Arnzen, Michael A. "Who's Laughing Now? The Postmodern Splatter Film." Journal of Popular Film and Television. Winter, 21 (1994).
Arnzen defends "splatter horror" films which are innately postmodern and revolutionized the horror genre. The author states that the very first “splatter horror” film was Night of the Living Dead (1968) and the film was the first to use violence to expose a nihilistic and brutal world. The author reflects on the rise of the splatter genre and then focuses on The Evil Dead 2 (1987) and the way in which it uses violence, nostalgia and pastiche. Arnzen states that violence within the spatter genre is linear and is a stand-in for plot and character development.
The fact that the violence and gore within these film is expected by the audience and the fact that the seasoned viewer is not shocked by the over the top degradation of the body represents in many ways Fredric Jameson’s definition of pastiche and “play”.
The author then points out how splatter horror is self-conscious and states that this is most obvious when one reflects on the use of humor and the frequent genre mixing. These practices force the audience to conceptually reflect on the horror film as a work of art and calls into question the construction of film texts. Within the Evil Dead 2 there is a multitude of references to Claymation mythical foes of classical cinema. Also throughout the film the characters are cartoonish and the action scenes within the film are sped up and the sounds that many of the creatures make are silly and playful.
The author consistently draws from Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson, Noel Carroll and Vera Dika to elaborate on how the splatter film does not shock but instead acknowledges the audience and the medium itself. The fact that horror is seemingly nihilistic and is tremendously critical towards conventional society once again articulates the postmodern ethos at the heart of these films.
Arnzen defends "splatter horror" films which are innately postmodern and revolutionized the horror genre. The author states that the very first “splatter horror” film was Night of the Living Dead (1968) and the film was the first to use violence to expose a nihilistic and brutal world. The author reflects on the rise of the splatter genre and then focuses on The Evil Dead 2 (1987) and the way in which it uses violence, nostalgia and pastiche. Arnzen states that violence within the spatter genre is linear and is a stand-in for plot and character development.
The fact that the violence and gore within these film is expected by the audience and the fact that the seasoned viewer is not shocked by the over the top degradation of the body represents in many ways Fredric Jameson’s definition of pastiche and “play”.
The author then points out how splatter horror is self-conscious and states that this is most obvious when one reflects on the use of humor and the frequent genre mixing. These practices force the audience to conceptually reflect on the horror film as a work of art and calls into question the construction of film texts. Within the Evil Dead 2 there is a multitude of references to Claymation mythical foes of classical cinema. Also throughout the film the characters are cartoonish and the action scenes within the film are sped up and the sounds that many of the creatures make are silly and playful.
The author consistently draws from Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson, Noel Carroll and Vera Dika to elaborate on how the splatter film does not shock but instead acknowledges the audience and the medium itself. The fact that horror is seemingly nihilistic and is tremendously critical towards conventional society once again articulates the postmodern ethos at the heart of these films.