Critical Investigation

Megan Riley

Question…

“How and why does the Horror genre, such as films as ‘Hide and Seek’, exaggerate the mentally ill”

Linked Production…

Documentary exploring Mental Illness, such as depression

Ch 4 – Post Watershed

Moral panicS

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Films represent how those with mental illness used to be treated – as mad and had no place in society

Steady revenue- recycle of narrative as they know what audiences want

Keeping those of lower class in lower class, representations and stereotypes

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Low key lighting, dirty & worn out clothes, generally show them as Ferrell

Film – Hollywood, mainstream, exploitation of those suffering with mental illness

Horror, thriller (Genre Theory)

Lower class, dependant, ‘crazy’, they have no place in society as they cannot function properly

Those who like to explore the unnatural realms of society (explorers), (Hyperdermic needle, escapism)

General ideologies: to create sympathy for those with mental illness, and also to reinforce the original ideologies that society already have about those with ill health

Big revelation at the end, general reuse of narrative- with slight variations, generally non-linear narrative

Points To Make…

o How the mentally ill are represented in horror films

o What the mentally ill are actually like

o What effect these ideologies that are put forth by the media have on society (creating stigma)

…

o General representations of characters in horror films

o Why horror films exaggerate their characters (exploration of methods)

o How representations of the mentally ill have progressed over time

How my title fits into the contemporary media landscape…It explores issues in todays society- as some people question whether those with mental illness should live among those who are sane. More and more films are using characters that have mental problems or are recovering from them.

Texts to be looked at…

o Hide & Seek

o Shutter Island

o The Uninvited

BibliographyFink.P , Tasman. ‘A Stigma & Mental Illness’ (American Psychiatric

Press, Washington DC, 1992)

Wahl.O, Yonaton Lefkowitz.J ‘American Journal of Community Psychology’

Stout.P, Villegas.J, Jennings.N ‘Oxford Journals: Schizophrenia Bulletin, Images of Mental Illnes in The Media, Volume 30 Issue 3’

Abrams.N. , Bell. Udris.J ‘Studying Film’ (New York, USA, Oxford University Press Inc, 2001)

Curran.J , Gurevitch.M ‘Mass Media and Society’ (Hodder Education, London, 2005)

Newman.K ‘Science Fiction/Horror, A Sight and Sound Reader’