Reading Horror Movies

Polysemy - a text that is open to different/multiple interpretations. Horror films are often deliberately ambiguous.

The audience can also respond to texts in different ways outlined by Stuart Hall in his 'Response Theory'.
The producer encodes a meaning and the reader decodes the meaning. Different audiences will decode the text in different ways, and not always in the way the producer intended.
One of the problems for horror movies is that the encoded, preferred meaning might be lost on a more modern audience

Possible readings:

• Preferred/dominant  - this is when the text is read in the way the producer intended it to be - the audience agree with the message and ideology that the producer has placed behind the text - the audience will view the text in the way intended. - an audience would have a dominant reading through a clear message, being the TA, the content being relative to the society and the audience have chosen to consume the text voluntarily. 
• Opposistional - the audience rejects the producers preferred reading and creates their own - do not agree with the meaning completely 
• Negotiated - compromise between dominant and opposistional - accepts the views of the producer but also has their own interpretation and understanding of the text - do not agree or disagree
• Aberrant 

Horror films arouse strong positive and negative readings; they also are easily misinterpreted. 

My thoughts: 

• Do you like horror films? If so, why? If not, why? 

I personally enjoy horror films as the incorporation of the fear factor and adrenaline captivates me. Horror's involve the audience well with the aspect of suspense, meaning you feel more invested within a film and will therefore enjoy it more. 

• What do you think makes a good scary movie?

Qualities I look for in a good scary movie: complex characters (either the horror element or victims), jump scares, suspense (meaning the film doesn't reveal too much, too early), not being too abstract - incorporation of the everyday society of the audience - makes it more realistic and evokes fear.

Controversial Horror Films

• The Exorcist 
• The Human Centipede 
• Freaks 
• Cannibal Holocaust 
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• A Serbian Film 
• Peeping Tom
• Nekromantik