Do Horror Films Need Violence?

6/17/2020

Oh, is it ever marvelous when you finally see the killer reveal that giant blade and finally slash away at those pesky teenagers. I’m looking at you, Mr. Vorhees. But what could have been, had Friday the 13th been a psychological horror or a supernatural story instead? Would’ve it been worse? Probably, but let's see if this applies to other stories and find out whether or not horror films should consider non-violence in their stories. Why is this important? Let’s find out.

What is the purpose of violence in film? Or better yet, what was the original intent for violence? It was typically used as a way to heighten tension, establish realism, and/or hurt/kill some character we care for to build a story further. But in modern films, it's practically everywhere. Even in a G-rated film, there is some level of violence such as punching or smacking someone.

For horror, do we really need to establish realism or build up stories with death? I would argue that yes, horror leans into violence and blends well because of the fact the genre exposes a fear of ours. Death! That’s what draws us in, that we can play around with the ideas or feelings but never risk our own lives in the process. That’s why horror films can be so interesting. We experience what the characters experience.

But what about psychological horrors vs slashers? Is one better than the other because of the level of violence? I would argue that each niche feeds into their own audience for one reason -- we want to see a story in that unique lens. Sometimes, you just want to relax and watch some clueless ducks get smacked with a machete. You can turn your brain off and smile in awe as you witness some extremely violent acts. It’s very primal, which is what makes iconic stories and films so memorable. It preys on our deeper, more personal feelings and exposes them.

What do you think? Do horror films use violence far too often, or are you wanting them to really crank it up a notch? Let’s talk about it!

Author

Troy Dawes has been writing and directing for over 6 years now, completely self-taught. He lives in Winnipeg and works full time as set decorator on feature films around the city. He's an avid fan of old school monsters big and small, he's always had a heart for horror and exciting stories.

2 Comments

Andrew Williford

6/18/2020 11:09:18 am

I think any discussion of violence in horror films is going to need to encompass a myriad of other subtopics — many of which are their own extremely broad topics. You’ve already briefly touched upon the empathetic capacities of the cinematic language of horror films, but in doing so, we also have to reckon with our capacity for cruelty as a species. And even that is going to open up a million different philosophical, psychological, and sociological cans of worms. Broadly speaking, my favorite kinds of horror films are the ones whose form and content seem to make up an inherent contradiction — simultaneously deeply empathetic yet immensely cruel (I would argue this contradiction is the very foundation of Rob Zombie’s filmography). I also very much prefer horror films that at least attempt to reckon with the trauma caused by violence than ones that simply indulge in violence without acknowledging its effects. But even that preference raises so many questions. Hell, maybe the first thing we’d have to do — before going on to discuss the implications of violence in cinematic and storytelling forms (including censorship, show-don’t-tell, etc.) — we would have to actually define what we mean by “violence.” How do we distinguish between violent horror films and nonviolent ones? Is The Haunting (1963) considered a nonviolent horror film just because no one gets stabbed, or would it still qualify as violent to some degree because of the deaths in the opening sequence?

Troy

6/21/2020 09:19:25 am

Some great points here, lots to talk about. I think as broad as the conversation can go, the goal was to open up the conversation in your mind. To get you thinking, it looks like it's working! I certainly think a lot of horror films have forgotten that violence with no conscious value (slashers, intense gore) end up losing a lot of capacity to tell a message, while making the violence relevant too it. I think it's violence for the sake of violence, which to its own has its own merit. I think everyone would have an idea of what violence means to them, to me it can be as far as aggressively pushing someone. Someone else might not acknowledge that as violent, they might not even consider it to be. I stay away from my own definitions in these question-type articles just so I don't open up, like you said a can of worms and say something not completely truthful. I think the real question could be, does every horror film REQUIRE violence? Psychological horrors are a prime example, typically non violent but extremely disturbing or traumatizing. Does that mean the film could benefit from seeing acts of violence? I'm open to ideas there.

Do Horror Films Need Violence?

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