaning that something that would have been regarded as taboo in the past could become the norm in upcoming future.

Films now-a-days are less controversial than films that were made in - for example - the 70s, it may show that directors are becoming more aware of what is socially acceptable and what isn't. Personally, I feel that this restricts the audience to have a deep insight into the story for a horror film and for directors to be creative with their plots, but it will keep things within a safe range for the audience to be able to handle the film. As for my film, I feel that it would be categorised as "preferred reading" seeing as the plot is not too complicated and there isn't really anything that is too controversial within it. Unless someone considers a child being placed under psychological stress an issue, but it is only a small amount of stress, nothing too harmful.