One of the better horror flicks I've seen recently |
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When put into a situation where your life is in peril, everything around you becomes important. Are there weapons anywhere to defend yourself? Where are the nearest exits? And why is the floor littered with bread loaves? In the horror genre, the setting of the film is usually vital to the story, many times becoming a character itself.
Last week, I went to the movies to go see THE DESCENT. This film mostly took place in cramped, pitch-black caverns. Which was inhabited by flesh eating bat-people. And when you're up against those guys, well, negotiations always seem to fall on deaf ears. So the characters had to make do; use a nearby bone for a weapon, go in a pond of water and blood to hide. Their setting was either their ally or foe.
The environments of horror films are usually well defined. It's not often that one is vague and could be anywhere. The reason for the specification is because most likely, it will come into play. In THE THING, the environment was the Antarctic 
Ever watch Monk? Captain Stottlemeyer is Buffalo Bill. |
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tundra. If you wanted to go outside, you needed many layers, and had to come back in before a certain time of night, or risk fear of demise. Not only did the setting create limitations for the characters, but it was able to kill them indirectly.
Now, the environment the film takes place in is not only important for the protagonists, but also for the monsters/zombies/flying dwarf-cats/etc, perhaps even more so. Would the character of Buffalo Bill (from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) be as scary if he lived in a New York penthouse and not a dark and dismal old house? Would Leatherface from the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE series be able to do as much damage in the Sahara? Most likely not.
In many movies, the "bad" character has adapted to a certain environment, so if were to leave, it would most likely weaken or die. This would make for a pretty lame flick. That's why the good guys are the ones thrown into the pit of snake monsters, and not snake monsters being thrown into a pit of humans. That 
"Did I just hear that the animal turned inside out, and then EXPLODED?!" |
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would be pretty funny to watch though.
The Sci-Fi genre is able to go one step further into lousy settings. Their movies can take place in space, where for one thing, there is no air. Or cookies! So not only do you have to fight against your foe, which is most likely an acid spitting icky alien, but you have to do it where you can't breathe and there's no gravity.
Space also allows the environment to be completely, forgive the pun, alien. When the characters land on a planet, they have no idea what's going to happen. Maybe they'll all implode once stepping upon it's surface. Like Sam Rockwell's character said in the movie GALAXY QUEST, "HEY! Don't open that! It's an alien planet! Is there air? You don't know!"
This is one of the few times when horror movies can actually help us develop a skill. We watch these people battle fierce aliens and hideous monsters using whatever around them. We should take note, us, the faithful viewers. Because one day, a flying dwarf-cat might come after YOU.
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| The Lair of the Mad |
Every other Tuesday
'The Lair' discusses the many aspects and qualities of the horror genre. From actors, to make-up, to music, James Shafie explores everything the "cult" genre spews up.
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| James Shafie |
James Shafie is an avid watcher of movies of all sorts, but the horror genre is closest to his heart. He loves to read and is addicted to music, mostly metal and it’s thousands of sub-genres. He was once fired by Blockbuster, which we see as a strong character trait.
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