Monster Movie
by Jay Russell
The monster I created for my final project illustrates the role environments play in generating a sense of fear. It is my contention that the atmosphere itself has the ability to instill a sense of fear, regardless of whether or not a true monster is present. Although I used only films to create my monster, the monstrous effect of the environment can also be found in other forms of media, as well as in real life.
Some may argue that the setting or scenery has little effect on producing
a monstrous quality. However, after viewing a number of horror movies, it
is clear that such a notion is clearly untrue. In almost all cases horror
films take place in dark, drab, and dreary environments, very few, if any,
take place on beautiful, sunny Caribbean beaches. The reason behind this stems
from what we, as humans, have come to associate horror with. In our minds
a setting such as a beach with crystal clear water and pearly white sand is
not a place where horrible deeds may unfold, but yet a gloomy, shadow-filled
alley way easily conjures up images of terror in our minds. That is not to
say calm and peaceful settings are never used in works of horror, the film
“Jaws” being an exception, but in most situations, scenes of horror
unfold in dark and ominous settings.
In all of the clips used to build my monster darkness was the
underlying theme of the environment. The reason darkness is a primary theme
of the settings results from the fact that audiences expect scenes of horror
to unfold in such environments. Andrew Tudor posits that, “over time
these…settings came to be associated with specific audience expectations”
(Tudor, 123), hence when a dark and dingy hallway is featured in a scene,
the sense of fear is created rather than serenity. It is for this reason that,
as Tudor explains, dark and grim settings, “repeat themselves from film
to film, forming a highly distinctive setting and, no doubt, serving to divorce
the fictions from the audience’s immediate context of experience”
(Tudor, 123).
My monster film begins with a series of clips from the Lord
of the Rings, in which the fellowship find themselves trapped in the mines
of Mordor. The mine is monstrous because it is pitch black, laden with corpses,
totally silent, and old, rusted mining equipment lies strewn all around. Though
each one of these traits may not be monstrous individually, there combination
produces an extremely creepy and unsettling feeling.
Later in the film another clip from The Lord of the Rings is
employed, illustrating the role Mother Nature may play in creating a monstrous
setting. In this scene Frodo and his fellow Hobbits stumble upon some wild
mushrooms and begin to eat them. Frodo walks away from those eating and gazes
down the road. As he looks down the road the wind picks up, leafs are blown
across the path, the path itself becomes blurry, and rustling noises are created
by the wind blowing the leafs. Upon seeing these events, Frodo immediately
senses danger. Frodo senses danger because of the monstrous affect created
by the environment around him. He quickly ushers his fellow Hobbits off the
road and to the safety of a tree. When looking at the weather around the Hobbits,
one notices the once pleasant sky has turned dark and overcast. The change
in weather signifies the arrival of a monstrous being, thus the change inflicts
fear into the Hobbits. Frodo associates the change in his environment with
evil, because the environment around him creates this sense.
The scene from Blade in which the woman is pushed down a shoot
and into a pit has a monstrous setting for multiple reasons. Firstly, the
woman is in the presence of numerous vampires, and it is a vampire who pushes
her down the pit. This is action contributes to the monstrosity of the scene
because it is clear that the vampire expects the woman to be killed in the
pit, however the viewer does not know what lies within the pit, he only knows
that whatever lies within the pit must be horrific.
Secondly, the pit is underground, a place on the margins of society; not quite
on the surface of the Earth, but not fully underground. Margins are considered
dangerous because, as Mary Douglas in explains in Purity and Danger: An analysis
of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, “all margins are dangerous”
(Douglas, 121), because “if they are pulled this way or that the shape
of fundamental experience is altered” (Douglas, 121). Underground, for
most people, is where insects, snakes, and other scary creatures live, thus
they associate the underground as the home of horrific creatures and beasts.
Additionally, the environment of the pit is monstrous because
it is dark, mysterious, and the ground is laden with human bones. The presence
of human bones greatly increases the monstrosity of the environment, because
their presence implies that humans have been killed in the pit.
The opening scene of Blade II takes place in a Prague blood
bank. The inside of the blood bank is very dirty, crawling with insects, and
teeming with shady looking individuals. The monstrous environment is created
in the combination of these aspects. In most instances, a bug zapper would
not increase to the monstrosity of the environment it is placed in. However,
in the blood bank it symbolizes death and pain, foreshadowing the events which
are to take place.
As the camera follows a soon-to-be donor, the inside of a room
covered with blood is shown. In the room, men are swabbing the floor attempting
to clean it of its bloodstains. The viewing of this room brings the level
of monstrosity to the next level. Before, the zapping of the insects was the
only hint that death was near, but now, with inclusion of human blood, the
threat of death is imminent. The ever-present possibility of death created
by the environment clearly produces a monstrous effect.
The second scene from Blade II used to form my monster has a monstrous setting
in that it occurs at night, involves a drug dealer, and takes place in a suspicious
alley. The scene opens with a panoramic view of the city during the day, and
then time-lapse video quickly brings nightfall upon the city. The use of the
time-lapse video to make the day transform into night indicates to the viewer
that monstrous activity occurs, primarily, during the night. The alley in
which the scene unfolds is full of burnt-out cars, symbols of the destruction
lying within its walls. Fires inside barrels are the only source of light,
though they emit barely enough luminosity to light the alley. The incorporation
of all these elements together forms a monstrous setting. Though such objects
may not be monstrous individually, their mixture forms a truly evil setting.
The scene from Hannibal in which Ray Liotta arrives at his quiet,
lake-front house is monstrous for much different reasons than the scenes from
the two Blade films. The monstrosity of this scene lies within its perfection.
As Liotta walks into the house he notices that the dinning room table is set
and the kitchen is set up cooking a meal. Upon seeing this, Liotta utters,
“What the fuck?” implying that he is surprised and concerned with
the arrangement of the house. The idea that perfection can be monstrous is
seen in Freud’s analysis of the uncanny. To Freud, something that is
overly perfect is monstrous, because it is unnatural and abnormal. The house
is dimly lit and eerily silent, creating a sense of tension and anxiety. As
Liotta enters the kitchen, a small sparkler is sparking atop the counter,
a harbinger to the explosive struggle about to unfold. Though this scene uses
different techniques in creating a monstrous setting, the overall monstrous
affect is still created.
The first scene from The Brotherhood of the Wolf is monstrous
because it juxtaposes beauty and horror. The image of the goats being herded
through the old stone buildings with the light snowfall is a truly serene
and peaceful image. However, this image is soon contrasted with the beast
lurking ahead of them on the path. The reason this setting is monstrous is
due to the fact that the goat herders face certain death, they have carry
no weapons and there are too few places to hide from the beast. The manner
in which the goats act also contributes to the monstrosity of the setting.
The goats sense that something is wrong and begin to act uneasily, revealing
that danger is near. The idea of possible danger nearby revealed by the actions
of the goats is monstrous because it exposes the chance of danger, but does
not fully indicate what type of danger lies ahead. It is lack of knowledge
regarding the peril ahead which is monstrous. This is monstrous because a
sense of uncertainty is created, and a sense of helplessness is produced.
The second clip used from The Brotherhood of the Wolf to create
my monster has a monstrous setting for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the
large depression in which the baby lamb is trapped has monstrous qualities
in that it traps anything that falls into it. The images of the woman slipping
and sliding through the mud on her descent into the pit foreshadow the difficulty
she will encounter in her attempt to climb out of the pit. As the woman is
holding the baby lamb she looks up, surveying the territory around her. As
she looks, odd cries are heard in the air nearby, birds begin to caw, and
a thick fog begins to cover the sky. These elements generate an environment
which is monstrous because, together, they produce a claustrophobic feeling.
The claustrophobic feeling is monstrous because it zones in on the woman,
singling her out as the victim of the monster.
The two clips from Enemy at the Gates used in my monster are
monstrous in that they take place during a time of war. War is an extremely
monstrous time; death, violence, maimed bodies, and terrors are present at
every moment. Unlike others scenes in my monster where the possibility of
death is faint to the person involved, the chance of being killed in war is
almost expected by those involved. Regardless of whether or not a soldier
has this feeling, the grisly images of war are truly monstrous. The images
of the city falling to ruins illustrate the destruction and devastation war
brings, both of which are often associated with monsters.
T-1000’s arrival in Terminator II is monstrous primarily due to the
setting in which it takes place. T-1000 arrives at night near an abandoned
building, a location often associated with danger and problems. The location
of his arrival is also very secluded, away from the commotion of downtown
Los Angeles. The site of T-1000’s entrance is on the margins of society,
the place where Douglas contends most monstrous activities occur. As in Blade
II, burnt-out cars litter the environment, hinting at the destruction soon
to unfold.
The location of the final scene in Terminator II is a steel
mill, a setting used because of its monstrous qualities. The mill is extremely
large, as seen when the camera pans out as Sarah and John climb to the upper
level of the structure. The massiveness of the mill represents power and strength,
symbolizing the T-1000. Thus, the mill itself is an enemy to Sarah and John.
Also, John and Sarah, unlike the Terminator and T-1000, are affected by the
extreme heat of the mill, limiting the places in which they can hide from
the T-1000.
Ultimately, the setting plays an important role in creating different feelings and emotions. The final conclusion being that different environments produce different sensations. Although my project studied what makes a setting monstrous, one could easily study the elements used to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. In researching what characteristics make a monstrous setting, the element used most often to create this sense of monstrosity is darkness. Darkness is used to bring a monstrous quality to a scene because most people associate night with evil tidings and mischief. Nightfall provides evil with the necessary cover of darkness it needs to develop and grow. The settings of monster films are meant to add to the overall tension of the situation, they elevate the terror to the next level. When creating a monstrous film it is of the utmost importance to focus on creating scenery that instills a sense of fear into the viewer. For it is the setting which brings the viewer into the world, coddles them in its surroundings, implants the possibility of horror within them, and then scares the hell out of them.
Films Cited
Blade. Dir. Stephen Norrington. Perf. Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, and Donal Logue. New Line, 1998.
Blade II. Dir. Guillermo Del Toro. Perf. Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Norman Reedus, and Luke Goss. New Line, 2002.
Brotherhood of the Wolf. Dir. Christophe Gans. Perf. Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Emile Dequenne, Monica Belluci, Jeremie Renier, and Mark Dacascos. Studio Canal, 2002.
Enemy at the Gates. Dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud. Perf. Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bod Hoskins, and Ed Harris. Paramount, 2001.
Hannibal. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, and Francesca Neri. Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 2001.
The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Dir. Peter Jackson. Perf. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Ian Holm, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Liv Tyler, and Cate Blanchett. New Line, 2002.
Sleepers. Dir.Barry Levinson. Perf. Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Brad Renfro, and Minnie Driver. Warner Brothers, 1996.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick. Artisan, 1991.
Works Cited
Douglas, Mary. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts
of Pollution and Taboo. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Tudor, Andrew. Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror
Movie. Cambridge: Basil Blackwell, Inc., 1989.
