SELLING THE SPLAT PACK: THE DVD REVOLUTION AND THE AMERICAN HORROR FILM Mark Bernard A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2010 Committee: Dr. Cynthia Baron, Advisor Dr. Scott A. Magelssen Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Paul McDonald Dr. Maisha Wester ii ABSTRACT Dr. Cynthia Baron, Advisor In 2006, journalists began writing about the emergence of a group of young filmmakers who specialized in horror films featuring torture and graphic violence. Because of their gory and bloody movies, these directors came to be known as “the Splat Pack,” and they were depicted by the press as subversive outsiders rebelling against the Hollywood machine. However, what many discussions of the Splat Pack ignore is how the success of this group of directors was brought about and enabled by the industrial structure of Hollywood at the middle of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Drawing from political economy methodology, this study seeks to understand and illuminate the industrial changes and realignments that gave rise to the Splat Pack, first by looking at how industrial changes have affected the content of horror films of the past, and secondly by examining how the advent of DVD technology made way for the gory, “Unrated” films of the Splat Pack. DVD played a major role in the rise of the Splat Pack by changing the way horror films were presented to their potential audiences and by leading to an industry acceptance of “Unrated” films. With this in mind, this study then turns to an analysis of several key films directed by the Splat Pack and uses the commodity form of the DVD as a lens through which to interpret these films. By foregrounding the commodity status of these films, this study resists reading these films as subversive manifestos. Instead, it seeks to use these films as a means of better understanding how commodity form affects content. The ultimate argument is that the films of the Splat Pack are commercial products made particularly salable by the DVD era and must be confronted and understood as such. iii For Hope iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There is an old saying about no one ever writing a book alone. The same goes for a dissertation. There are so many people who have either contributed to this work or encouraged me along the way that, at times, I wish I could put everybody’s name on the title page along with mine. Since convention dictates I not do that, these humble acknowledgements must suffice. First, I have to thank Dr. Cynthia Baron, my advisor. I met Cynthia when I first came to Bowling Green, and over the years, she has become expert at patiently listening to my half-baked ideas and carefully showing me how to turn these ideas into something feasible. Cynthia has many, many strengths as a scholar and mentor; one of her greatest strengths is striking that perfect balance between healthy skepticism and kind encouragement. It has been my pleasure to get to know Cynthia both as a scholar and a person, and I can say, without a doubt, that she is my role model. Her intelligence and integrity make her the type of scholar that I hope to be one day. Thanks so much, Cynthia. I must also thank the rest of my excellent committee: Dr. Maisha Wester, Dr. Paul McDonald, and Dr. Scott Magelssen. While doing my graduate coursework, it was my great fortune to take two seminars with Maisha, and I was constantly thrilled with her insights and the challenges they posed. As a reader, she has made key contributions to this dissertation that have been invaluable. Thanks, Maisha. I have to send a special thanks to Paul for agreeing to work with me and taking time out of his busy schedule to read and comment on my draft. Thanks, Paul. Finally, I have to thank Scott. That Scott, someone I already knew and greatly admired, was chosen randomly to be the Graduate College Representative on my committee is evidence that I am, indeed, a very lucky man. Thanks for all your comments and advice, Scott. By serving on my committee, these excellent scholars oversaw the conclusion of a journey that began many, many years ago with my family. To this end, I must thank my father, v Fred, and my mother, Linda. My father has taught me many things during my lifetime, not the least of these being the value of hard work and dedication. Similarly, my mother taught me about the transformative power of love, compassion, and empathy. My interests were nurtured at a very young age by my father and mother, who were always ready to reward good grades and good behavior with trips to the video store or the comic book store. Together, my father and mother have wholeheartedly supported my efforts and interests, no matter how ridiculous sounding these may have been. For that, I will be eternally grateful. Another active agent in the early stages of my development was my brother, Greg. Eight years my senior, Greg was able to go to the movies in town before I was allowed to. Greg would always tell me about what he had seen there, and believe me, his descriptions of movies like Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives!, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and Predator were way better than the movies themselves. Greg now has a family of his own, my sister-in-law, Reneé, and my nephew, John, and I have no doubt that his storytelling ability provides them with hours of entertainment. Thanks go to Greg Simpson, my best friend, who was my constant companion during my teenage years when I began to discover my passion for cinema. Together, Greg and I discovered the work of directors like John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, Stanley Kubrick, and Martin Scorsese. I also have to thank Greg’s parents, Judy and Glenn (RIP), who were like my second parents. Greg has a family of his own now, Haley, his wife, and Sterling, his son, who benefit, no doubt, from Greg’s immense loyalty, dedication, and robust sense of humor. My early academic life was shaped by my wonderful experiences with the English Department at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, my undergraduate institution. There, I fell under the tutelage of wonderful teachers like Dr. Gerald Wood (who introduced me to Film Studies), Dr. Shawn O’Hare, Dr. Susan Underwood, and Dr. Andrew vi Hazucha. College is where and when I made friends who would help sustain me for the rest of my life. These friends include Jym Davis, Thom Maurer, Chris McAdoo, Matt McClane, Micah Potts, and Tommy Forrester. During my post-undergraduate years, I was sustained by friendships with James “Bucky” Carter, Chris Smith, and especially Allison and Steve Walker. Thanks to you all. My time in the American Culture Studies program at BGSU has been filled with so many stimulating relationships – both academic and personal – that it is difficult to know where to start. First, I have to thank Dr. Donald McQuaire, Dr. Phil Terrie, and Gloria Pizãna of the American Culture Studies Program for all of their guidance and assistance. Many thanks go to Dr. Ellen Berry, Dr. Kim Coates, Dr. Donna Nelson-Beene, Dr. Erin Labbie, and Dr. Gary Heba from the Department of English. Thanks also to Dr. Ted Rippey from the Department of German, Russian, and East Asian Languages and to Dr. Ron Shields from the Department of Theatre and Film. I spent two great years of my graduate career working at the campus Institute for the Study of Culture and Society. For my wonderful time there, I must thank Dr. Vicki Patraka, the Director of ICS, whose sound wisdom and words of advice got me started on this dissertation. I also should thank my co-workers at ICS: Marianne Geisbuhler, Christine Higney, Carol Ann Lewis, and Isaac Vayo, fellow graduate assistant and member of my graduate cohort. Isaac is the first of many of my fellow graduate students that I would like to thank. First, I would like to thank the rest of the members of my cohort: Rebekah Burchfield, Cheryl Cash, Jeff Geers, Cassandra Jones, Roz Sibielski, and Kelly Watson. Also, I would like to thank Kent Anderson and Dave Moody, my two dissertation workshop partners. I send a special thanks to Justin Philpot and Kevan Feshami who have discussed my research and their projects with me at length and have been two of my best friends in Bowling Green. I would also like to thank the vii following colleagues (from both American Culture Studies and the Department of Popular Culture) who have spoke with me about my work at one time or another: Melinda Lewis, Lizabeth Mason, Katie Barak, Beckett Warren, Andy Famigletti, Dr. Cristian Pralea, Mike Lewis, Phil Cunningham, Ora McWilliams, Aisha McGriff, Nick Ware, Dr. Matt Barbee, Dr. Mike Lupro, Dr. Steve Swanson, Megan Adams, Jonathan Bartholomy, James Paasche, Gavin Mueller, Andy Jones, Dr. Rob Prince, and many more I am probably forgetting. Thanks to everybody who has ever participated in The Culture Club. And thanks to all my colleagues in Theatre and Film: JL Murdoch, Stephen Harrick, Timothy Schaffer, Nicole Mancino, Darin Kerr, Heidi Nees, and anybody else I am forgetting. I want to send a special thanks to Dr. Colin Helb and Carolyn Reinhardt. I never had any idea when I came to Bowling Green that I would make a friend as great as Colin. He and Carolyn are like family to me, and I have missed them every single day since they moved away.