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UMI* HORROR AND REENCHANTMENT: A SUPERNATURAL GENRE IN A SECULAR AGE SCOTT PRESTON A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY JOINT PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, CANADA APRIL 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de Pedition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-64932-9 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-64932-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates a body of films belonging to the contemporary horror genre of the American cinema in terms of the way these respond to and seek to resolve the complex conditions of belief in our secular age. In my reading of horror, it is not just one genre among many in contemporary popular culture. Rather, it is a privileged literary and aesthetic discourse with roots traceable to the cultural moments associated with the beginning of the Modern Era in the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. From this perspective, horror's unique position in modern culture comes from its insistence on the centrality of mystery, wonder and the supernatural in the face of the overwhelming disenchantment characteristic of modern life. Film theory tells us that close reading of popular texts can provide valuable insights into a society's collective attitudes, assumptions, hopes, and fears. My discussion of recent horror films, drawing upon extensive knowledge of the genre's history and imagery, reveals how the popularity of the supernatural in the mass media today relates to the cross-pressures of life in the secular age identified in the work of Charles Taylor. After building a unique interdisciplinary framework that fuses ideas from sociology, religious studies, philosophy, film genre theory, myth criticism, and cultural studies, I turn to the ambivalence that characterizes modern life. A great number of secular people desperately want to just believe in something, but all of the momentum around them is in the direction of doubt. Their imaginations may be in a state of rebellion iv against the dominance of materialist skepticism into which they are born but they cannot escape the feeling that to simply believe would start them on a slippery slope to fundamentalism, or madness. Under such conditions, the reenchanting function of supernatural horror films plays an important role. For example, narratives of conversion from skeptic to believer offer compelling resolutions. Serial killer films, on the other hand, present dark meditations on the reality of evil. Both entertain the existence of something greater than or beyond the everyday world. Horror takes great pleasure in rubbing reason up against the irrational, and setting the supernatural loose in the mundane reality of the natural. Detectives investigate paranormal activities, prove and disprove local myths and legends, and FBI special agents hunt monstrous multiple murderers who may or may not be evil personified. These characters and others bring to life a small part of the struggle to find the meaning of life in a secular age, and to reenchant this disenchanted world. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The ideas presented here are the product of many years of learning from many teachers and colleagues, as well as many years of unwavering support from cherished friends and family. First and foremost, I was blessed with a supervisory committee most graduate students can only dream of. My supervisor, Janine Marchessault, encouraged me to apply to York to pursue a PhD and she embraced and nurtured my earliest notions of what my research might investigate. A supervisor must wear many hats and Janine wore them all with aplomb. When I was losing focus, she knew exactly how to put me back on track; when I was down, she knew just what to say. Janine, I can not thank you enough for your patience and for the confidence and encouragement you provided year in and year out. Each of the other members of my committee, Monique Tschofen, Steve Bailey and John Caruana, played an important role in seeing me through this process. Monique's door was always open and her close reading, editing and feedback improved my writing and my ideas in so many ways. Steve provided guidance as I maneuvered through the program and was always a source of calm energy, right up until the day of my defense. John joined the committee at a crucial turning point in my work and gave me the last push I needed to finish. The remaing members of my defense committee, Paul Coates, Suzie Young, and John McCullough, all read my work with a critical eye and contributed valuable insights that will help me going forward. Thank you all for all of your support. vi Outside of my committee, many others at York and Ryerson had a hand in this project over the years. Murray Pomerance went above and beyond what any student could expect from a mentor. His steadfast belief in me from the moment we met has been a constant source of strength, and his energy is always an inspiration. John O'Neill encouraged me to write about horror for his course in my first semester and was an early champion of my potential. He gave his time generously when I was just beginning to lay the groundwork for this project. Dennis Denisoff provided an invaluable perspective on my comps committee. Professors Tom Cohen and Richard Lippe at York and Andrew O'Malley at Ryerson were not only inspiring teachers to work for but they also showed great generosity by taking an interest in my progress as a graduate student and lending their time and counsel in different ways. Diane Jenner and Julie Birkle at York patiently guided me through the program from my very first day to my very last. My fellow ComCulters Lauren Cruikshank, Sarah Sharma, Nathan Holmes, Alison Powell, Sean Springer, Kate Zieman and Amanda Graham all made my experience in the program, and my life in Toronto over the years, richer in so many ways. I could not have made it through without the time we shared together. Lastly, a special mention must be made about the debt this entire dissertation owes to Robin Wood. Not only did his early writing on the horror film make mine possible, but his whole approach to film studies is the enduring model for my work. Imagine then my thrill at taking a course with Robin while at York. When he actually liked my writing and encouraged me, I think I was so vii overwhelmed at first that I couldn't process it. As I struggled over the years to find my voice, however, his seal of approval had an incalculable effect. Sadly, Robin passed away the same week I completed my final draft. He may never have the chance to read these pages but his spirit is found in each and every one of them. The research presented here is really the culmination of work that began in the Department of Film Studies at Concordia University. The faculty there made me the film scholar I am today and laid all of the groundwork that allowed me to pursue a PhD in Toronto. I want to thank everyone who taught me film at Concordia, but in particular Martin Lefebvre, who early on contributed important ideas to this dissertation, and Peter Rist whose love of cinema and passion for teaching continues to inspire me today. Writing a dissertation can be such an all-consuming task that friends, simply by being friends, provide an invaluable form of life-support. Thanks to Jonathan Yam and Debbie Chenier who saw me through this entire process, as well as to the whole gang at SNIC. For two decades now, Rene Kayser and Fernand Comeau have shared so many conversations with me about movies that each in their own way has had an important influence on my ideas. Finally, three people contributed in ways that truly can not be measured.