The Decay of Monsters: Horror Movies Throughout History
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Date
2016-03
Authors
Loutzenhiser, Stephen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In this thesis, I explore the rich history of horror films through their most
popular and well-remembered entries. Using this analysis of why each individual movie
is well-remembered, I examine them as products of their own time and as classic media.
This thesis discusses the concept of the "other", what the monsters and protagonists
represent, and why this was important at the time the film was made. Following this,
the thesis examines modem films and series, and the huge gap of quality between the
well-rated films and the high-grossing films of the more modem era. Horror seems to
have become stagnant, drawing more and more from other film genres and losing less
of it's own evolution and style in recent years. Reflecting on the past with this thesis
will hopefully allow us to see ways to fix and continue to evolve the horror movie
genre.
Description
76 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Digital Arts and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.
Keywords
Horror film, Horror, Film, Art history, Art, Time-based media, Monsters