JP Guillerault
Ms. Barklow
Monsters & Misfits
10 December 2018
Aliens and Horror films
Ever since the beginning of horror and science fiction films Aliens have been used to portray many different ideas and meanings. These types of films in the Sci-Fi horror genre have been used to portray some form of Xenophobia and sometimes to represent fear itself. For example the 1979 movie Alien directed by Ridley Scott used the design of his creature which is called a xenomorph. It is shown in the film as tall, insect like, and with slick black skin this alien represents fear itself and the primal fear of death that everyone has within them. Some other films use aliens as a way of representing people’s distrust and sometimes racism towards immigrants and people from other cultural; this can be seen in films that have aliens invading earth. Even the Cold War plays a part in the creation of sci-fi horror films. One movie that really shows this is called The Invasion of the Body Snatcher. This film gave a good representation of how the American society was living in fear and hated everything about the Soviet Union and communism. In my adaptation I will show how alien movies show connections to the idea of xenophobia especially with more of an emphasis on the fear of the unknown which is covered under the fear of xenophobia.
“Horror movies tap into a primal fear of instinct in your brain”
This article focus on how horror movie activate the primal fear of instinct in our brain. It talks about how when we sit down to watch a scary movie our parts of our brains that control motion are turned off. That is until a scary scene comes up and the stimuli become so strong that it overcomes the motor systems leading us to end up yelling or screaming in fear. For example in the article Michael Garbowski who is an associate professor of communication at Manhattan College says “The scream is a way to alert others in your social group and scare off attackers,” said Garbowski. These scary moments supersede our rational thought process that knows they aren’t real.” I will use the information from this article in my adaptation to show how fear is a primal instinct that our brain uses to try and keep us safe from danger.
“Ridley Scott's Masterpiece ‘Alien’: Nothing is as Terrifying as the Fear of the Unknown”
This article looks at how the movie Alien use of the fear of the unknown is used in this film and how it makes Ridley scott’s movie a masterpiece. Ridley’s use of the unknown throughout the film really gives that viewer a feeling of helplessness and scared because they never really know what is going to happen next. The article sums up Ridley’s directing skills perfectly “Scott deliberately let the story unfold slowly, gradually, respecting Hitchcock’s regard for the crucial importance of suspense. It is the waiting that’s killing us, it’s the feeling of being isolated and helpless that overwhelms us, it’s the silence and uneventfulness that bring about the feeling of upcoming horror, it’s this patience and restraint that makes the elements of pure terror so damn effective. By keeping the alien hidden from sight through the majority of the picture, Scott allowed the viewers to speculate, guess and project what the antagonistic creature might look like. Because nothing is so powerful a generator of fear as human imagination, and nothing is so terrifying to people as the unknown.” I will use this article in my adaption to support the connection between the fear of the unknown and alien horror films.
“In Defense of Alien as Horror film”
This article talks about what makes Alien a horror movie. The article makes points about what fears are used in the movie as well as how it keeps the viewer engaged during the entire movie The article brings up great points as to what makes Alien a great horror movie.
“The definition of a horror film, in the broadest sense, is "a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears." One could certainly argue here that there's a necessary subjectivity in examining what we each personally find scary; one person is afraid of small spaces, another afraid of heights. But I believe there are objective fears for our kind: fear that goes beyond the personal and must inevitably be shared among all of us, for their prospects are equally horrifying to us due to our common humanity. The horror films that examine these objective human fears successfully are those which represent this genre. They include, but are not limited to, madness, extreme suffering, the loss of a loved one, the supernatural, and perhaps the truest characteristic of these, the unknown. Much is still unknown to us as a species; is there any innate meaning in existence? What happens to our consciousness when we die? And, of course, is there anything or anyone else out there in the darkness of airless space, and if so, what are they like, and what would their intentions be towards us? Alien has its own answer to this third question, and the answer is fear.”
In my adaption I will use the information in this article to also help support the connection between aliens and the unknown.
“Whose Future? “Star Wars, Alien” and “Blade Runner”
This article talks about how there is a connection between the three movies Blade Runner, Star Wars, and Alien and how they are connected. The article ends up telling the reader that even though these movies are connected they still mean different things. Ridley’s Alien and George Lucas’s Star Wars mean two totally separate things Star Wars is used to portray heroism and traditional morals; while Ridley's Alien shows a distrust of authority as well with other meanings. “Alien and Blade Runner are clearly descendants of Star Wars, works which builds on the revelation that audiences would support mythic, world-creating science fictions films. But the two Ridley scott films do not follow George lucas’s political line. Whereas Star Wars advocates a return to heroism and traditional morality, the Ridley scott films show a distrust of authority and an openness to characters outside traditional definitions of heroism.”. I will use this article to show how the movie alien differs from the usually idea of heros in films and books.
“Between Friends and Enemies: Ridley scott’s Alien”
This article discuss Ridley scott's film Alien more in depth. The article brings up many great points about the film especially revolving around the idea of fear. Many different topics are discussed during this article. I think the fear of not knowing if someone is and the government/corporations role in the future and amount of control over daily life are the main point of this article.
“tes of a strong government that requires the presence of a powerful sovereign authority. In Schmitt’s version of Hobbes, the struggle between the Leviathan and the Behemoth is a permanent one; the horror of the state of nature remains as a latent possibility, even within the legal state. Indeed, this latent horror is the very foundation of the legal state. The state of nature is not merely a historical or geographical place, a place to be excluded, once and for all. Rather, the state of nature is part of ourselves, our psyche; as humans, we are at one and the same time driven by an intense (but destructive and irrational) egotistic lust for power, and a capacity for rational thinking, reason. As Schmitt writes:
[Thomas Hobbes] had no great illusion about human nature. He understood that man is more “social” than an animal, full of anguish and worry about the future, driven not only by present but also by potential hunger, fame futura famelicus. Possessed by passion of prestige and rivalry, he is at all times determined and ready to trample on reason and logic in order to secure for himself immediate, momentary advantage. But the more dangerously this asocial “individualism” asserts itself, the stronger becomes the rational necessity for reaching peace.”
I will use the information in this article to help with my adaptation about aliens and the fear of the unknown.
“Playing alien in post-racial times”
This book talks about aliens in post racial times. The entire section of this book talks about movies and how the connected to the post racial times. One of the examples in the book was the movie Avatar with the article being about how they can be see as the indian and how they were being invaded because of their country’s natural resources. This shows that some government will do anything to gain some sort of an advantage over someone or something. “Spectacles do all sorts of political work in every society but are especially useful in settler societies because they continue to redirect emotions, histories, and possibilities away from the mean of societal and historical production-- Indigenous dispossession, disenfranchisement, and containment.”. This shows that aliens are used in movies to show a deeper meaning. I will use this and other information in this section to help support my adaptation.
Work Cited
Admin, Moviejawn. "In Defense of Alien as Horror Film." Moviejawn. Moviejawn, 06 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 May 2019.
Lev, Peter. Whose Future? "Star Wars, Alien" and "Blade Runner." Literature/Film Quarterly: Literature/Film Quarterly, 1998. Print.
Loria, Kevin. "Horror Movies Tap into a Primal Fear Instinct in Your Brain." Business Insider. Business Insider, 31 Oct. 2017. Web. 03 May 2019.
Loza, Susana. “Playing Alien in Post-Racial Times.” Monster Culture in the 21st Century: a Reader, edited by Marina Levina and Diem-My T. Bui, Bloomsbury, 2014, pp. 52–72.
"Ridley Scott's Masterpiece 'Alien': Nothing Is as Terrifying as the Fear of the Unknown • Cinephilia & Beyond." Cinephilia & Beyond. 24 Apr. 2019. Web. 03 May 2019.
Sorensen, Eli Park. "Between Friends and Enemies: Ridley Scott’s Alien." Trans-Humanities Journal 9.3 (2016): 51-78. Print.
Ms. Barklow
Monsters & Misfits
10 December 2018
Aliens and Horror films
Ever since the beginning of horror and science fiction films Aliens have been used to portray many different ideas and meanings. These types of films in the Sci-Fi horror genre have been used to portray some form of Xenophobia and sometimes to represent fear itself. For example the 1979 movie Alien directed by Ridley Scott used the design of his creature which is called a xenomorph. It is shown in the film as tall, insect like, and with slick black skin this alien represents fear itself and the primal fear of death that everyone has within them. Some other films use aliens as a way of representing people’s distrust and sometimes racism towards immigrants and people from other cultural; this can be seen in films that have aliens invading earth. Even the Cold War plays a part in the creation of sci-fi horror films. One movie that really shows this is called The Invasion of the Body Snatcher. This film gave a good representation of how the American society was living in fear and hated everything about the Soviet Union and communism. In my adaptation I will show how alien movies show connections to the idea of xenophobia especially with more of an emphasis on the fear of the unknown which is covered under the fear of xenophobia.
“Horror movies tap into a primal fear of instinct in your brain”
This article focus on how horror movie activate the primal fear of instinct in our brain. It talks about how when we sit down to watch a scary movie our parts of our brains that control motion are turned off. That is until a scary scene comes up and the stimuli become so strong that it overcomes the motor systems leading us to end up yelling or screaming in fear. For example in the article Michael Garbowski who is an associate professor of communication at Manhattan College says “The scream is a way to alert others in your social group and scare off attackers,” said Garbowski. These scary moments supersede our rational thought process that knows they aren’t real.” I will use the information from this article in my adaptation to show how fear is a primal instinct that our brain uses to try and keep us safe from danger.
“Ridley Scott's Masterpiece ‘Alien’: Nothing is as Terrifying as the Fear of the Unknown”
This article looks at how the movie Alien use of the fear of the unknown is used in this film and how it makes Ridley scott’s movie a masterpiece. Ridley’s use of the unknown throughout the film really gives that viewer a feeling of helplessness and scared because they never really know what is going to happen next. The article sums up Ridley’s directing skills perfectly “Scott deliberately let the story unfold slowly, gradually, respecting Hitchcock’s regard for the crucial importance of suspense. It is the waiting that’s killing us, it’s the feeling of being isolated and helpless that overwhelms us, it’s the silence and uneventfulness that bring about the feeling of upcoming horror, it’s this patience and restraint that makes the elements of pure terror so damn effective. By keeping the alien hidden from sight through the majority of the picture, Scott allowed the viewers to speculate, guess and project what the antagonistic creature might look like. Because nothing is so powerful a generator of fear as human imagination, and nothing is so terrifying to people as the unknown.” I will use this article in my adaption to support the connection between the fear of the unknown and alien horror films.
“In Defense of Alien as Horror film”
This article talks about what makes Alien a horror movie. The article makes points about what fears are used in the movie as well as how it keeps the viewer engaged during the entire movie The article brings up great points as to what makes Alien a great horror movie.
“The definition of a horror film, in the broadest sense, is "a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears." One could certainly argue here that there's a necessary subjectivity in examining what we each personally find scary; one person is afraid of small spaces, another afraid of heights. But I believe there are objective fears for our kind: fear that goes beyond the personal and must inevitably be shared among all of us, for their prospects are equally horrifying to us due to our common humanity. The horror films that examine these objective human fears successfully are those which represent this genre. They include, but are not limited to, madness, extreme suffering, the loss of a loved one, the supernatural, and perhaps the truest characteristic of these, the unknown. Much is still unknown to us as a species; is there any innate meaning in existence? What happens to our consciousness when we die? And, of course, is there anything or anyone else out there in the darkness of airless space, and if so, what are they like, and what would their intentions be towards us? Alien has its own answer to this third question, and the answer is fear.”
In my adaption I will use the information in this article to also help support the connection between aliens and the unknown.
“Whose Future? “Star Wars, Alien” and “Blade Runner”
This article talks about how there is a connection between the three movies Blade Runner, Star Wars, and Alien and how they are connected. The article ends up telling the reader that even though these movies are connected they still mean different things. Ridley’s Alien and George Lucas’s Star Wars mean two totally separate things Star Wars is used to portray heroism and traditional morals; while Ridley's Alien shows a distrust of authority as well with other meanings. “Alien and Blade Runner are clearly descendants of Star Wars, works which builds on the revelation that audiences would support mythic, world-creating science fictions films. But the two Ridley scott films do not follow George lucas’s political line. Whereas Star Wars advocates a return to heroism and traditional morality, the Ridley scott films show a distrust of authority and an openness to characters outside traditional definitions of heroism.”. I will use this article to show how the movie alien differs from the usually idea of heros in films and books.
“Between Friends and Enemies: Ridley scott’s Alien”
This article discuss Ridley scott's film Alien more in depth. The article brings up many great points about the film especially revolving around the idea of fear. Many different topics are discussed during this article. I think the fear of not knowing if someone is and the government/corporations role in the future and amount of control over daily life are the main point of this article.
“tes of a strong government that requires the presence of a powerful sovereign authority. In Schmitt’s version of Hobbes, the struggle between the Leviathan and the Behemoth is a permanent one; the horror of the state of nature remains as a latent possibility, even within the legal state. Indeed, this latent horror is the very foundation of the legal state. The state of nature is not merely a historical or geographical place, a place to be excluded, once and for all. Rather, the state of nature is part of ourselves, our psyche; as humans, we are at one and the same time driven by an intense (but destructive and irrational) egotistic lust for power, and a capacity for rational thinking, reason. As Schmitt writes:
[Thomas Hobbes] had no great illusion about human nature. He understood that man is more “social” than an animal, full of anguish and worry about the future, driven not only by present but also by potential hunger, fame futura famelicus. Possessed by passion of prestige and rivalry, he is at all times determined and ready to trample on reason and logic in order to secure for himself immediate, momentary advantage. But the more dangerously this asocial “individualism” asserts itself, the stronger becomes the rational necessity for reaching peace.”
I will use the information in this article to help with my adaptation about aliens and the fear of the unknown.
“Playing alien in post-racial times”
This book talks about aliens in post racial times. The entire section of this book talks about movies and how the connected to the post racial times. One of the examples in the book was the movie Avatar with the article being about how they can be see as the indian and how they were being invaded because of their country’s natural resources. This shows that some government will do anything to gain some sort of an advantage over someone or something. “Spectacles do all sorts of political work in every society but are especially useful in settler societies because they continue to redirect emotions, histories, and possibilities away from the mean of societal and historical production-- Indigenous dispossession, disenfranchisement, and containment.”. This shows that aliens are used in movies to show a deeper meaning. I will use this and other information in this section to help support my adaptation.
Work Cited
Admin, Moviejawn. "In Defense of Alien as Horror Film." Moviejawn. Moviejawn, 06 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 May 2019.
Lev, Peter. Whose Future? "Star Wars, Alien" and "Blade Runner." Literature/Film Quarterly: Literature/Film Quarterly, 1998. Print.
Loria, Kevin. "Horror Movies Tap into a Primal Fear Instinct in Your Brain." Business Insider. Business Insider, 31 Oct. 2017. Web. 03 May 2019.
Loza, Susana. “Playing Alien in Post-Racial Times.” Monster Culture in the 21st Century: a Reader, edited by Marina Levina and Diem-My T. Bui, Bloomsbury, 2014, pp. 52–72.
"Ridley Scott's Masterpiece 'Alien': Nothing Is as Terrifying as the Fear of the Unknown • Cinephilia & Beyond." Cinephilia & Beyond. 24 Apr. 2019. Web. 03 May 2019.
Sorensen, Eli Park. "Between Friends and Enemies: Ridley Scott’s Alien." Trans-Humanities Journal 9.3 (2016): 51-78. Print.