Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Elements of Horror
Maybe I am wrong, but I feel that the versions of Bluebeard we read are filled with gore more then horror. Horror, I feel is more elusive and tricky then the straight gore of cutting someone's finger or hand off, like in "The Robber Bridgeroom" and "Mr. Fox". I feel horror and suspense can be found in the story, by the simple plot of the unknown secret behind the door and the setting of the dark house in the woods. I really do not see the necessity of chopping off appendages to further the plot. These gory moments drew me away from the plot and really grossed me out.
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i think you are right. The suspense is definitely more intense to the reader to think about then the "horror" aspect of chopping something up. The brutality is important to the story, because it shows what a monster he is. However, I do think you are right when you say that the extent of the violence does detract from the story
ReplyDeleteI agree too, but I'd argue that there is very little suspense in any of the stories--the bloody chamber/murder just hits you with little or no buildup, and I think suspense is crucial to horror. Additionally, true horror turns a mirror on the viewer so that they recognize something of themselves in the monster, whereas Bluebeard is just a villain with no identifiable characteristics to the reader (none that I see, anyway.)
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you and with Tim. I think that the horror is in part due to the discovery of the secret and that the gore doesn't really matter. The act or gore takes the backseat. The horror lies in that you never really know a person. It is horrific to know that there are murders among us all the time and you don't even know it. They seem like regular people and seem to live regular lives. They could be anybody. In part the crime doesn't matter it is the lack of knowledge. I think a good example of this is in real life is the John Wayne Gacy murder. His crime is bad enough but the real kicker is that everybody thought he was an upstanding guy and important figure in his community and he has dead people right under people's noses (literally under the floor boards). In most of the stories the murder seems to be a regular guy. In fact he just plays the part of the gentleman and is really a killer. The duality is scarely.The fact that he has no borders, that he can walk between beast and man is scary. That makes him a threat to the community. In the stories the community (a collective) usually destroys the monster at the end. This story actually reminds me of monster stories like Dracula, Jew Suss, and Nosferatu. What I personally found horrifying was the emotional disconnect especially in the Perrault. The ability to change "oneself" in a second. His whole demeanor changed so suddenly contests to the fact that you never really know anyone.
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