Repulsive but delicious: Challenging the clichés in horror films

Abstract

What are the stereotypical aesthetic aspects in horror film, can they be challenged and what is the outcome when the rules are broken. For this written part of my Master’s thesis, I research the aspects and clishés through horror film theory and practice, while creating three true cases in form of a short video “Repulsive but Delicious”, a sculpture of an egg ”Vejce” and a music video ”Child Collector”. Along with the report of my artistic part of the thesis, this thesis offers a brief insight into horror films’ history with examples of horror clichés and motifs, along with a look at Japanese horror filmmaking and the connection between surrealism and horror. One of the main focuses is on the aesthetical cliché of darkness and research the possibility of taking the story into daylight while maintaining the unsettling atmosphere and introducing directors and films that have succeeded in this matter. In order to tell about my inspiration and the starting points through theory, I introduce the work of animator and filmmaker Jan Švankmajer, visual artist H.R. Giger, the world of body horror, and inspirational films such as ”Midsommar” (Aster, Ari 2019), “The Lighthouse” (Eggers, Robert 2019) and “Kytice” (Wild Flowers, Brabec, F.A. 2000).