Made for TV Monsters: How Has the Rise of Horror on US Television Impacted on the Spectacle and Acceptability of the Genre?
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Made for TV Monsters: How has the rise of horror on US television impacted on the spectacle and acceptability of the genre? Stella Marie Gaynor Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2018 School of Arts and Media University of Salford, UK Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction. ............................................................................................................ 7 2.1.1 Horror Film. ........................................................................................................ 9 2.1.2 US television Industry ...................................................................................... 19 2.1.3 US television Drama. ....................................................................................... 21 2.1.4 Show runners and creative autonomy. ............................................................. 22 2.1.5 Spectacle. ........................................................................................................ 26 2.1.6 US television Horror. ........................................................................................ 31 2.2 Methodology. ......................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 3 INDUSTRIAL CONTEXTS: THE RISE OF HORROR ON US TELEVISION. ................................................................................................................. 44 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Networks, Advertising and Horror ....................................................................... 50 3.2.1 Network I .......................................................................................................... 50 3.2.2 Network II ......................................................................................................... 57 3.3 The Rise of Seriality .............................................................................................. 65 3.4 Subscription Online .............................................................................................. 71 3.5 Technology and VFX, Production and Exhibition. .............................................. 76 3.5.1 Technology and Visual Effects ......................................................................... 77 3.6 Technology and Exhibition ................................................................................... 85 3.7 The changing hierarchy of film and US television ............................................. 88 3.8 Chapter 3 conclusion ............................................................................................ 98 CHAPTER 4 THE WALKING DEAD CASE STUDY. ................................................... 101 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 101 4.2 The Zombie on Screen. ....................................................................................... 104 4.3 AMC: American Movie Classics ......................................................................... 107 i 4.4 AMC drama strategy. ........................................................................................... 108 4.5 AMC and The Walking Dead. .............................................................................. 110 4.6 The Walking Dead Promotional Posters. .......................................................... 112 4.6.1 Positioning The Walking Dead as a movie. .................................................... 115 4.6.2 The Walking Dead and Tensions between TV and Horror. ............................. 117 4.7 The Walking Dead and Advertising.................................................................... 119 4.8 Genre and Drama ................................................................................................ 122 4.8.1 Season 1: October 2010 – November 2010. .................................................. 123 4.8.2 Season 2: October 2011 – March 2012 ......................................................... 126 4.8.3 Season 3: October 2012 – March 2013 ......................................................... 131 4.8.4 Season 4: October 2013 – March 2014 ......................................................... 136 4.8.5 Season 5: October 2014 – March 2015. ........................................................ 143 4.8.6 Season 6: October 2015 – April 2016. ........................................................... 149 4.8.7 Season 7: October 2016 – April 2017. ........................................................... 155 4.9 Visual Horror: zombies and murder. .................................................................. 160 4.10 Case Study Conclusion. .................................................................................. 180 CHAPTER 5 HEMLOCK GROVE CASE STUDY ........................................................ 183 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 183 5.2 Revisiting Quality and cultural legitimacy. ....................................................... 185 5.3 Netflix and Original Drama ................................................................................. 189 5.3.1 Netflix, data and algorithms. ........................................................................... 192 5.4 Eli Roth and Horror legitimacy. .......................................................................... 193 5.5 Genre, the Gothic and Netflix Drama. ................................................................ 196 5.5.1 Trailer 1: 'Allies and Enemies.' ....................................................................... 198 5.5.2 Trailer 2: 'Blood Ties.' ..................................................................................... 199 5.5.3 Trailer 3: 'Monsters within.' ............................................................................. 201 5.6 The Gothic and Classic Monsters. ..................................................................... 205 5.7 Classic Monsters ................................................................................................. 209 5.7.1 Werewolves.................................................................................................... 209 5.7.2 Vampires. ....................................................................................................... 210 5.8 Revisiting Classic monsters in Hemlock Grove ............................................... 212 5.9 Visual Horror ....................................................................................................... 221 ii 5.9.1 The Werewolf transformation. ........................................................................ 222 5.9.2 The Money Shot ............................................................................................. 232 5.9.3 Eli Roth and Visual Horror. ............................................................................. 233 5.10 Case Study Conclusion. .................................................................................. 245 CHAPTER 6 SCREAM QUEENS CASE STUDY ........................................................ 248 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 248 6.2 FOX and the Horror Cycle .................................................................................. 250 6.3 Ryan Murphy and Middlebrow. .......................................................................... 252 6.4 The Promotion of Scream Queens season 1. ................................................... 257 6.4.1 Season 1 premiere and the ratings spin. ........................................................ 260 6.5 Promotion of Scream Queens season 2. ........................................................... 262 6.6 The Slasher and Scream Queens: Building on the classics. .......................... 264 6.6.1 The Slasher: From Trash to Middlebrow. ....................................................... 268 6.7 Genre and Intertextuality. ................................................................................... 271 6.7.1 Intertextuality in Season 1. ............................................................................. 272 6.8 Horror intertextuality and Visual Horror: season 1. ......................................... 277 6.9 Horror intertextuality and Visual Horror: Season 2. ......................................... 285 6.10 Scream Queens and the spectacle of the slasher murder. .......................... 286 6.10.1 The Absurd Slasher Spectacle. .................................................................. 287 6.10.2 Visual Horror and Comedy ......................................................................... 293 6.11 Case Study Conclusion. .................................................................................. 296 FINAL CONCLUSIONS. .............................................................................................. 298 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 306 Selected TV and Filmography ..................................................................................