It's only a movie, right?

The American Nightmare analyzes how horror films resurrect our repressed fears about contemporary events.  Furthermore, the film explains how the genre of horror began to reflect political and social anxieties and mayhem of the 1960s and ‘70s.  “The American Nightmare” dives into classic horror films of the ‘60s and ‘70s such as Night of the Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, and Dawn of the Dead.  As filmmaker George Romero says, “Obviously what’s happening in the world creeps into any work”.  The events happening in the world is what ultimately gives filmmakers like Romero ideas to produce a film.

Professor Adam Lowenstein of University of Pittsburgh speaks about the real images in Night of the Living Dead and how you “cant not think of lynching’s, you cannot not think of the kind of freedom marches in the south, you cant not think about the civil right struggle”.  African American actor Duane Jones who starred as Ben in Night of the Living Dead, was shot and killed at the end of the movie.  The police refused to touch his body and used hooks instead of their hands.  There was also confirmations of male dominance and gory violence in the movie, which both existed during the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Ultimately, horror films such as Night of the Living Dead reflect the reality existing around us, yet in a fictional way.  Horror films allow us to capture the thrill of being afraid through a screen, rather than us engaging directly with fear.  This idea resonates with special effect make up artist, Tom Savini.  Extremely compelling, Savini talks about his time in Vietnam and how he was bale to turn his emotions off.  He utilized his camera not only to take pictures, but by using the lens to substitute fantasy with reality.  Savini successfully turned real fear into immediate ‘fake’ fear by looking at mutilated bodies as a special effect. 

Vietnam                                                                                  The Last House on the Left

                                                                                                 

The American Nightmare was extremely interesting and important as a whole.  I was very interested in how humans can simply turn off their emotions and be completely drawn into a horror film.  I am very interested to see how in the next several years I will hopefully learn what the horror films of my generation will mean within the context of political and social upheaval.

Is it only a movie? 

Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is a black and white horror film directed by George Romero in 1968.  This highly significant film takes place in a rural town in Pennsylvania.  Night of the Living Dead was the first zombie film ever directed is based on a nonrealistic epidemic of zombie cannibals.  However this powerful discourse constructs a sense of truth that if zombies did exist, it "would be like the one presented" (Harper).

After thoroughly analyzing the film myself and reading Stephen Harper's analysis essay "Reappraising an Undead Classic", I can make a distinct connection between Night of the Living Dead and Hall's essay on Representation.  Hall stresses that power ultimately influences what we have knowledge of.  This movie is a perfect example of something powerful constructing truth by taking something so unrealistic and molding it into our fears.

Romero's techniques of construction

 In Harper's essay he explains how during the release of the film, 1968 news appeared in black and white, which "would have given Night of the Living Dead a documentary-like feel to the film's audiences, at least" (Harper).

This film also utilizes a powerful discourse in the movie, the mass media.  By focusing in on some of the characters listening to the radio and watching television, this also adds a sense of actuality, and is actually quite humorous.  The character's in this film seem to be so drawn in on the media, almost relying on it.  In my opinion, this movie presented the news as a reflective approach.  What the reporters were talking about on the news was actually happening.  I feel that this had to have added a sense of reality to the audience watching, ultimately adding to the constructing of the truth.  Furthermore, by using and confirming the role of police brings into call our dependency and our fears.  If this zombie epidemic did come about, are we going to rely on the police to stop it?

Hall's essay also talks about how language and meaning are never fixed and are constantly sliding.  In every era, this movie shifts meaning in terms of cultural and political anxieties.  In the 1960s, this film is said to be a "critique of 1960s American Capitalism".  In the Wikipedia reading, film historian Robin Wood writes how zombies' victims "symbolized the repression of the 'other; in bourgeoisie American society, namely civil rights activists, feminists, homosexuals, and counterculturists in general" (Wood).

"Night of the Living Dead reminds us of something that the recent outbreak of zombie films may have caused us to forget: the oppositional potential of popular culture.  In this sense, the film is an undead classic that can still tell us something about who we are — and warn us about what we might turn into"(Harper).

Messages we receive through media are subconsciously influencing us to fear life.  Fears are constructed, warped, and transferred into our daily lives through media.  Horror films contribute to this 'construction' of fear by presenting 'realistic' themes, camera work, lighting, location, language, etc..  

The original Scream is a 1996 horror film that includes a masked killer who murders numerous people in a seemingly normal suburban town.  Barthe's idea of denotation and connotation to the semiotics approach representation is critical in analyzing this popular horror film.  On the first level of denotation, this is a horror film about a killer in a suburban town going after high school students.  These signifiers of then enter the connotation level where we "interpret the completed signs in terms of the wider realms of social ideology- the general beliefs, conceptual frameworks and value systems of society" (Barthes 39).  

What links these two levels together are the construction of fear throughout the movie.  

I assume some of the characters in this film were carefully chosen for multiple reasons, one in particular being they are closely relatable to the target audience of Scream, teenagers.  Since the characters are so relatable, this movie is inflicting this certain fear upon us that anyone can be murdered, even upper middle class high school students.  

Another code which is adding to the construction of fear linked with symbolism are some of the more technical aspects.  One common theme throughout the movie was the fear of isolation and being alone.  All of the houses seemed to be in the middle of nowhere surrounded by never ending land.  The characters who were murdered were also alone every time they came in contact with the killer.  Being alone is now immediately linked with fear....

In this behind the scenes clip you can see the different lighting, camera angles, and locations.

The symbolic discourse of the killer in this movie reflects our 'fears' that are constructed daily through the media.  

This photo is of my local news station website in my hometown.  I am not surprised, but sadly I do not see one positive story......This negativity the news media conveys transfers into our lives and puts our freedom at a halt.

According to Hall’s Essay on Representation, the Constructionist approach says that “things don’t mean—We construct meaning” by using our representational systems: concepts and signs.  However, the 'we' in this situation refers to the news media.  The news media use these representational signs to control and construct the meaning of the message.

Listed below are some of the top stories featured on the MSNBC news program.  At the very beginning of the program the reporter foreshadowed the top news stories of the day.  But, how he precisely worded each story almost guarantees much anticipation from the audience...

"Death of a Superstar: What Happened in that Beverly Hills hotel room? We remember her fame, troubled life, and legacy"

"A Greek drama playing out in Athens--Over 100,000 people gathered to protest--Cops responding with tear gas--Will these new reforms be sufficient to save this country from eventual default?" 

"Record low temps--Even in parts of Florida we have a freeze warning in effect and shelters have been opened up as well" 

"Record highs--Gas prices sky rocket and the pain at the pump is just getting started--If you think its bad now, just wait..."

The news media undeniably chooses certain words for certain stories.  Words that I underlined such as death, troubled, drama, and protest all build on news medias construction.  Furthermore, most TV content is constructed by social codes before being taped/aired.  Social codes refer to the reporters appearance, dress, and speech.  

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46361280

Both reporters covering this story are dressed very respectable and speak with a very serious, professional tone, all adding to the construction of meaning.  Additionally, the camera angles, lighting, editing, etc also act as very important constructing strategies to news. 

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46361282/#46351487

Images and videos of snowy roads with car pile ups are increasing our fears and anxiety of traveling in sketchy weather.  Images, editing, appearance, speech, choice of wording, angles, etc all magnify our fear. News media use these concepts and signs and construct them into ideologic codes.  What the news media say manufactures our reality, purposely overwhelming us with fear.

The Fear Exhibit is an interesting website that closely relates to what we are learning in class. The link below shows the actual vs perceived risks of 'dangerous' situations that we are told to fear.

http://www.fearexhibit.org/media/perceived_risk

"Bowling For Columbine"

Activist Filmmaker Michael Moore controversially exposes the United States of America in his 2002 film, Bowling for Columbine.  By focusing on the deadliest school shooting in history of the United States, Moore dives straight into the root of the problem: Our obsession with guns and violence.

America takes gold with the amount of guns owned, of gun-related injuries, and of working officers.  Some blame parental supervision, some blame rock n roll stars like Marilyn Manson, but Moore's rooted reasoning is the medias role in portraying a 'culture of fear' that leads us to feelings that being armed is necessary for survival. 

The Columbine school shooting is ranked the fourth deadliest in the United States.  Thirteen people were killed and 24 were injured.  This shooting provoked issues such as gun availability, violence in video games, bullying, school security, and many more.  As most Americans watched this terrifying, heart wrenching event unfold, many felt that it was necessary to purchase weapons for their own safety.  Below is a video of an Oklahoma teen mom who shot and killed an intruder.  The way I interpreted this is if this women was not armed, her and her baby would not be alive.

News making national headlines like this one is just one example of why we feel the need to fear our lives and to protect our family.  Moreover,  websites such as LearnAboutGuns.com also justifies and glamorizes the advantage to owning a gun.  This website author writes about massacres such as Columbine and the Virgina Tech shooting and offers unsolicitied advice to prevent tragedies in the future.  "Perhaps if the teachers [of Columbine] had been given the option to voluntarily receive training and a concealed handgun to defend themselves and their students, this tragedy could have been averted or at least lessened".............

 I find it appalling that this man actually thinks that if every individual were armed then all of our problems would be solved.  If teachers started to bring guns to school I believe it would further demolish our sense of rationality and our view of a community.  Perhaps if we were not bombarded with fearful messages this tragedy could have been "averted or at least lessened". 

http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/04/30/the-flawed-reasoning-behind-gun-free-zones/