Horror Movies

[drjinx]

My students have all be arguing (quite reasonably given the assignment parameters) that horror movies reflect and critique the social movements of their culture.  I'm trying to figure if there's a horror movie that critiques a culture not its own (or the culture of a time not its own).  Ideas?

Comments

[drjinx]

Slasher films, though, (which I think pioneered the killing people for having sex thing) were a product of the 1970s and the deaths can be seen as a commentary on the sexual revolution.

I haven't seen Hardware, though I should, since I like post-apocolypsey movies.

Can you tell me more about what you mean about Stephen King? (Unless you just mean the sex, which I will agree with you has nothing to do with culture and everything to do with King being a weirdo).

[beluosus]

I'm having a hard time thinking of any that critique other times/cultures. Most of what makes horror movies work is that the audience can latch onto the familiar elements: these are people JUST LIKE US and suddenly their world is turned upside down. Either the people are like us because they're from our culture (Oh no, it lives off the blood of high school students -- I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL!) or it deals with universals (fear of the dark &c). Films that critique other times & places generally get made as period pieces, which the bulk of horror movies do not (or they do it very poorly; I love Hammer Horror but the 60s hair in 19th century Romania is a bit jarring).

Mel and I just saw Let the Right One In, and while it was set in 1982, it wasn't really about the 80s so much as being a child.

Bones sort of critiques the 70s, insofar as it has flashback sequences to slowly reveal the nature of the supernatural forces. But it's really just a nice lovecraftien tale, except that instead of 20s New England it's set in the 'hood. If you

[drjinx]

Yes, I guess it was this idea of a period horror movie that I was wondering more about. Dr. Who seems to do this occasionally. I'm thinking about the Lost Child episodes in particular. Not sure about cultural commentary there, though, as I'm neither up on current British culture or really on WWII British culture.

Hammer Horror?

I haven't seen Bones and it sounds awesome.

[robot_mel]

In WW2 you have the evacuation of the children from London, so a little boy wondering around wanting his mummy could be seen as a critique on this, but then as all posh and a lot of middle class sent their kids away to boarding school at that time, it realy wasn't than unsual so I think you'd be reaching a bit with that explanation. I don't think it was very cultural just creepy.

British film studio Hammer, who did loads of films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Some are really good, like The Devil Rides Out, some are rather silly, like Twins of Evil. Though that one was a commentary on how ridiculous the whole "witch-hunting" phenomena was and rather down on Puritans in general.

[feralboy]

Every time I try to think of one I fail...I have failed you.