• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.243-277
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• 2020

This paper examines a social and cultural history of horror films through the keyword "technology", focusing on The Spark of Fear: Technology, Society and the Horror Film (2015) written by Brian N. Duchaney. Science fiction film is closely connected with technology in film genres. On the other hand, horror films have been explained in terms of nature/supernatural. In this regard, The Spark of Fear, which accounts for horror film history as (re)actions to the development of technology, is remarkable. Early horror films which were produced under the influence of gothic novels reflected the fear of technology that had been caused by industrial capitalism. For example, in the film Frankenstein (1931), an angry crowd of people lynch the "monster", the creature of technology. This is the action which is aroused by the fear of technology. Furthermore, this mob behavior is suggestive of an uprising of people who have been alienated by industrial capitalism during the Great Depression. In science fiction horror films, which appeared in the post-war boom, the "other" that manifests as aliens is the entity that destroys the value of prosperity during post-war America. While this prosperity is closely related to the life of the middle class in accordance with the suburbanization, the people live conformist lives under the mantle of technologies such as the TV, refrigerator, etc. In the age of the Vietnam War, horror films demonize children, the counter-culture generation against a backdrop of the house that is the place of isolation and confinement. In this place, horror arises from the absolute absence of technology. While media such as videos, internet, and smartphones have reinforced interconnectedness with the outside world since the 1980s, it became another outside influence that we cannot control. "Found-footage" and "torture porn" which were rife in post-9/11 horror films show that the technologies of voyeurism/surveillance and exposure/exhibitionism are near to saturation. In this way, The Spark of Fear provides an opportune insight into the present day in which the expectation and fear of the progress of technology are increasingly becoming inseparable from our daily lives.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.221-228
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• 2018

This study mainly focused on horror movies and horror games. Camera angles of horror movies and compositions of horror games are main factors that can cause fear in people's minds. Through analyzing four kinds of factors, including sensual, expectant, restrictive and executive fear elements, in horror games, and combining with the patterns of camera angles and film techniques that Alfred Hitchcock applied in his horror movies, this research investigated certain types of compositions and concluded ones that were more effective on growing fear in players' minds and enhancing their involvement. In conclusion, only the combination of factors in horror-game compositions, like diagonal composition, dual-diagonal composition and inverse triangle-line composition, with visual elements enables player's growing sense of fear and the increase in involvement. Therefore, future works should apply more of these fear-inducing compositions.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.20
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• pp.275-294
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• 2010

This article examines Bong Joon-ho's science fiction/horror film, The Host (2006) and interrogates its depiction of a contemporary South Korean family in crisis. The writer considers the film as a resonant cultural artefact and a manifestation of particularly new-millennial anxieties concerned with the continued involvement of the United States in South Korean affairs, fears of an erosion of traditional family values and mistrust of officious, state endorsed bureaucracy. The Host emerges as a profoundly visceral depiction of an ordinary family set against everyone with no one to turn to except each other.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.76-88
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• 2020

Since the pre-existing music itself used in has no direct relation to the film, it raises the question of whether it was properly utilized as film music. The purpose of this paper is to clarify that 's 20th century modern music effectively fulfills the role of film music through iconicity with images. This study approached the similarity between the character of fear and the form of music through Hanslick's formal aesthetics to discuss the use of 20th century modern music in the horror film. The formal characteristics of music are observed in the movement of notes, which are similar to the fearful state of mind mentioned by Heidegger. In the analysis, the stagnant movement and the continuity of notes, the special playing method of the musical instrument, the unspecified trembling of the clustered notes, the melody of the weak intensity in the high-pitched range, the smash of percussions, and the progression of the notes that deviate from the center confirms the aptitude of 20th century modern music in the horror film. The fact that this study did not simply rely on the emotions represented in the 20th century modern music, but thoroughly caught the movements of the notes, has great significance in the research of film .

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.190-200
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• 2011

Different from visible horror elements that confront the characters directly and do physical harms, invisible horror elements are expressed through suggestion and imagination and their realities are not disclosed. For the disclosure of the realities of invisible horror elements, they are expressed through the overturned relation between the subject and victim of horror as in 'The Others' or through body snatching as in 'The Happening' and 'Paranormal Activity'. The overturn of relation and body snatching are connected to cannibalism in that the former causes a sudden change of personality and the latter takes the body of others. Cannibalism and the change of personality belong to the formalization and illogic of lower order resulting from cannibalism. The meaning of invisible horror elements in films seems to be contradictory to the original meaning of cannibalism, which is entering the sphere of utopian freedom, but considering that the reversed role resolves conflicts and tensions from terror and gives relief from fear, the meaning may be consistent with the spirit of cannibalism, namely, entering 'the sphere of freedom. In this study, the author attempted to analyze how the expression and plot of films showing invisible horror elements are related with cannibalism.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.37
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• pp.25-44
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• 2014

In the past 5 years, Chinese film market has witnessed a great development, with the film and animation box hitting records highs. At the same time, TV contents become more and more diverse, and the widespread use of smart phones makes Internet the new popular media today. On this occasion, domestic animation production is growing year by year because of people's growing demand for animation. And the volume of introduced foreign animations is growing as well. But under the same conditions, domestic animation shows obvious lack of competiveness. Chinese traditional stories have rich contents, providing a large amount of animation material. But most animations based on theses contents cannot arouse audiences' interests. This paper mainly analyzes the development situation of traditional story-based Chinese animation whose content is single and low-aged, and then put forward a new solution for Chinese animation development, which is, adding horror elements to traditional stories. And finally, through analyzing four horror animations , this paper further discusses the implementation possibility of this idea.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.288-293
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• 2009

This study investigates the relationship of affective style based on EEG asymmetry, personality, and psychological stress on stress. The experiment consists of three sessions: rest state, landscape scene, and horror film tasks. We used a short horror film to evoke stress. We classified affective style of the individual based on EEG alpha asymmetry: negative bias, positive bias and general. The participants in the negative bias group reported higher levels of stress on the neuroticism of the Big 5 model and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale. These results demonstrate that participants with the propensity for negative affective style have a nervous temperament and are apt to be stressed.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the aesthetic characteristics of goth image which have had influence on literature, film, music and art, in modern fashion. The method of this study is to analyze the documentary about gothic and goth, and the fashion magazines since 2000. The results of this study are as follows: First, sensuality shows the excessive exposure of body and inner wear, and emphasizes a resistance of sexual consciousness and a image of independent, active, powerful woman. Second, androgyny shows the goth women wearing a men's cloth and encourages a person to have a perfect being and satisfaction. Third, horror shows the symbol of death and suggests a substance of desire hidden in our mind. Fourth, historicity shows victorian fashion which have a romance of gothic and baroque, not a cult but a modern image. In conclusion, goth image in modern fashion does not show a substance negative and horrorful, but a substance positive as a perfection, satisfaction, a sense of freedom, obliteration of a feeling of uneasiness and powerful woman's image.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.141-159
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• 2005

Targeting a film that is the medium of having powerful influence upon the masses, the present study examined about a role and characteristics in the movie costume, and a role of costume designers, which are shown in process of being changed the film costume. There are many designers who were in charge of the film costume, but the present study examined centering on designers who participated aiming to create the image of a character from the stage of manufacturing a movie. It presented and analyzed visual materials by dividing four genres such as a historical drama movie, a horror movie, a fantasy movie, and a modern-play movie, and by selecting a typical work. A Historical drama movie needs to be investigated costume by the historical background in a movie, but inside it was shown clothes that were elaborately reproduced and newly created. A horror movie plays a role of medium that reflects the human society and the internal mentality of a human being along with the attribute of entertainment. As a genre that requires much costume, make-up and special effect aiming at dramatic effect, a role of film costume possesses great weight. As a fantasy movie is a field based on 'fiction' of a writer who creates a work, it is a field that requires creativity of a costume designer most. As a modern-play movie is what reproduces reality, it best reflects the phases of that time, and is the field that is influenced by costume or fashion trend. Costume needs to be designed in a bid to allow spectators to be inspired the wholly united and harmonious mood with leading a story of a movie, and the individual image.

• English & American cultural studies
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.77-96
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• 2014

As the cyberspace several decades ago created a cyber fiction fever, the augmented reality as the future of imagination can generate another kind of literary genre and new social ambiance where books tend to come to life more realistically. This newly created "smart fiction," "smart movies," and "smart environment" will be full of fun, hopes and conveniences. But addiction to smart kinds will create unwanted dangerous plethora like ghost-like avatars, wild animals and Farid due to the limitations of human control over hi-technology. If so, the adventures we plan to take will turn fantasy into horror in no time. Instead of loving new scientific things blindly, the emphasis hereafter must be put rather on the potentially negative aftermaths of the new innovative technology. Some viewers after watching the film Avatar are still suffering from the syndrome called "avatar blues," a homesick for Pandora. After their experiencing of the experimental 3D effects in books and media, audience and readers are required to actively deal with the increased lack of the darker cave which the comparatively unsatisfactory present can never fill with fixity and limit. Like the prevention against the addictive online game or the manual of 3D television or 3D printer, the extreme off-limits and safety zone for this virtually and expendably subverting technology must be seriously reviewed by community before using and adopting it. Also, these technologically expanded and augmented environments must be prudently criticized by the in-depth study of literature just as cyber space begun by Gibson's cyber fiction and its criticism.