230570 "Do you like Scary Movies?" Horror on the Screen (S) (SoSe 2023)

In this seminar we're seeking to gain an overview of the horror film genre: Horror films construct a variety of societal ideas of what is deemed monstrous and abject, making it an interesting and complex subject of study. Some of the central motifs of horror films that we will investigate are:
1) Representations of family structures, especially women and children
2) Themes of the gothic and the supernatural
3) The setting of the asylum and depictions of mental illness
4) The negotiation of queerness and the monstrous
Theoretical frameworks of subjectivity and discourse analysis will guide our analyses, as will feminist and queer theory. As we will mainly work with films as our primary material, it will be helpful if students have knowledge of close reading and film analysis.

Please note: This seminar will be taught by Leonie Dührkoop and Lea Hildermeier, two students of British and American Studies, in cooperation with Professor Ellen Grünkemeier.

Bibliography

The following films will be the basis of our in-class discussion and we´ll provide an opportunity to watch them:
· It: Chapter One (2017)
· Crimson Peak (2015)
· Grave Encounters (2011)
· Interview with the Vampire (1994)
The material we will engage with in class deals with topics like physical and psychological violence. Viewer discretion is advised.