James Rose
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781906733643
- eISBN:
- 9781800342064
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781906733643.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
No-one who has ever seen the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is ever likely to forget the experience. An intense fever dream (or nightmare), it is remarkable for its sense of sustained ...
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No-one who has ever seen the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is ever likely to forget the experience. An intense fever dream (or nightmare), it is remarkable for its sense of sustained threat and depiction of an insane but nonetheless (dys)functional family on the furthest reaches of society who have regressed to cannibalism in the face of economic hardship. As well as providing a summary of the making of the film, this book discusses the extraordinary censorship history of the film in the UK (essentially banned for two decades) and provides a detailed textual analysis of the film with particular reference to the concept of ‘the Uncanny’. The book also situates the film in the context of horror film criticism (the ‘Final Girl’ character) and discusses its influence and subsequent sequels and remakes.Less
No-one who has ever seen the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is ever likely to forget the experience. An intense fever dream (or nightmare), it is remarkable for its sense of sustained threat and depiction of an insane but nonetheless (dys)functional family on the furthest reaches of society who have regressed to cannibalism in the face of economic hardship. As well as providing a summary of the making of the film, this book discusses the extraordinary censorship history of the film in the UK (essentially banned for two decades) and provides a detailed textual analysis of the film with particular reference to the concept of ‘the Uncanny’. The book also situates the film in the context of horror film criticism (the ‘Final Girl’ character) and discusses its influence and subsequent sequels and remakes.
Benjamin Poole
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781906733568
- eISBN:
- 9781800342057
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781906733568.003.0008
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter assesses the influence of horror upon its audience. Does continued exposure to images of violence and sustained threat influence and corrupt audiences? Interestingly, the SAW films, or ...
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This chapter assesses the influence of horror upon its audience. Does continued exposure to images of violence and sustained threat influence and corrupt audiences? Interestingly, the SAW films, or at least their marketing campaigns, would seem to subscribe to the passive 'inoculation' audience theory. The 'inoculation' hypothesis, or 'drip drip' theory, argues that continued exposure to violent images desensitises the audience, necessitating more extreme imagery in order to receive the requisite shock gratification. Each SAW movie certainly attempts to outdo its predecessor in terms of imaginative gore. The series' marketing keys into this accumulative demand, in a sense postulating each film's Unique Selling Proposition (USP) as an increase in novel gore.Less
This chapter assesses the influence of horror upon its audience. Does continued exposure to images of violence and sustained threat influence and corrupt audiences? Interestingly, the SAW films, or at least their marketing campaigns, would seem to subscribe to the passive 'inoculation' audience theory. The 'inoculation' hypothesis, or 'drip drip' theory, argues that continued exposure to violent images desensitises the audience, necessitating more extreme imagery in order to receive the requisite shock gratification. Each SAW movie certainly attempts to outdo its predecessor in terms of imaginative gore. The series' marketing keys into this accumulative demand, in a sense postulating each film's Unique Selling Proposition (USP) as an increase in novel gore.
