Horror Films Comparison
After viewing A Quiet Place, write an essay in which you compare the film to either The Babadook or Get Out, focusing on the theme of family and horror.
Explain how each film integrates the family into the horror genre, addressing some (not all) of the chapter reading themes and iconography:
—normality and logic threatened by the monstrous
–the uncanny
–haunted house and/or exotic settings
–lighting, framing and off-screen space, moving camera, sound
–aberrant sexuality
Each film has a different take on how the family figures in the plot, so you can emphasize differences; but seek out similarities too. Give details of specific scenes you see as important, to support your points.
Conclude your essay with a few thoughts on how each of your two films can be considered a “social safety valve” (pp. 381-82).
Solution Preview
The occurrence of mysterious events is attributed by supernatural powers that bring across fear and harm to the people involved. Over the years, Horror films have included the topics of demons, ghosts, evil spirits and monsters, haunted houses, family curses and vampires to express human’s greatest terror (Hutchings, 2014). Looking at a closer view of the 21st Century films, A Quiet Place and The Babadook, the characters have to deal with frightening monsters and constant stalking from these real or imaginary creatures to the point that there is no peace and comfort. Both movies feature the set of families and how the occurrence of horror affects their relationships. The different events in the films create the atmosphere of panic for both the characters and the audience which are backed up by visual elements like lighting, camera shots, and sounds.
(1,282 words)