Relevant research from the book: Horror by Mark Jancovich

Relevant research from the book: Horror by Mark Jancovich

(Page 63) Some American tales that are portrayed in films are inspired by the recent history of the Cold War. For example, The Thing (1951) is 'as much concerned with the conflicts among its American characters as it is with the conflict between the Americans and the alien being'. Soldiers were seen as a particular threat because their actions tend to originate from practical knowledge and past experiences rather than rational scientific knowledge. In history, the shoot and kill approach has not always been effective and this may be why soldiers are seen to be unreliable. Another key point is that soldiers are the main defence of a country and if that defence isn't enough to suppress the threat, the country then feels overwhelmed by the danger posed.

(Page 94) Another belief that goes back many centuries is the concept of possession as seen in films like Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead. This stems from the Catholic Church's ideas about evil and the devil, and this was effective in America especially because the majority of the population was Christian. Possessed children were often depicted in films because they are normally seen as 'a natural innocent who is unaccountably invaded by evil forces'. The child can then harbour entities like the devil and this is a strong juxtaposing image. Psychology was also starting to become a popular topic and possession was a useful way of representing the instability of consciousness and identity.

(Page 97) Some films such as The Exorcist and The Omen highlight the 'destruction of society' through the ignorance of certain authoritative figures.

(Page 104-107) The subject of serial killing has been present in society for a long period of time especially the serial killings of certain groups e.g teenagers, women and prostitutes. Additionally, the serial killers wear masks to 'deny the audience access to the personal features of a human face and create the impression of anonymity'and this lack of understanding increases fear.The fictional serial killers of today have been inspired by real historic cases, for example, Jack the Ripper, and they are said to be 'the essence of pure evil'. Real life killings could arguably be a desire for social change, however, as a society, we only see the need to 'repress' the monster and we see 'no need to change the way we live as a society'. So serial killing myths could originate from society's fear of responding to social change. Serial killers, therefore, continue to thrive because of their 'lack of conscious motivation, and apparent relentless powers of what seems to be a largely incomprehensible and compulsive logic of behaviour'.