Wright, Lori

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices10-27-2008Less Gore Is More With Horror FilmsLori WrightUNH Media RelationsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationWright, Lori, "Less Gore Is More With Horror Films" (2008). UNH Today. 571.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/571Less Gore is More with Horror Filmshttp://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2008/oct/lw27horror.cfm.html[9/12/2016 3:28:01 PM] Less Gore Is More With Horror FilmsMedia Contact:  Lori Wright 603-862-0574UNH Media RelationsOctober 27, 2008EDITORS AND REPORTER: Delia Konzett can be reached at 603-862-1313 anddelia.konzett@unh.edu.DURHAM, N.H. - With the approach of Halloween, those seeking a scary thrill might want towatch the classic horror movie "Psycho" instead of modern gore-filled slasher movies. When itcomes to horror films, less gore is more, according to a cinematic studies expert at theUniversity of New Hampshire.Delia Konzett, assistant professor of English at UNH, says although horror films are still verypopular, many of her students tell her that today's horror films have lost their edge becausethey show too much gore. Instead, students say they are more frightened when the scariestmoments take place partially off-screen, leaving what happens to the viewer's imagination. "Classic horror/thriller films engage the viewers and their imaginations. Hitchcock was greatat this and never underestimated the imagination of the typical moviegoer. His famous"Psycho" shower scene from 1960 did this in a masterly fashion. We never see theknife enter flesh; it's shown from various angles going through stabbing motions filmed infast-paced and fragmented montage style that are alternated with close-ups of the showerand parts of Marion Crane's body and her face as she's screaming. These images areaccompanied by stabbing sounds (knives plunged into juicy casaba melons were used forrealistic sound effects) and Bernard Herrmann's unforgettable, expressionistic sound trackwith screeching staccato sounds mimicking stabbing sounds played by violins and other stringinstruments," Konzett says."Even though we actually see only a small amount of blood (chocolate syrup going down thedrain) and very little gore, if any, in this short two-minute scene, it has profoundly scaredseveral generations of people, especially women, with many saying they are afraid totake showers for days. Very few horror scenes have had this kind of impact," she says.  "Psycho" was ranked the No. 1 thriller by the American Film Institute on the 100thanniversary of the thriller in 2001, and the shower scene often is considered the mostmemorable scene in film history.According to Konzett, Steven Spielberg's 1975 "Jaws" inspired a similar reaction with peopleworldwide afraid to enter the water for fear of shark attacks. Spielberg showed very little ofthe shark, but combined with a memorable soundtrack (by John Williams), the film engagedthe viewer's imagination and has now become synonymous with lurking danger."Films such as 'Psycho' and 'Jaws' capture the helplessness of people, catching them whenthey are most vulnerable. This is why many decades later, they are still popular among theLess Gore is More with Horror Filmshttp://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2008/oct/lw27horror.cfm.html[9/12/2016 3:28:01 PM]younger generation in spite of contemporary horror films that are more sensational and filledwith blood and gore," she says.-30-

Less Gore Is More With Horror Films

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Less Gore Is More With Horror Films

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