A Comparison Of Supernatural Films
A Comparison of Supernatural Films
Horror has been one of the most popular categories of films in the movie industry. Horror movies are divided into genres with different subgenres. Horror movies are defined by the emotional status of the person focusing on people darkest secrets and fears in relation to other genres such as science fiction or crime films that are defined by setting and narrative context (pdf). However, the problem with most horror movies is that disgust and fear can be interchangeable. Horror movies evokes an unpleasant sensation and it addresses fear that are universally taboo and it contains historically and culturally specific anxieties. Usually, the creatures, demons and monsters that appears in horror movies are undead, …show more content…
or unnatural that give unpleasant feelings to their spectators (Tudor, 1995). Supernatural horror films are one of the subgenre of the horror films therefore, part of this genre is the combination of horror and supernatural films where the main concept is the unknown and unexplained events. Two of the movies that form part of this category are The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. In this essay we are comparing and contrasting these two movies to understand their cultural function and the difference between their plotlines.
The Blair Witch Project directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez and produced by Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale.
This Film is based on three film students (Heather, Joshua and Michael) that decided to travel to Maryland to produce a documentary about the Blair Witch that at that time was haunting the woods of that city. Consequently, after listening to the different stories and myths from the locals they decided to go on a hike into the woods, where the Blair Witch was supposed to live. As the movie progresses, the students decide to camp at Coffin Rock where five people where ritualistically murdered years ago. Unnatural events started to happening during the night Heather, Joshua and Michael heard disturbing sounds that where coming from around their set up camp. Although, nothing was seen by the students during their stance in the woods. After all this unexplained events happened, one night Joshua disappeared from the tent, at the next day Heather and Michael realized that Joshua was missing. Heather and Michael started to look for him, during this search they were hearing agonized cries and believed that Joshua was the one making this sounds. They follow this noises and ended up in an abandoned house that had different ritualistic symbols in their walls. Michael heard noises coming from the basement therefore, they decide to go down hoping that they will find Joshua. Once they reach the basement Michael and Heather were attack by an unexplained force, causing Heather to …show more content…
drop the camera and everything went silent.
This film was release in January 1999, and was said to be a low budget horror film however with the time it got so popular in Los Angeles and New York, including major cities across the country resulting in a strong support from the audience (McDowell, Dixon, & Myrick, 2001). During the creation of this film there were not special effects or lighting tricks in comparison to new horror movies, instead the main idea of this movie was to set up a convincing everyday reality with a touch of horror on it (McDowell, Dixon, & Myrick, 2001). According to Telotte, The Blair Witch Project film provide viewers with the option to use their imagination to create their own movie ending. One of the goals of this film, was to making it believable enough and no draw to much attention to the mythology (2001). One fact that made this movie interesting for viewers, was the creation of commercial teases and a website making this documentary to become believable enough for viewers. This movie has been classified as a horror movie but also as a psychological thriller (Telotte, 2001).
The second film that is being discussed is the Paranormal Activity movie, written and directed by Oran Peli. This film is based on Katie and Micah, a couple that just move together to live in San Diego. From the beginning of the film, Katie started to noticed some weird things happening in their new house every time they go to sleep. Micah doesn’t believe Katie until he started to experience inexplicable events at their house therefore, he decided to borrow a camera to record themselves when the go to sleep. As the movie progresses, spooky things are happening every night at 3:00 am when they were asleep and the camera was able to recorded these events. After watching all these events, Katie decides to called a demonologist which made things even worse. At the end of the movie Katie wakes up at 3:00 and goes down to the lounge after couple of seconds at screaming is heard and Micah runs down to help Katie. Minutes after steps were heard coming from the lounge to their room, Micah’s body is thrown towards the camera and Katie went missing.
This film was first released in 2009 after having a lot of support from the audience the creation of more Paranormal Activities movies were release on 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 which explains the history behind this films (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013) A specific horror elements have been noticed in this movie that proves the horror genre approach. Firstly, the different sounds used in this movie made it believable and scary to the audience. Therefore, hearing heavy footsteps, screaming, musical cues etc., usually is a hint that someone or something is present. These sounds were used to break the viewers’ attention and increase their fears towards specific movies such as The Paranormal Activity, The Ritual, and It comes at Night, where the characters pass through inexplicable events and the viewer is not able to see the ghost or demon that is haunting the main characters (Liu, 2015). The genre approach in the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity proves that setting, lighting, sounds, screaming and dark colours are elements that create tension, suspense, and fear. The Paranormal Activity film is categorized under the supernatural genre because there is a presence of an unseen entity in the movie. Supernatural films are histories, legends and documentaries that involves spirits, ghosts, witchcrafts, devils and other unreal entities into the real world (Liu, 2015).
There are certain elements such as themes, settings, plotlines or archetypal characters that help to classify a movie into genre and subgenre (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013).
One of the most important element is the setting in which the movie is been shot. Therefore, the settings in each movie describe above are new places to the main characters. For example, in The Blair Witch Project the film students are camping in the woods of Maryland, this is the setting where the students went missing due to the witchcraft cursing that was done in this place years ago. Whereas, in The Paranormal Activity the couple is moving into their new house. The first time that the couple moves houses is when Katie is terrified of staying in their new house alone therefore, they decide to spend the night in a hotel. At the next day Katie is feeling much better and convinced Micah to go back home where Micah was found dead. I an interview, Peli said that the setting of the movie was essential because it describes the history behind the film and he believed that usually specific settings tend to have objects that connects the demon to the characters (Hahner, Scott & Nathan,
2013).
In each of these films, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity most of the supernatural events took place in the night. Dark colours are an important element of the horror genre and is frequently used in horror films. Darkness, gives a sense of fear and gives individuals a feeling of being isolated also, some events and entities are barely visible increasing the tension and fear in the characters (Carroll, 1981). For example, in the Blair Witch Project the sounds and the children singing were happening at night and Joshua went missing at night too. While in Paranormal Activity the footsteps, screaming and slamming of the door happened at night too increasing the viewers fear towards the darkness. In both of this films, the use of a camera has been giving it a more personalized feeling. The different points of camera view shots are used to make the audience feel as if they are the main characters of the movie and it gives them the opportunity to experience the fears of the characters (Levack, 2014). One of the most horrified idea that is symbolized in supernatural genres films is that the personal identity can be easily taken away and the attack is highly personal because the threat is from within (Carroll, 1981 & Levack, 2014). However, when the audience watches this kind of films or documentaries they are able to connect with and deal with their inner fears and issues, but it can be scarier when they have to deal with an external force (Levack, 2014). Therefore, to help the viewer to experience fear, most horror films will have a home-like environment with houses that look suspicious making it easier for the viewer to put in play their imagination (Tudor, 1995).
On the other hand, the archetype characters found in some horror films such as females and children are the ones being follow by demons, ghosts, etc. Although, in both of these films the characters were young protagonist that were playing film-jockey with the paranormal (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013). Consequently, it is essential to understand that females and children are used more in horror movies because they are the most innocent and vulnerable individuals for the demons or ghost to attack (Tudor, 1995). However, in the Paranormal Activity movie this supernatural entity is following Katie as during the movie she is the one that is been followed by this entity also, at the end of this film Katie steals her sister’s newborn and both of them went missing. While, in the Blair Witch Project Heather, Joshua and Michael experience the same event and their personal behaviours change suddenly.
In conclusion, the supernatural horror film is a common subgenre. During periods of time, this types of films have increase in popularity usually related to the culture that is associate at that specific time. To being able to classify movies into subgenres, it is important to have the specific elements such as plot, setting, character types and themes. It is vital to recognize that not all of the films will have all the elements describe above however, they have a good guideline. The two movies discussed in this essay, the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity were representative of the supernatural genre film and their performance were excellent in comparison to other supernatural films. Both of this films have one or more sequels that explains the story behind for better understanding. There is a variety of supernatural films to choose from because of their increase popularity.
Horror has been one of the most popular categories of films in the movie industry. Horror movies are divided into genres with different subgenres. Horror movies are defined by the emotional status of the person focusing on people darkest secrets and fears in relation to other genres such as science fiction or crime films that are defined by setting and narrative context (pdf). However, the problem with most horror movies is that disgust and fear can be interchangeable. Horror movies evokes an unpleasant sensation and it addresses fear that are universally taboo and it contains historically and culturally specific anxieties. Usually, the creatures, demons and monsters that appears in horror movies are undead, …show more content…
or unnatural that give unpleasant feelings to their spectators (Tudor, 1995). Supernatural horror films are one of the subgenre of the horror films therefore, part of this genre is the combination of horror and supernatural films where the main concept is the unknown and unexplained events. Two of the movies that form part of this category are The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. In this essay we are comparing and contrasting these two movies to understand their cultural function and the difference between their plotlines.
The Blair Witch Project directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez and produced by Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale.
This Film is based on three film students (Heather, Joshua and Michael) that decided to travel to Maryland to produce a documentary about the Blair Witch that at that time was haunting the woods of that city. Consequently, after listening to the different stories and myths from the locals they decided to go on a hike into the woods, where the Blair Witch was supposed to live. As the movie progresses, the students decide to camp at Coffin Rock where five people where ritualistically murdered years ago. Unnatural events started to happening during the night Heather, Joshua and Michael heard disturbing sounds that where coming from around their set up camp. Although, nothing was seen by the students during their stance in the woods. After all this unexplained events happened, one night Joshua disappeared from the tent, at the next day Heather and Michael realized that Joshua was missing. Heather and Michael started to look for him, during this search they were hearing agonized cries and believed that Joshua was the one making this sounds. They follow this noises and ended up in an abandoned house that had different ritualistic symbols in their walls. Michael heard noises coming from the basement therefore, they decide to go down hoping that they will find Joshua. Once they reach the basement Michael and Heather were attack by an unexplained force, causing Heather to …show more content…
drop the camera and everything went silent.
This film was release in January 1999, and was said to be a low budget horror film however with the time it got so popular in Los Angeles and New York, including major cities across the country resulting in a strong support from the audience (McDowell, Dixon, & Myrick, 2001). During the creation of this film there were not special effects or lighting tricks in comparison to new horror movies, instead the main idea of this movie was to set up a convincing everyday reality with a touch of horror on it (McDowell, Dixon, & Myrick, 2001). According to Telotte, The Blair Witch Project film provide viewers with the option to use their imagination to create their own movie ending. One of the goals of this film, was to making it believable enough and no draw to much attention to the mythology (2001). One fact that made this movie interesting for viewers, was the creation of commercial teases and a website making this documentary to become believable enough for viewers. This movie has been classified as a horror movie but also as a psychological thriller (Telotte, 2001).
The second film that is being discussed is the Paranormal Activity movie, written and directed by Oran Peli. This film is based on Katie and Micah, a couple that just move together to live in San Diego. From the beginning of the film, Katie started to noticed some weird things happening in their new house every time they go to sleep. Micah doesn’t believe Katie until he started to experience inexplicable events at their house therefore, he decided to borrow a camera to record themselves when the go to sleep. As the movie progresses, spooky things are happening every night at 3:00 am when they were asleep and the camera was able to recorded these events. After watching all these events, Katie decides to called a demonologist which made things even worse. At the end of the movie Katie wakes up at 3:00 and goes down to the lounge after couple of seconds at screaming is heard and Micah runs down to help Katie. Minutes after steps were heard coming from the lounge to their room, Micah’s body is thrown towards the camera and Katie went missing.
This film was first released in 2009 after having a lot of support from the audience the creation of more Paranormal Activities movies were release on 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 which explains the history behind this films (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013) A specific horror elements have been noticed in this movie that proves the horror genre approach. Firstly, the different sounds used in this movie made it believable and scary to the audience. Therefore, hearing heavy footsteps, screaming, musical cues etc., usually is a hint that someone or something is present. These sounds were used to break the viewers’ attention and increase their fears towards specific movies such as The Paranormal Activity, The Ritual, and It comes at Night, where the characters pass through inexplicable events and the viewer is not able to see the ghost or demon that is haunting the main characters (Liu, 2015). The genre approach in the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity proves that setting, lighting, sounds, screaming and dark colours are elements that create tension, suspense, and fear. The Paranormal Activity film is categorized under the supernatural genre because there is a presence of an unseen entity in the movie. Supernatural films are histories, legends and documentaries that involves spirits, ghosts, witchcrafts, devils and other unreal entities into the real world (Liu, 2015).
There are certain elements such as themes, settings, plotlines or archetypal characters that help to classify a movie into genre and subgenre (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013).
One of the most important element is the setting in which the movie is been shot. Therefore, the settings in each movie describe above are new places to the main characters. For example, in The Blair Witch Project the film students are camping in the woods of Maryland, this is the setting where the students went missing due to the witchcraft cursing that was done in this place years ago. Whereas, in The Paranormal Activity the couple is moving into their new house. The first time that the couple moves houses is when Katie is terrified of staying in their new house alone therefore, they decide to spend the night in a hotel. At the next day Katie is feeling much better and convinced Micah to go back home where Micah was found dead. I an interview, Peli said that the setting of the movie was essential because it describes the history behind the film and he believed that usually specific settings tend to have objects that connects the demon to the characters (Hahner, Scott & Nathan,
2013).
In each of these films, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity most of the supernatural events took place in the night. Dark colours are an important element of the horror genre and is frequently used in horror films. Darkness, gives a sense of fear and gives individuals a feeling of being isolated also, some events and entities are barely visible increasing the tension and fear in the characters (Carroll, 1981). For example, in the Blair Witch Project the sounds and the children singing were happening at night and Joshua went missing at night too. While in Paranormal Activity the footsteps, screaming and slamming of the door happened at night too increasing the viewers fear towards the darkness. In both of this films, the use of a camera has been giving it a more personalized feeling. The different points of camera view shots are used to make the audience feel as if they are the main characters of the movie and it gives them the opportunity to experience the fears of the characters (Levack, 2014). One of the most horrified idea that is symbolized in supernatural genres films is that the personal identity can be easily taken away and the attack is highly personal because the threat is from within (Carroll, 1981 & Levack, 2014). However, when the audience watches this kind of films or documentaries they are able to connect with and deal with their inner fears and issues, but it can be scarier when they have to deal with an external force (Levack, 2014). Therefore, to help the viewer to experience fear, most horror films will have a home-like environment with houses that look suspicious making it easier for the viewer to put in play their imagination (Tudor, 1995).
On the other hand, the archetype characters found in some horror films such as females and children are the ones being follow by demons, ghosts, etc. Although, in both of these films the characters were young protagonist that were playing film-jockey with the paranormal (Hahner, Scott & Nathan, 2013). Consequently, it is essential to understand that females and children are used more in horror movies because they are the most innocent and vulnerable individuals for the demons or ghost to attack (Tudor, 1995). However, in the Paranormal Activity movie this supernatural entity is following Katie as during the movie she is the one that is been followed by this entity also, at the end of this film Katie steals her sister’s newborn and both of them went missing. While, in the Blair Witch Project Heather, Joshua and Michael experience the same event and their personal behaviours change suddenly.
In conclusion, the supernatural horror film is a common subgenre. During periods of time, this types of films have increase in popularity usually related to the culture that is associate at that specific time. To being able to classify movies into subgenres, it is important to have the specific elements such as plot, setting, character types and themes. It is vital to recognize that not all of the films will have all the elements describe above however, they have a good guideline. The two movies discussed in this essay, the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity were representative of the supernatural genre film and their performance were excellent in comparison to other supernatural films. Both of this films have one or more sequels that explains the story behind for better understanding. There is a variety of supernatural films to choose from because of their increase popularity.