Uncanny Transformations in Film Horror Fairytale and Gothic Horror Laura Hubner Fairytale and Gothic Horror

fairy LAURA HUBNER tale& gothic Uncanny Transformations in Film horror Fairytale and Gothic Horror Laura Hubner Fairytale and Gothic Horror Uncanny Transformations in Film Laura Hubner Department of Media and Film Studies University of Winchester Winchester, UK ISBN 978-1-137-39346-3 ISBN 978-1-137-39347-0 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-39347-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018934634 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifcally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microflms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affliations. Cover credit: Mimadeo/Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Macmillan Publishers Ltd. part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom PREFACE The idea for this monograph originates in a Masters module I devised and began teaching in 2007, at the University of Winchester, called ‘Fairytale and Gothic Horror’—a Film Studies module open to students from four other Masters degrees (English, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies and Religion: The Rhetoric and Ritual of Death) as well as Film students. The module examines fairytale and gothic horror traditions in a diversity of cultural forms, drawing on a range of theoretical modes of thought, such as postcolonial criticism, feminism and psychoanalysis. The dark undercurrents of fairy tale and folklore are explored, looking at the close links with gothic romance, gothic horror, fantasy and nightmare. Due to its open nature, the module also offers a broad cultural study that investigates a number of disciplinary perspectives, including art, flm, literature, language, media, mythology and religion to shed light on the many faces of fairytale and gothic horror within the cinema. The challenge was to offer a module that, grounded in the feld of flm, at the same time presented themes that could interest and engage students from other disciplines. This book is indebted to the students’ monumental contributions to the module, and the disparate ways of thinking they inspired along the way. Winchester, UK Laura Hubner v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Faculty of Arts Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee at the University of Winchester for supporting this project through all its stages and for awarding the sabbatical that enabled the drafting of this book. Thanks also to the Faculty Head of Research, Inga Bryden, for her helpful guidance and encouragement, and to my colleagues in the Faculty, including Imruh Bakari, Jude Davies, Neil Ewen, Gary Farnell, Vanessa Harbour, Fran Mason and Andy Melrose. Special thanks are due to Steven Allen, for the valued and helpful sug- gestions on early drafts and ideas, Leighton Grist, whose inexhaustible knowledge and generosity helped galvanize a diffcult chapter into better shape, Marcus Leaning, for the incredible support and boundless enthusiasm, and Dan Varndell, for the insightful and lively conversations that got me putting pen to paper many a time. I am also indebted to my valued research students, a constant inspiration, and MA students (given singular mention in the Preface). My sincere thanks go to my editors at Palgrave Macmillan—Lina Aboujieb, Ellie Freedman, Karina Jakupsdottir, Chris Penfold, Felicity Plester and Hari Swaminathan—for their immense assistance and patience over the course of writing this book. I am very grateful to Steve Chibnall for the time given at the Hammer Film Archives (De Montfort University)—for the expertise and enthusiasm, as well as the special nav- igation through his personal collection. Thanks also to Jane Dipple for being the perfect research companion. I would like to thank the organ- izers (Kaja Franck, Samantha George, Bill Hughes) and delegates of the vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ‘Company of Wolves Conference’ held at the University of Hertfordshire (UK), especially Maggie Robb, who joined me there, and all those in attendance at the ‘Supernatural in Literature and Film’ Conference (North Unst, Shetland). I also gleaned vital information from the British Film Institute and the British Library exhibition ‘Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination,’ thanks particularly to the knowledgeable and helpful staff. Singular thanks are due to Sue Short who provided sup- portive feedback on the draft manuscript, and helped me to see how the various strands linked together. Philippa Greening and Carl Davies are also due thanks for loaning the handy books on women, wolves and the work of Angela Carter, as are Owen Evans, Jane Foster, Francesca Froy, Pauline Greenhill, Beth King and James Walters for their whole-hearted encouragement of the research proposal and David Aldrich for the won- derful insights into ‘framing the dark.’ I am grateful to Zoe Ross for pro- ducing the index with dexterity and insight. Exceptional thanks are due to my family for their ongoing support— in particular my parents, Anne and David, for their lifelong encouragement, kindness and inspiration and my sister, Clare, who has always been there by my side and is not afraid to walk through the woods at night. Thank you to Bob Bavister (the perfect outlaw) and Maggie Mclean for their warmth and enthusiasm. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank Paul Bavister who has been a bountiful source of love, patience and good humour—thank you for helping me see through the haze, and for reading through every fnal draft. I would like to dedicate this book to my sons, Daniel and Jason, whose magic and wonder persists. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Fairytale Roots and Transformations 13 3 Gothic Transgression, Horror and Film 43 4 Rebecca Returns: Death and Renewal Beyond the Door 75 5 Encountering the Werewolf—Confronting the Self: On and Off the Path to The Company of Wolves 117 6 The Horror in Pan’s Labyrinth: Beneath the Rhetoric of Hope and Fear 159 7 Afterword: Uncanny Transformations in Film 191 Index 197 ix LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 3.1 The boundary is crossed; Corky slips out of control—Magic (Richard Attenborough, 1978) 63 Fig. 3.2 The camera comments on the horror of Fats taking over—Magic (Richard Attenborough, 1978) 64 Fig. 3.3 Innocence fuses with the sinister—Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) 69 Fig. 4.1 The ending, just before the west wing goes up in fames—Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 79 Fig. 4.2 In the beach cottage, when the telephone rings—Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 80 Fig. 4.3 The heroine is at the door, about to leave—Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 88 Fig. 5.1 The heroine smiles—The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984) 127 Fig. 5.2 The werewolf sheds a tear—The Curse of the Werewolf (Terence Fisher, 1961) 134 Fig. 5.3 Voyeur on the outside world—Werewolf of London (Stuart Walker, 1935) 140 Fig. 5.4 Between the laboratory and the garden party—Werewolf of London (Stuart Walker, 1935) 141 Fig. 5.5 Encountering Dr. Yogami—confronting the self—Werewolf of London (Stuart Walker, 1935) 143 Fig. 6.1 The Resistance are spotted, framed by Vidal’s binoculars—Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) 165 xi xii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 6.2 Words and pictures food Ofelia’s body and the walls—Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) 169 Fig. 6.3 A white fower opens as the insect looks on—Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) 187 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Fairy tales seep into flmmaking, projecting a simple articulation of hope as a force against fear. The spectre of gothic casts shadows over hope and fear, warning us to be less certain that they are poles apart. Looking initially at ‘fairytale’ and ‘gothic’ as independent concepts, as each acts adjectivally with ‘horror,’ this book explores how these seeming oppo- sites respond to each other, share properties and merge as they fnd expression in flm. In short, I am interested in both the distinctions and parallels between gothic and fairytale horror, as well as the new meanings created when certain elements are brought together. Fairytale and gothic horror contribute to flms in rich and diverse ways. Their intersection in cinema is sometimes like oil and water—separating out or repelling each other—redefning their difference. Sometimes they amalgamate in the most unexpected and surprising ways. This book is motivated by the var- ying and idiosyncratic properties that are created as fairytale and gothic horror join, clash or merge in cinema.

Load more