Theoretical approaches to Horror films

There are several theories about the Horror genre focusing on why we are attracted but also repulsed by them.

The Philosophy of Horror (Noel Carroll)- His main idea is that we are both attracted by Horror and Gore but also repulsed by it but can't help looking. An example of this is Vampires we fear them yet fancy them like in the film "Twilight" pretty much every teenager was attracted to the main vampire yet feared his family and his powers. Mainly we can't stand watching the film however can't stop watching as we don't want to miss anything.I agree with this theory even though i'm scared of Horror films when they are on i can't help but look because im attracted to it as i want to know what is going to happen to the characters.

"Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema" Laura Mulvey- Her big idea is "Male Gaze" in horror films, us as an audience are positioned in the male eye as if we were spying on the female we  sympathise with the protagonist yet we are seeing them from the killers point of view for example in Halloween. However there is a shift from seeing through the killers eye to the final girls allowing the audience to see different point of views. I have noticed in films such as Halloween at the beginning we as a audience are looking through the eyes of the killer suggesting that we relate with parts of the killer but at the end we are looking through the eyes of the final girls suggesting that parts of us are actually good and that we are all vulnerable.

"The Shadow" Jung- The Shadow is a projection of all we fear and dislike onto a external but it can also be parts of us for example "the monster" in horror films is all the worst parts of us that we try to hide. I relate to this theory as when we are watching the film us as the audience are watching through the killers eyes.

Carol Clover- Argued that horror films offer teenage male viewers to revel their feminine side due to seeing the killer through the eyes of the female which is rarely done but during the final girl it allows males to identify with a triumphant female protagonist who saves the day instead of a male. So a genre that is seen by must people as "sexist" due to women being the target for the killer and shown as weak isn't actually sexist after all as the female saves us all from the killer. This theory allows us to see a different side of the Horror genre instead of the stereotypical way.

Adam Lowenstein: His idea is "spectacle Horror" as the genre uses a combination of special effects, camerawork, gore music etc. as the genre is able to be as unrealistic as it wants to be and over the top this creates a medium about appreciating the editing and special effects of the genre and not just the dark storyline. As something amazing about the genre is that it needs to be able to build up tension so that the audience are on the edge of the seats to prepare them for the "monster" as without this it wouldn't be as scary.