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ARE YOU SCARED? Genre Theory and Audience Engagement in Horror Cinema Kat Albrecht METHODS AND DATA REFERENCES ABSTRACT CONTACT . Kat Albrecht University of Minnesota Sociology Email: [email protected] Thank you to the UROP Program for funding this research. Thanks also for the unwavering support of Dr. Robert Silberman on this foray into horror. Horror films are conspicuously absent from the list of the top-grossing films in Hollywood history. In 2013, for example, only one of the top fiCy films was marketed as a horror film. This project explores a few basic quesAons: first, I try to define what makes a horror film a horror film. Second, I try to parse out why that maoers, and to whom. The research addressing the first quesAon uses genre theory to help idenAfy intersecAons between horror, comedy, thrillers, and more extreme torture films. The second part of my project concerns audiences, and examines adverAsements, markeAng, and theatrical trailers. I argue that filmmakers pitch different types of horror films in different ways, based on the intended audience, and that the different markeAng tacAcs can be analyzed by considering different narraAves to describe audience engagement in adverAsing campaigns. Drawing upon print adverAsements, theatrical trailers, scholarly literature, and empirical staAsAcs, I analyze pairs of films in the extreme horror, horror thriller, and comedy horror categories. • AdverAsing campaigns precede consumer commitment to going to the theatre • While genre and actors drive expectaAons, the media and adverAsing campaign package it (Finsterwalder et. al 2012) • Trailers are especially salient because they • Preview actual parts of the film • Are widely • May or may not engage audiences directly This study used six primary filmic sources paired by age and genre: • Shuoer Island and Silence of the Lambs • Cabin in the Woods and Scream • Hostel and Cannibal Holocaust I also augmented these sources with other types of data allowing me to discuss adverAsing, engagement, and percepAon • Scholarly arAcles • CinemaAc trailers • Box office staAsAcs and aoendance • Print and other forms of media adverAsement Target Audience Finsterwalder, Jörg, Volker G. Kuppelwieser, and Matthew de Villiers. "The effects of film trailers on shaping consumer expectations in the entertainment industry—A qualitative analysis." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 19.6 (2012): 589-595. Stacey, Jackie. "Star gazing." Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship. London/New York (1994). Stokes, Melvyn, and Richard Maltby. Identifying Hollywood's audiences: cultural identity and the movies. British Film Institute Publishing, (1999). Genre Intersectionality and Audience Engagement WHAT IS A HORROR FILM? THE POWER OF ADVERTISING WHO’S WATCHING Horror films are generally directed toward young men. Both industry and academic work assume that enjoying horror film is a masculine characterisAc rather than a feminine one. This is not the case. At some notable horror films (like Scream, Saw 2, Silence of the Lambs) the audience was ~50% female (Stokes and Maltby 1999). Stacey (1994) found another reason that women might be underrepresented in the theaters; they are watching from home. She proposes that while the cinema audience is young and male, the overall audience is older and more female. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Hostel Cabin in the Woods Shutter Island PROFITS RELATIVE TO PRODUCTION COSTS
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AREYOUSCARED?GenreTheoryandAudienceEngagementinHorrorCinema
KatAlbrecht
METHODSANDDATA
REFERENCES
ABSTRACT
CONTACT
.
KatAlbrechtUniversityofMinnesotaSociologyEmail:Albre257@umn.eduThankyoutotheUROPProgramforfundingthisresearch.ThanksalsofortheunwaveringsupportofDr.RobertSilbermanonthisforayintohorror.
Horrorfilmsareconspicuouslyabsentfromthelistofthetop-grossingfilmsinHollywoodhistory.In2013,forexample,onlyoneofthetopfiCyfilmswasmarketedasahorrorfilm.ThisprojectexploresafewbasicquesAons:first,Itrytodefinewhatmakesahorrorfilmahorrorfilm.Second,Itrytoparseoutwhythatmaoers,andtowhom.TheresearchaddressingthefirstquesAonusesgenretheorytohelpidenAfyintersecAonsbetweenhorror,comedy,thrillers,andmoreextremetorturefilms.Thesecondpartofmyprojectconcernsaudiences,andexaminesadverAsements,markeAng,andtheatricaltrailers.Iarguethatfilmmakerspitchdifferenttypesofhorrorfilmsindifferentways,basedontheintendedaudience,andthatthedifferentmarkeAngtacAcscanbeanalyzedbyconsideringdifferentnarraAvestodescribeaudienceengagementinadverAsingcampaigns.DrawinguponprintadverAsements,theatricaltrailers,scholarlyliterature,andempiricalstaAsAcs,Ianalyzepairsoffilmsintheextremehorror,horrorthriller,andcomedyhorrorcategories.
• AdverAsingcampaignsprecedeconsumercommitmenttogoingtothetheatre
• WhilegenreandactorsdriveexpectaAons,
themediaandadverAsingcampaignpackageit(Finsterwalderet.al2012)
• Trailersareespeciallysalientbecausethey• Previewactualpartsofthefilm• Arewidely• Mayormaynotengageaudiencesdirectly
Thisstudyusedsixprimaryfilmicsourcespairedbyageandgenre:• ShuoerIslandandSilenceoftheLambs• CabinintheWoodsandScream• HostelandCannibalHolocaustIalsoaugmentedthesesourceswithothertypesofdataallowingmetodiscussadverAsing,engagement,andpercepAon• ScholarlyarAcles• CinemaActrailers• BoxofficestaAsAcsandaoendance• Printandotherformsofmedia
adverAsement
TargetAudience
Finsterwalder, Jörg, Volker G. Kuppelwieser, and Matthew de Villiers. "The effects of film trailers on shaping consumer expectations in the entertainment industry—A qualitative analysis." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 19.6 (2012): 589-595.
Stacey, Jackie. "Star gazing." Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship. London/New York (1994). Stokes, Melvyn, and Richard Maltby. Identifying Hollywood's audiences: cultural identity and the movies. British Film Institute Publishing,
(1999).
Genre Intersectionality and Audience Engagement
WHATISAHORRORFILM?THEPOWEROFADVERTISINGWHO’SWATCHING
Horrorfilmsaregenerallydirectedtowardyoungmen.BothindustryandacademicworkassumethatenjoyinghorrorfilmisamasculinecharacterisAcratherthanafeminineone.Thisisnotthecase.Atsomenotablehorrorfilms(likeScream,Saw2,SilenceoftheLambs)theaudiencewas~50%female(StokesandMaltby1999).Stacey(1994)foundanotherreasonthatwomenmightbeunderrepresentedinthetheaters;theyarewatchingfromhome.Sheproposesthatwhilethecinemaaudienceisyoungandmale,theoverallaudienceisolderandmorefemale.
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