Day: October 8, 2019

Film Reviews, Personal Essays

Joker Film Analysis: Sympathy For A Psychopath?

A piece of art’s problematic-ness is subjective to the viewer who consumes the art; there is no definite arbiter–or way of deciding–just what kinds of art are inherently, objectively problematic. Only the individual can deem something to be problematic. If certain individuals agree with others, a mass of individuals with like-minds (and nuanced values) come together, then we have a basic form of society.

Some things register as problematic because it goes against culture–or the ideas of a particular social group. To suggest that something is problematic because society or culture deems it so would be like suggesting that something is okay just because certain cultures deem it to be so, but I digress. Continue reading Joker Film Analysis: Sympathy For A Psychopath?

miquewatson1 Comment
31 Days of Horror, Female Characters, Halloween, History, Women in Film

A Final Girl Trope in Horror Films: Then and Now

She’s fierce, polite, but will battle every guy in a mask. The beginning of the pop culture trope from the title started with Mari Collingwood in “The Last House on the Left” (1972). The phenomenon exists mainly in slasher films and refers to the main character, who is a female. It defines the last woman alive who is supposed to battle the serial killer and kill him. Often the final girl is a virgin. Always with excellent etiquette, she’s also very friendly. A female character’ trope introduced above is meant to survive everybody. Continue reading A Final Girl Trope in Horror Films: Then and Now

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31 Days of Horror, Activism, Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Feminism, Halloween, Uncategorized

31 Days of Horror, Day 8: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

One would think that vampires are a trope in horror that has been beaten to death with a clove of garlic. However, Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” not only breathes live into this overdone trope but also gives the classic monster a feminist twist that is both innovative and empowering. Style-wise, the film filled to the brim with moody, cinematography which contributes greatly to the dark, tense vibe that consumes the narrative in a “Sin-City” (2005) meets “Cat People” (1942) vibe.

Described as the ‘first Iranian Vampire Western’, the film (written and directed by Amirpour) follows a lonely vampire that roams Bad City, a crime-filled ghost town whose residences are unaware that a bloodthirsty beast lives among them. However, the vampire known only as ‘The Girl’ (Sheila Vand) is certainly not the only monster that lurks in the shadows. Continue reading 31 Days of Horror, Day 8: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Claire L. Smith1 Comment