Richard Kelly’s 2001 film Donnie Darko was deemed controversial at its release and flopped commercially, most likely because no plot surrounding a crashed jet engine would have been received well just after the tragedies of 9/11. However, thanks to an influx of sales during its DVD release, the movie inspired critical analysis and a cult […]
Category: Horror Films
Short Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
The recurrence of birds, specifically “deathbirds,” is a classic horror convention. In “Visual Style,” Richard Allen says, “In Psycho, the main character, Norman Bates, a psychotic murderer, is not simply likened to birds of prey, but to stuffed birds of prey. … he articulates the key significance of the death bird as the figuration of […]
Short Analysis of The Birds and Richard Allen’s “Visual Style”
Hitchcock is well-known for his distinct filmography and bold cinematic choices. One rationale for the specific expressionist themes found in his film The Birds (1963) is the exposure of superficiality of an interpretation that is simply psychological (Allen, 46). Meaning, a threat that has an actual physical presence could be perceived as much more horrifying. […]
Short Analysis of Phantom of the Opera (1924)
Phantom of the Opera (1924) is a classic horror film and was a perfect example of certain points in Katerina Bantinaki’s “Paradox of Horror.” Feelings of anxiety, dread, and discomfort that usually accompany a fear, such as a movie, are much less intense when we are able to control how much we take in from […]