Steve Jones | Northumbria University (original) (raw)

Videos by Steve Jones

Abstract video for the article "Cartesianism and Intersubjectivity in Paranormal Activity and the... more Abstract video for the article "Cartesianism and Intersubjectivity in Paranormal Activity and the Philosophy of Mind”, Film-Philosophy, 21:1 (2017). DOI: 10.3366/film.2017.0028

3 views

Abstract video for the article "Torture Born: Representing Pregnancy and Abortion in Contemporary... more Abstract video for the article "Torture Born: Representing Pregnancy and Abortion in Contemporary Survival-Horror”, Sexuality & Culture, 19:3 (2015). DOI: 10.1007/s12119-014-9260-3

3 views

Abstract video for the chapter “Pretty, Dead: Sociosexuality, Rationality and the Transition into... more Abstract video for the chapter “Pretty, Dead: Sociosexuality, Rationality and the Transition into Zom-Being”, in Jones, S. and McGlotten, S. (eds.) Zombies and Sexuality: Essays on Desire and the Living Dead. Jefferson: McFarland, 2014.

1 views

Website by Steve Jones

Books by Steve Jones

Edinburgh University Press, 2024

It is commonly proposed that since the mid-2000s, the slasher subgenre has been dominated by unor... more It is commonly proposed that since the mid-2000s, the slasher subgenre has been dominated by unoriginal remakes of "classics". Consequently, most original slasher films have been ignored by academics (and critics), leaving the field with a limited understanding of this highly popular subgenre. This book corrects that mischaracterisation by analysing contemporary slasher films that sincerely attempt to innovate within the subgenre. I argue that these films reflect broader cultural turns towards sincerity, optimism in the face of crisis, and an emphasis on felt experience that are indicative of a metamodern sensibility. This is the first book to use metamodernism to analyse film in a sustained way, and the first academic work to use metamodernism to examine horror. The Metamodern Slasher offers readers new ways to understand the slasher film, the horror genre, and also the cultural moment we find ourselves in.

Torture Porn is a term that has generated a great deal of controversy during the last decade, cri... more Torture Porn is a term that has generated a great deal of controversy during the last decade, critics utilizing the term to dismiss contemporary popular horror cinema as obscene and morally depraved. Arguing primarily in defense of torture-themed horror films, this book seeks to offer a critical overview and examination of the Torture Porn phenomenon, discussing the generic contexts in which it is situated, scrutinizing press responses to the sub-genre, and offering narrative analyses of the sub-genre’s central films; including the highly popular Saw franchise, the Hostel movies, and recent revamped versions of slasher movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as the multitude of independent direct-to-DVD films that have been influenced by these theatrically successful films.

Since the early 2000s, zombies have increasingly swarmed the landscape of popular culture, with e... more Since the early 2000s, zombies have increasingly swarmed the landscape of popular culture, with ever more diverse representations of the undead being imagined. A growing number of zombie narratives have introduced sexual themes, endowing the living dead with their own sexual identity. The unpleasant idea of the sexual zombie is itself provocative, triggering questions about the nature of desire, sex, sexuality, and the politics of our sexual behaviors. However, the notion of zombie sex has been largely unaddressed in scholarship.

This collection addresses that unexamined aspect of zombiedom, with essays engaging a variety of media texts, including graphic novels, films, television, pornography, literature, and internet meme culture. The essayists are scholars from a variety of disciplines, including history, theology, film studies, and gender and queer studies. Covering The Walking Dead, Warm Bodies, and Bruce LaBruce’s zombie-porn movies, this work investigates the cultural, political and philosophical issues raised by undead sex and zombie sexuality.

Papers by Steve Jones

Despite being a prevalent theme in popular cinema, revenge has received little dedicated attentio... more Despite being a prevalent theme in popular cinema, revenge has received little dedicated attention within film studies. The majority of research concerning the concept of revenge is located within moral philosophy, but that body of literature has been overlooked by film studies scholars. Philosophers routinely draw on filmic examples to illustrate their discussions of revenge, but those interpretations are commonly hindered by their authors’ inexperience with film studies’ analytical methods. This article seeks to bridge those gaps. The 2010 remake of I Spit on Your Grave is used as a case study to illustrate the benefits of an interdisciplinary engagement with revenge. Philosophical literature on the topic has routinely posited that revenge is either appealing or appalling, and that impasse has stifled conceptual understanding. The interdisciplinary approach employed here elucidates that revenge is simultaneously appealing and appalling; this dualistic nature is evident in I Spit on Your Grave since it is built into the narrative design. I conclude that an interdisciplinary approach to revenge has the potential to advance understanding of revenge-qua-concept both within films studies and philosophy.

Long-running horror series are reputed to yield diminishing returns (both in terms of profit and ... more Long-running horror series are reputed to yield diminishing returns (both in terms of profit and quality). At first glance, the A Nightmare on Elm Street series appears to fit that established pattern. For instance, lead antagonist Freddy supposedly ‘deteriorates’ from sinister, backlit child molester to comic-book ‘Las Vegas lounge’ stand-up act by the end of the 1980s (Schoell and Spencer 1992, 116). However, interviews from the period indicate that comedy was a central component from the outset of the series; it is not, as has been often suggested, that the series’ horror was diluted by the introduction of humour in later sequels. Such misremembrances are entrenched by the writers’, directors’ and actors’ retrospective reflections on Elm Street, which colour how the series is understood more broadly.
This chapter will focus on one of the most common misremembrances embedded into Elm Street’s lore; that the series began with hard rules about the relationship between dream and reality, which became looser (to the point of incoherence) as the series progressed. As close textual analysis and examination of archival interviews will demonstrate, the series’ “rules” were never as clearly established as creator Wes Craven intended. Moreover, rather than complaining that the continuing story did not hold together—indeed, Craven dismissed parts 2-6 of the series on these grounds—I argue that the series ought to be taken on its own terms. The individual films may vary in aesthetic and quality for various industrial reasons, but they are nevertheless chapters in a continuing narrative, and ought to be understood as such. Given that the diegesis is based on shared experiences—secrets held by Springwood’s parents, nightmares and abilities shared by the teens—it is reductive to understand the Elm Street films as anything other than an imbricated whole. As such, this chapter will demonstrate that the series’ narrative is best understood as a recurring nightmare. Its logic is dreamlike, being constituted by events, characters and motifs that are echoed across the series. Thus, this chapter contends that to dismiss the Elm Street sequels as a product of diminishing returns is to overlook the series’ narrative richness. More broadly, this chapter makes a case for understanding sequels as valuable parts of a whole, rather than dismissing them as inferior copies of the original.

This chapter explores the relationship between ‘hardcore’ horror films, and the discursive contex... more This chapter explores the relationship between ‘hardcore’ horror films, and the discursive context in which mainstream horror releases are being dubbed ‘extreme’. This chapter compares ‘mainstream’ and ‘hardcore’ horror with the aim of investigating what ‘extremity’ means. I will begin by outlining what ‘hardcore’ horror is, and how it differs from mainstream horror (both in terms of content and distribution). I will then dissect what ‘extremity’ means in this context, delineating problems with established critical discourses about ‘extreme’ horror. Print press reviewers focus on theatrically released horror films, ignoring microbudget direct-to-video horror. As such, their adjudications about ‘extremity’ in horror begin from a limited base that misrepresents the genre. Moreover, ‘extremity’ is not a universally shared value, yet it is predominantly presented as if referring to an objective, universally agreed-upon standard. Such judgements change over time. Moreover, in contrast to marketers’ uses of ‘extreme’, press critics predominantly use the term as a pejorative. Although academics have sought to defend and contextualise particular maligned films and directors, scholars have focused on a handful of infamous examples. As I will explain, academic publishers implicitly support that narrow focus. As such, the cumulative body of scholarly work on ‘extreme’ horror inadvertently replicates print press critics’ mischaracterisation of the genre. These discursive factors limit our collective understandings of ‘horror’, its ostensible ‘extremity’. and of ‘extremity’ qua concept. Given that the discourse of ‘extremity’ is so commonly employed when censuring representations that challenge established genre conventions, it is imperative that horror studies academics attend to peripheral hardcore horror texts, and seek to develop more robust conceptual understandings of extremity.

Horror: A Companion, 2019

After a seven-year hiatus, the Saw franchise returned. Critics overwhelming disapproved of the fr... more After a seven-year hiatus, the Saw franchise returned. Critics overwhelming disapproved of the franchise’s reinvigoration, and much of that dissention centred around a label that is synonymous with Saw: ‘torture porn’. Numerous critics pegged the original Saw (2004) as torture porn’s prototype. Accordingly, critics characterised Jigsaw’s release as heralding an unwelcome ‘torture porn comeback’. This chapter investigates the legitimacy of this concern in order to determine what ‘torture porn’ is and means in the Jigsaw era.

Despite the closure of virtually all original grindhouse cinemas, ‘grindhouse’ lives on as a conc... more Despite the closure of virtually all original grindhouse cinemas, ‘grindhouse’ lives on as a conceptual term. This article contends that the prevailing conceptualization of ‘grindhouse’ is problematized by a widening gap between the original grindhouse context (‘past’) and the DVD/home-viewing context (present). Despite fans’ and filmmakers’ desire to preserve this part of exploitation cinema history, the world of the grindhouse is now little more than a blurry set of tall-tales and faded phenomenal experiences, which are subject to present-bias. The continuing usefulness of grindhouse-qua-concept requires that one should pay heed to the contemporary contexts in which ‘grindhouse’ is evoked.

Porn Studies, 2017

On the ten year anniversary of 2Girls1Cup, this article examines the complex balance of shock, pl... more On the ten year anniversary of 2Girls1Cup, this article examines the complex balance of shock, pleasure and disgust elicited by this viral video.

Over the last century within the philosophy of mind, the intersubjective model of self has gained... more Over the last century within the philosophy of mind, the intersubjective model of self has gained traction as a viable alternative to the oft-criticised Cartesian solipsistic paradigm. These two models are presented as incompatible inasmuch as Cartesians perceive other minds as " a problem " for the self, while intersubjectivists insist that sociality is foundational to selfhood. This essay uses the Paranormal Activity series (2007–2015) to explore this philosophical debate. It is argued that these films simultaneously evoke Cartesian premises (via found-footage camerawork), and intersubjectivity (via an ongoing narrative structure that emphasises connections between the characters, and between each film). The philosophical debates illuminate premises on which the series ' story and horror depends. Moreover, Paranormal Activity also sheds light on the theoretical debate: the series brings those two paradigms together into a coherent whole, thereby suggesting that the two models are potentially compatible. By developing a combined model, scholars working in the philosophy of mind might better account for the different aspects of self-experience these paradigms focus on.

Despite its prevalence, the term " extreme " has received little critical attention. " Extremity ... more Despite its prevalence, the term " extreme " has received little critical attention. " Extremity " is routinely employed in ways that imply its meanings are self-evident. However, the adjective itself offers no such clarity. This article focuses on one particular use of the term – " extreme porn " – in order to illustrate a broader set of concerns about the pitfalls of labelling. The label " extreme " is typically employed as a substitute for engaging with the term's supposed referents (here, pornographic content). In its contemporary usage, " extreme " primarily refers to a set of context-dependent judgements rather than absolute standards or any specific properties the " extreme " item is alleged to have. Concurrently then, the label " extreme " carries a host of implicit values, and the presumption that the term's meanings are " obvious " obfuscates those values. In the case of " extreme porn, " that obfuscation is significant because it has facilitated the cultural and legal suppression of pornography.

Scholarly debate over faux-snuff’s content has predominantly focused on realism and affect. This ... more Scholarly debate over faux-snuff’s content has predominantly focused on realism and affect. This paper seeks to offer an alternative interpretation, examining what faux-snuff’s form reveals about self. Faux-snuff is typically presented from a first-person perspective (killer-cam), and as such is foundationally invested in the killer’s experiences as they record their murder spree. First then, I propose that the simulated-snuff form reifies self-experience in numerous ways. Faux-snuff’s characteristic formal attributes capture the self’s limited, fractured qualities, for example. Second, I contend that the faux-snuff film’s singular focus lays bare the killer-self. The killer’s identity is principally constituted by the murders they commit. Resultantly, faux-snuff’s victims necessarily affirm the killer qua killer in the moment of murder. However, homicide eradicates the victim. Victims thus vanish in the moment they become the killer’s counter-identity. Consequently, the mock-snuff film centralises not only killing, but also the killer’s self-abnegation. Simulated-snuff’s repeated murders are a compulsive process of becoming in which the killer-self is both reified and erased. Despite presenting events through the killer’s eyes then, the simulated-snuff film can never provide access to the killer. The killer is an absent-presence that also acts as a constant reminder that the viewer is profoundly distanced from the action depicted, despite its apparent immediacy. In sum, faux-snuff commonly combines first-person form with relentless violent content. That melding leads me to scrutinize the apparently absolute binary oppositions at the heart of self-conception. By nature of their approach, these films routinely expose the tipping points between victim/killer, self/other, and life/death. In doing so, simulated-snuff catalyses questions about the self in general, and about our own selves in particular,

3 views

1 views

Edinburgh University Press, 2024

Horror: A Companion, 2019

Porn Studies, 2017

‘Torture porn’ films centre on themes of abduction, imprisonment and suffering. Within the subgen... more ‘Torture porn’ films centre on themes of abduction, imprisonment and suffering. Within the subgenre, protagonists are typically placed under relentless surveillance by their captors. CCTV features in more than 45 contemporary torture-themed films (including Captivity, Hunger, and Torture Room). Security cameras signify a bridging point between the captors’ ability to observe and to control their prey. Founded on power-imbalance, torture porn’s prison-spaces are panoptical. Despite failing to encapsulate contemporary surveillance’s complexities (see Haggerty, 2011), the panopticon remains a dominant paradigm within surveillance studies because it captures essential truths about the psychologies of self-governance and interdependency. This chapter will use torture porn’s panoptical spaces and captor-captive relationships as a springboard into examining those broader philosophical issues regarding selfhood. In the torture-space, cameras signify the control to which captives must submit. Since they are threatened with death, the surveillance dynamic appears to entirely subjugate these prisoners. However, the captive must undertake some agency in the oppression. Much of the captor’s implied threat is enacted by the captives, who brutalise one another to save themselves. The captor’s apparent omniscience is translated into omnipotence only because the captives forsake self-control – opting to engage in violent, contra-social behaviours – out of fear. Thus, it is implied that self-ownership is the bedrock of stable, interdependent sociality. To inspire horror, the opposite is depicted: fractured groups comprised of paranoid, self-invested individuals. By submitting to external pressure, these “weak” individuals empower their tormentor. Captives are not only encouraged to enact their own suppression, but also to internalise culpability for the suffering they undergo. Despite being threatened with erasure, torture porn’s protagonists are spotlighted in these films. Abductees dominate the screen-time, and their suffering drives the narrative forward. Torturers are often motivated solely by their victims’ agony. In many cases, torture is designed specifically for each hyper-individualised captive. These forms of emphasis imply that captives are the stimulus for their own victimisation. The captor’s exaggerated interest in the prisoners is perversely flattering: captives are implied to be worthy of the captor’s maniacal attention, which is reified by the CCTV cameras. In torture porn’s scenarios, it is not immediately clear who has greater control over the individual: the captor or the captive themselves. By dissecting how self-preservation, self-governance, and self-centredness manifest in torture porn, this chapter seeks to examine the dialectical qualities of liberty, interdependency and autonomy.

In proportion to the increased emphasis placed on abortion in partisan political debate since the... more In proportion to the increased emphasis placed on abortion in partisan political debate since the early 2000s, there has been a noticeable upsurge in cultural representations of abortion. This article charts ways in which that increase manifests in contemporary survival-horror. This article contends that numerous contemporary survival-horror films foreground pregnancy. These representations of gravidity reify the pressures that moralistic, partisan political campaigning places on individuals who consider terminating a pregnancy. These films contribute to public discourse by engaging with abortion as an individual, emotional matter, rather than treating abortion as a matter of political principle or a political "means to an end." This article not only charts a relationship between popular culture and its surrounding political context, but also posits that survival horror - a genre that has been disparaged by critics and largely ignored by scholars - makes an important contribution to sexual-political discourse. These films use horror to articulate the things we cannot say about abortion.

Since the early 2000s, zombies have become an increasingly significant presence in popular cultur... more Since the early 2000s, zombies have become an increasingly significant presence in popular culture. Zombies are social monsters, epitomizing aspects of social horror. What is at once central and yet strangely absent from current debates about zombies is any detailed consideration of sex and sexuality. This oversight is startling, not least since sex is arguably the most intimate form of social engagement, and is a profound aspect of human social identity. What makes the omission even more remarkable is how appositely the zombie reflects socio-sexual desires and fears. Sex and love play crucial roles in numerous zombie narratives. Moreover, the undead have sex with each other and with humans in many contemporary zombie narratives. The unpalatable combination of zombies and sex is provocative, triggering a multitude of questions about the nature of desire, sex, sexuality, and the politics of our sexual behaviors. This chapter outlines the zombie’s historical development towards sex/uality, setting the context for the various approaches to sex/uality – queer and straight, romantic and pornographic – explored in contemporary zombie media.

The undead have been evoked in philosophical hypotheses regarding consciousness, but such discuss... more The undead have been evoked in philosophical hypotheses regarding consciousness, but such discussions often come across as abstract academic exercises, inapplicable to personal experience. Movie zombies illuminate these somewhat opaque philosophical debates via storytelling devices – narrative, characterization, dialogue and so forth – which approach experience and consciousness in an instinctively accessible manner. This chapter focuses on a particular strand of the subgenre: transition narratives, in which human protagonists gradually turn into zombies. Transition stories typically centralize social relationships; affiliations and interactions with other beings that give her (human) life meaning. These narratives routinely posit that consciousness and sociosexuality are intertwined aspects of experience that distinguish human from zombie, foregrounding a core romantic coupling and charting its decline as the protagonist transforms into a flesh-eating monster. These notions are explored via an indicative case study: Pretty Dead (2013). The film brings two views on the self – intuitive and empirical – into direct conflict, questioning their compatibility. The protagonist’s sociosexual decline is employed to illustrate that a) there is a troubling disjuncture between rationalist-theoretical conceptions of selfhood and selfhood as it is experienced in the real, social realm, and b) there is a natural bridge between personal, introspective self-knowledge and external social selfhood. By depicting a form of selfhood that defies rationalist logic (zom-being), transitional zombie films not only animate philosophical debates about consciousness, but also challenge their viewers to develop new conceptual (theoretical and imaginative) vocabularies via which to describe and engage with both selfhood and sociosexuality.

Drawing on the well-established understanding of the zombie as metaphor for the deadening effects... more Drawing on the well-established understanding of the zombie as metaphor for the deadening effects of consumer capitalism, this chapter seeks to account for three distinct changes that contextualise 21st century zombie fiction. The first is situational: the global economic crisis has amplified the anxieties that inspired Romero's critique of consumer capitalism in Dawn of the Dead (1978). The second is intellectual: as Chapman and Anderson (2011) note, there has been an “explosion of research on all aspects of disgust” in recent years. The third concerns the subgenre itself: zombies have become increasingly sexualised since the late 1990s. These issues intersect in a numerous recent zombie films - including Zombie Strippers! (2008), Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! (2008), Big Tits Zombie (2010), and Zombies Vs Strippers (2012) - that are centred around or within strip clubs. Stripping epitomises the logic of consumer capitalism, offering tantalising promises but little physical satisfaction. Stripping translates sexual desire into a voyeuristic transaction, evacuated of corporeal messiness. The zombie’s decomposing body epitomises disgust, and its presence in the strip-club disturbs the fantasy typically provided within that context. In the zombie infected strip-club, intimate contact is damaging rather than desirous. In these respects, zombies hypostatize numerous tensions that are usually masked by fantasy and financial exchange. In doing so, these zombies reify the horrors of late capitalism. Their disgusting bodies disrupt the foundational logic of consumerism qua desire.

Tom Six’s The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) ... more Tom Six’s The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011) are based on a disturbing premise: people are abducted and stitched together mouth-to-anus. The consequent combinations of faeces and bloodshed, torture and degradation have been roundly vilified by the critical press. Additionally, the sequel was officially banned or heavily censored in numerous countries. This article argues that these reactive forms of suppression fail to engage with the films themselves, or the concepts (such as disgust and offense) on which those judgements are made. Six’s films are far more sophisticated than has been accounted for. These films wear their generic lineage on their grimy sleeves, contextualising conventional motifs such as the mad scientist archetype against contemporary cultural anxieties regarding the body, sex and violence. Furthermore, Six’s constructed persona exposes the interplay between commercial success, grotesquery and censoriousness as a cyclic system that can be abused. Thus, the series epitomises how repulsion can be strategically utilised. Six anticipates his detractors’ offense, and disarms them of their ability to critique his films without adding to their notoriety. The Human Centipede films demonstrate how controversy can be tactically generated to create meaning.

Given that numerous critics have complained about Saw’s apparently confused sense of ethics, it i... more Given that numerous critics have complained about Saw’s apparently confused sense of ethics, it is surprising that little attention has been paid to how morality operates in narrative itself. Coming from a Nietzschean perspective - specifically questioning whether the lead torturer John Kramer (Jigsaw) is a passive or a radical nihilist - I seek to rectify that oversight. This philosophical reading of the series explores John’s moral stance, which is complicated by his hypocrisy: I contend that this underpins critical complaints regarding the films’ (and frequently the audience’s) "muddled" morality. My narrative analysis reveals that John’s principles are not as confused as they may first appear to be. Despite explicitly proclaiming that his quest is to save others, his actions reveal another story (and not only because his schema is homicidal). Following the loss of his unborn son and his failed suicide attempt, John seeks to symbolically eradicate himself: the victims he selects reflect and reify his own obsessive personality traits. In keeping with the franchises’ narrative twists – which are designed to reverse initially "obvious" meanings – I argue that John’s proclamations have misdirected critics. His nihilism may be manifested as coerced suffering and articulated as distaste with the world, yet the series’ symbolic target is John himself.

Deadgirl (2008) is based around a group of male teens discovering and claiming ownership of a bou... more Deadgirl (2008) is based around a group of male teens discovering and claiming ownership of a bound female zombie, using her as a sex slave. This narrative premise raises numerous tensions that are particularly amplified by using a zombie as the film’s central victim. The Deadgirl is sexually passive yet monstrous, reifying the horrors associated with the female body in patriarchal discourses. She is objectified on the basis of her gender, and this has led many reviewers to dismiss the film as misogynistic Torture Porn. However, the conditions under which masculinity is formed here – where adolescent males become "men" by enacting sexual violence – are as problematic as the specter of the female zombie. Deadgirl is clearly horrific and provocative: in this article I seek to probe implications arising from the film’s gender conflicts.

Torture porn has been vilified on grounds that are at best unconvincing and at worst incoherent. ... more Torture porn has been vilified on grounds that are at best unconvincing and at worst incoherent. The subgenre’s remonstrators too often ignore the content of the films themselves, and fail to make sufficiently detailed connections between the subgenre and the cultural sphere. Reactions to torture porn rarely consider what values the films apparently contravene, and why, if the films are offensive, they are simultaneously so popular. The central derisive mechanism in operation is the ill-conceived combination of ‘torture’ and ‘porn’ itself. The use of ‘porn’ as a label works to illegitimate torture porn and demand that body-horror retreat to its more ‘fitting’ position on the outskirts of the cultural radar. However, this approach is too busy pointing at violence, and fails to deal with the fact that sex is displaced. If violence is now pornographic, it is unclear what position sexual portrayals occupy, or whether they are still perceived as more offensive than violent representations. Furthermore, it is uncertain how we are to describe sexual images if that is the case, since the lexicon of offense has been waylaid. Torture porn’s critics commonly fail to account for the new context of ‘porn plus horror’, and what that combination says about visual representation and its limits. This chapter is a step towards rectifying that oversight.

Filmski teoretiki so si enotni, da je šel razvoj slasherja skozi več faz. Po obdobju razcveta pod... more Filmski teoretiki so si enotni, da je šel razvoj slasherja skozi več faz. Po obdobju razcveta podžanra sredi osemdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja je zanimanje za slasherje nekoliko upadlo, saj se je občinstvo naveličalo obstoječih franšiz in nenehnega ponavljanja slasherskih konvencij. Posledično se je sredi devetdesetih let slasher obrnil k postmodernizmu: filmi tega obdobja so odkrito namigovali na žanrske klasike iz osemdesetih let in na ta način samorefleksivno prevpraševali slasherske konvencije. Ena njihovih osrednjih značilnost je porogljiv in ciničen ton, ki jim ga dajejo sarkastični in čustveno otopeli liki. V začetku novega tisočletja pa se je slasher pomaknil k bolj neposredni občutljivosti, v kateri se »postmoderna« ironija in prekanjenost spajata z nostalgijo in iskrenostjo, za to novo fazo razvoja pa se vse bolj uveljavlja oznaka »metamoderni slasher«. V članku avtor z medsebojno primerjavo filmov Krik (Scream, 1996), Krvava lekcija (Getting Schooled, 2017) in Hackleyjevi pomori s sekiro (Axe Murdering with Hackley, 2016) pojasni, na kakšen način metamoderni slasher deluje in v čem se razlikuje od zgodnejših faz razvoja slasherja

Cikel slasherjev je vzniknil v poznih sedemdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja. V obdobju razcveta ... more Cikel slasherjev je vzniknil v poznih sedemdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja. V obdobju razcveta njihove produkcije na začetku osemdesetih let so te filme napadali filmski kritiki, obsojali so jih številni aktivisti drugega vala feminizma, zaskrbljenost nad njimi pa so izražala celo nekatera združenja staršev. Slasherji so bili tarča očitkov, da promovirajo hladnokrvne umore, zagovarjajo šovinizem, da so pornografski in da v nedogled ponavljajo isti enodimenzionalni obrazec, dokler se ga gledalci ne naveličajo. Ta članek orisuje razvoj tega podžanra in zagovarja trditev, da so ustvarjalci slasherjev od osemdesetih let pa vse do danes te filme nenehno izpopolnjevali. Slasherjem so kritiki nemalokrat oponašali pomanjkanje umetniške vrednosti, toda njihov razvoj priča o izjemni ustvarjalnosti. Čeprav so jim očitali, da ne spoštujejo »tradicije«, so črpali iz dediščine grozljivk iz šestdesetih in sedemdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja in še danes veljajo za neodtujljiv del žanra grozljivke.

V preteklem stoletju se je na področju filozofije duha intersubjektivni model sebstva uveljavil k... more V preteklem stoletju se je na področju filozofije duha intersubjektivni model sebstva uveljavil kot prepričljiva alternativa pogosto grajane kartezijanske solipsistične paradigme. Omenjena modela sta velikokrat prikazana kot nekompatibilna, saj kartezijancem duh drugega predstavlja »problem« za sebstvo, medtem ko intersubjektivnost vztraja, da je družabnost za sebstvo bistvena. Da bi podrobneje preučili to filozofsko polemiko, se bomo v eseju oprli na filmsko serijo Paranormalno (Paranormal Activity, 2007–2015). Zagovarjali bomo stališče, da filmi te serije vsebujejo tako kartezijanske (uporaba najdenih posnetkov) kot intersubjektivne premise (pripovedna struktura, ki poudarja povezave med filmskimi liki in posameznimi filmi). Filozofske polemike namreč osvetljujejo prav te premise, na njih pa temeljijo tudi zgodbe in grozljivost serije. Poleg tega Paranormalno osvetljuje teoretsko razpravo: obe paradigmi namreč med seboj združi v smiselno celoto in s tem nakaže morebitno kompatibilnost obeh modelov. Z razvojem sestavljenega modela bodo nemara misleci, dejavni na področju filozofije duha, lažje pojasnili različne vidike izkustva sebstva, na katere se omenjene paradigme osredotočajo

Kino

Besedilo postavi na preizkušnjo dve ustaljeni kritiški podmeni. Prva izhaja iz zagovora podžanra ... more Besedilo postavi na preizkušnjo dve ustaljeni kritiški podmeni. Prva izhaja iz zagovora podžanra »mučilne pornografije« (torture porn) kot politične alegorije ameriške vojne proti terorju v času Busheve administracije. Jones opozarja, da branje mučilne pornografije kot odseva sočasnega realnega konteksta pomeni oropati ta podžanr njegovih daljnosežnih in trajnejših pomenov. Druga podmena pa je naratološke narave. Kritiki in nasprotniki mučilne pornografije trdijo, da gre za sadistični podžanr, katerega filmi se osredotočajo v prvi vrsti na mučiteljev užitek. Tovrstna predpostavka temelji na predhodnih diskurzivnih narativih – denimo podžanra slasher filmov – in optiki snemanja iz subjektivnega pogleda antagonistov. Številni kritiki obsojajo filmske grozljivke, češ da spodbujajo gledalca k »identifikaciji« z morilcem po predpostavki, da subjektivni snemalni koti spodbujajo sadistično držo. To vzpostavljeno kritično paradigmo so avtorji prenesli na podžanr mučilne pornografije, ne da bi preučili njegovo vsebino. Jones nasprotno ilustrira, da se narativi tega podžanra veliko pogosteje postavljajo v kožo mučenca kot pa mučitelja.

Peče, M., Egan, K., Hunter, R., Jones, S., Sexton, J., Dariš, M., Krajnc, M., Nikolič, P., Lovrenov, M. (2017) Kurja Polt: Kulti, Klasike in ŽAnrski Odpadniki na 35 mm. Ljubljana: Slovenska kinoteka.