WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER?
Understand yourself better mentally
How do horror films alter the way we think?
How does it influence the new thoughts and
experiences we build?
WHAT TEXTS WILL YOU USE?
The Horror Film – Peter Hutchings
Various horror movies / clips such as:• The Shining• Silence of the Lambs• Poltergeist• Blair Witch Project
WHAT DISCIPLINES WILL BE COVERED?
Biology• Why do horror films send a chill up our spines?
Psychology• How do horror films affect us mentally? Why are we
scared of certain movies and not others?
Sociology• Why do horror movies vary internationally? Has
society made us prone to fear?
WHAT TOOLS WILL YOU USE?
Experience and reflection• Why are you personally affected by horror films in
the way that you are?
Behavioral Psychology• How do horror films affect us mentally (short term,
long term, and behaviorally)?
What makes a given fear rational or irrational
EXTENDING LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM
Do a study of a random group of people watching horror
films measuring physical affects as well as a survey of
psychological affects.
Guest Speaker who studies the psychological effects of
horror movies
Host a horror movie film festival at Stetson
At the end of the semester compose a movie script for the
perfect psychological thriller
GENERAL CLASS ORDER
Basics of psychology, specifically the elements utilized in horror
films/video games as well as a study of the biological aspect of it
International horror films and the differences from country to country will
be looked at to study the cultural impacts on why we are scared by
certain things• Study urban legends often portrayed in horror films
Watching films and analyzing the elements that were used to create the
scary effect
Project in which students will create what they believe would be the
perfect psychological thriller that would scare the living daylights of an
audience of the country of the student’s choosing
FINAL BREAKDOWN: IMPORTANT POINTS
This class forces people to look at parts of pop culture – and
parts of themselves – that they’d rather run from
What we want to change is that people think there’s no
“value” to horror movies; we don’t realize that they impact us.
A horror movie does more than make you scream