Girl zombie eating her victim Night of the Living Dead bw - cropped

Postmodern horror is a

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

related to the art and philosophy of

postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...

. Examples of this type of film include George A. Romero's '' Night of the Living Dead'', Tobe Hooper's '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'', John Carpenter's slasher film ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'', and Wes Craven's '' Scream''.

Background

Postmodern horror, which emerged in the 1960s, is defined by several key characteristics. These include the disruption of everyday life through violence, the crossing and violation of boundaries, and a critique of rationality as a reliable framework. It also rejects traditional narrative closure, instead offering open-ended or unresolved storytelling. Additionally, it creates a confined experience of fear for the audience, fostering a sense of immersion. Examples of this include the famous "rules of surviving a horror movie" speech from Wes Craven's 1996 slasher film '' Scream'' and the self-aware characters (including the main protagonist) slowly realizing they're living the plot of one in the 1990 precursor ''There's Nothing Out There''.

Notable postmodern horror films

*'' Psycho'' (1960) *'' Spider Baby'' (1967) *'' Night of the Living Dead'' (1968) *'' Targets'' (1968) *'' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) *''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'' (1977) *''

'' (1978) *'' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978) *'' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1978) *'' The Brood'' (1979) *'' The Shining'' (1980) *'' The Evil Dead'' (1981) *'' The Howling'' (1981) *'' The Entity'' (1982) *'' The Thing'' (1982) *'' Videodrome'' (1983) *'' The Toxic Avenger'' (1984) *'' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984)Recreational Terror - Google Books
/ref> *'' Re-Animator'' (1985) *'' Fright Night'' (1985) *'' Chopping Mall'' (1986) *'' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986) *'' Evil Dead II'' (1987)The Monstrous-feminine - Google Books (pg.73)
/ref> *''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...

'' (1988) *'' Lady in White'' (1988) * '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990) *'' Candyman'' (1992) * '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993) *'' Wes Craven's New Nightmare'' (1994) *'' From Dusk till Dawn'' (1996) *'' Scream'' (1996) *'' I Know What You Did Last Summer'' (1997) *'' Bride of Chucky'' (1998) *'' The Blair Witch Project'' (1999) *'' American Psycho'' (2000) *'' Final Destination'' (2000) *''

Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon ...

'' (2000) *'' Party Monster'' (2003) *''

Shaun of the Dead ''Shaun of the Dead'' is a 2004 zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden London salesman who is caught alongside his loved ones in a zombie apocalypse. It also star ...

'' (2004) *''

Drag Me to Hell ''Drag Me to Hell'' is a 2009 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi with Ivan Raimi, starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, and Adriana Barraza. The story focuses on a l ...

'' (2009) *''

The Cabin in the Woods ''The Cabin in the Woods'' is a 2011 science fiction comedy horror film directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard. It stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchis ...

'' (2012) *''

ParaNorman ''ParaNorman'' is a 2012 American animated comedy horror, comedy horror film produced by Laika, LLC, Laika. Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler (filmmaker), Chris Butler (the latter's feature directorial debut), and written by Butler, the film ...

'' (2012) *''

Hotel Transylvania ''Hotel Transylvania'' is an American media franchise created by Todd Durham and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It consists of four animated feature films, three short films, an animated television series, and several video games. The ...

'' (2012) *''

The Final Girls ''The Final Girls'' is a 2015 American comedy slasher film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller. The film stars Taissa Farmiga and Malin Åkerman, with supporting performances from Adam DeVine, Thom ...

'' (2015) *''

Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...

'' (2017) *'' Us'' (2019) *''

Midsommar ''Midsommar'' is a 2019 folk horror film written and directed by Ari Aster. It stars Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor as an American couple who are drawn into a violent cult in rural Sweden. Supporting actors include William Jackson Harper, Vi ...

'' (2019) *''

Last Night in Soho ''Last Night in Soho'' is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed and co-produced by Edgar Wright, and co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars Thomasin McKenzie as a naive teenager who moves to London to study fashio ...

'' (2021) *'' Nope'' (2022)

Background

Notable postmodern horror films

See also

References

Further reading