Cat People is iconic in the way that it introduced new and experimental ways
of presenting horror in cinema. Prior to
its release in 1942, horror films attempted to frighten the audience with
quick, aggressive (and potentially violent) visible monster attacks. I would argue that the introduction of what
Worland calls “suggestive horror effects” into cinema was responsible for the
creation of an entirely new film genre, separate from what was considered to be
horror in the past (176). I find it hard
to get behind the lumping of horror films that participated in suggestive or
indicative horror techniques with films that took a more direct approach to
horror into a single genre. There is
such a distinct partition between the two styles that they should each have
their own personalized genre that falls under the horror umbrella.
This
“suggestive horror” is typically experienced in a more slow paced horror film
and relies on implicative actions or noises as the primary means of instilling
fear in the viewer. The use of suspense
(versus shock or jolt) in Cat People is
arguably more frightening than other more straightforward approaches to horror
because it maintains ambiguity in the plot and in the monster itself. Whether it is more frightening or not is left
up to the individual viewer to decide, but it is agreeable that there are
definitely two distinctive varieties of horror at play here.
For
example, in the scene in Cat People
where Alice decides to take a swim in the pool, the viewer is able to recognize
the shadow of the cat form of Irena and a low growl is heard, but the panther
is never actually shown, nor does she physically attack Alice. Artistically, the scene is intended (and
succeeds) to create some form of anxiety or panicked emotion in the spectator
without the clear moment of shock that started to become predictable in earlier
films. After the scene, it remains
somewhat ambiguous as to what the intention of the monster really was. Did Irena hope to harm Alice? Or was her intent just to frighten her, just
as she is the viewer?
The
type of horror that was made known by Cat
People has more of a creepy vibe
than the typical frightening sensation that is often associated with horror. Another example of the projection of this
technique in the film is the scene in which Irena begins dressing more and more
panther like, implying that she is succumbing to her destiny and becoming one
of the detested Cat People from her past in Serbia. Instead of blatantly giving away the
narrative, the director decided to drop hints and suggestions to implement
suspense and ambiguity in the viewer’s experience.
The
division between what is acknowledged as a horror film versus a thriller is
still somewhat ambiguous and unclear. The Silence of the Lambs is a good
example of this. How do we define
horror? It seems as though one of the
only indubitable commonalities is the existence of a monster or a monstrous
creature. Regardless of the exact
categorization of Cat People, the
introduction of suggestive horror in the film radicalized, reimagined and
revolutionized the horror genre without a doubt.
I really enjoy how your articles focuses on the "suggestive horror" introduce to cinema around the 1940s. "Cat People" is a great demonstration of how this type of horror is constructed and unveiled to the audience - your description of the pool scene epitomizes this perfectly.
ReplyDeleteDue to the (slightly obvious) psychoanalytic approach to reading the film, I like to think that the "suggestive" of the new horror genre works as a double entendre, as well. You mention how Irena slowly starts to take the form of a cat by means of her clothing; I also noticed this in her movements as well. The way in which she slinks around the room takes on a sexual quality, as do the components to how she is "othered". As Irena slowly succumbs to the superstitions she fears so greatly, there are several suggestive elements incorporated into the film. For example, the symbolism of the key and the keyhole, her separation from Oliver and the title of "Mrs. Reed", and so on.
I would have loved to hear you elaborate a little further on the relationship between Silence of the Lambs and the "suggestive horror" genre. Is it more in part by Anthony Hopkin's character that we experience? Or through the cinematography? Or the story structure?
Very nicely laid out, Helen. As far as the 1940-60s go, you probably have a good case that two nearly distinct genres emerge, particularly given that the "monster orientation" largely migrated over to science fiction in the 50s. In the 70s, the monster found a reincarnation in the slasher and the zombie, and although most of these films never aimed for polished subtlety, the best of them arguably achieve it, so that you can find moments in films such as Halloween or Black Christmas or Dawn of the Dead that use the suggestiveness of Lewton/Tourneur the better to prep the shock revelations of their monsters. But hey, genres like to combine and mutate, right? Thanks for the sharp thoughts! -MH
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the distinction you make between the more monstrous earlier horror films that intended to deliberately scare and the "suggestive horror", where elements of suspense are used. I feel that "Cat People" must be one of the first films that have an ambiguous genre: is it horror, is it thriller, or is it something else? Your post felt extremely relevant to me because of an article I read recently talking about horror movies like "The VVitch", "The Babadook", and "It Follows", and how those films are horror films, but very different from movies like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Friday the 13th". (a link to the article--->https://medium.com/cinenation-show/this-is-why-we-can-t-have-nice-things-the-witch-and-horror-fandom-s-gatekeepers-b2c0bb0d8f9a#.c016a1lyb) The same kind of sentiment could be expressed about the movies we've watched thus far in the semester; "Cat People" and "Frankenstein" could both be considered horror movies, but they are VERY different kinds of horror movies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your reading of the Horror genre, although I would say the two styles don't necessarily need to be separate. I think the examples you gave for Cat People were spot on. In my opinion, suggestive horror films are generally "better" in the sense that they build fear in the audience at the same time as the characters. In more typical jump-scare films, I feel that either the terror is built in the characters before the audience or not at all. For example, a film which features random killings of unknown or minor characters focuses more on the gruesome act and less on the fear felt by the victims. I think your post captures this idea when you said, "Did Irena hope to harm Alice? Or was her intent just to frighten her, just as she is the viewer?" Great response.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely some very insightful thoughts in this post. I agree that this film brought new life to possibilities in the horror film genre. One specific scene that really stood out to me was the bus scene. As she is worrying about being stalked, the music starts to add suspense and the viewer is waiting for the cat to jump out or something. But instead, the bus pulls up making a very loud noise and scaring the audience. This was a brilliant idea and was the start of scaring the viewer using other aspects of the film and story. This, among other new techniques, has helped shape the new form of horror.
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