Borat: Cultural Learnings of Horror for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Whenever the topic of the recent cycle of horror films is brought up, it almost inevitably results in a discussion on how these films are a reflection of our society. This isn’t a recent observation. Critics and scholars have long looked at horror films as a barometer of the way people in certain eras think. Now Film Stew has stepped up with the rather bizarre premise that Borat is, like horror, filling that same function today.
Ergo, it’s no coincidence, this resurgence in the horror genre, given the collective state of unease for which the current sociopolitical climes are responsible. Discerning and comedic psychosocial examinations are rarer, but Borat as a character is interesting in the manner he locates the current, and seemingly worldwide, tension between various religious and ethnic groups, and their cultural values and absolutes.
I never would have imagined even looking for a link between these two seemingly disparate worlds. What do you think? Are horror movies a good indicator of where we stand in the world, and if so, why is that particular genre singled out more than others as having its finger on the pulse of society?
November 9th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Being a collector of Horror Dvd’s and my interest in the genre I always get asked “Why horror?” And usually I shock people with the fact that it’s because of the scholarly significance of the genre and its history. Horror has always been around with ghost stories and legends. Heck even fairy tales were really just watered down horror stories about Serial Killers. When Horror finally made it into movies, it became a constant through out the 20th century. A few years ago, I took a note book and started writing down horror movies that I’d come across. I broke it down to decades and then finally individual years. And by flipping through it, and having a general knowledge of the content of the movies you can see the numbers and trends of the movies that were put out. The biggest and best example would be in the 50’s when people started getting sick of Creature Features and space was on everyone’s mind. Horror basically turned into stories of Aliens and other planets.
This sort of thing isn’t just do-able with Horror movies, I chose that just because that was the genre that I love. If you find something that’s been a constant over the years and is artistically/creatively based, you’ll find that the closer you look there are parallels of it and society.
…or so I’ve found.
-Rev
PS-this is the best blog ever! The “clip of the day” is the only way I make it through my work week!
November 9th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Rev.
I’m glad you like the clip of the day. I was considering closing it down after Halloween since it was rare that anyone mentioned them or commented on them. I wasn’t even sure if anyone even read them. I’m glad it’s made at least one person happy!