Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

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the people watching the monitor realize there is a delay between the events captured
and their viewing. Here, an attack occurs, as we, the audience, watch on our own
screen, be it cinema or television. This example highlights two important points
regarding the development of the eye/camera during this stage of its evolution.
Firstly, audiences are aware of the aesthetic formula of the slasher sub-genre, and
have at least a vague understanding of how the eye/camera functions within a
generic narrative. Secondly, filmmakers know that the audiences have an awareness
of this function, and are presented with the challenge of creating a more complex set
of eye/camera codifications in order to retain the horrifying, visceral and suspenseful
effect it provides. For example, John Kenneth Muir discusses Wes Craven’s
understanding of the point of view shot in his discussion of Craven’s film Deadly
Blessing (1981). Muir says,
On the surface, the film apes the style of Sean Cunningham’s Friday the
13 th or John Carpenter’s Halloween. Point-of-view shots of intruders
entering a darkened home and watching the beautiful protagonist disrobe
dominate the film, but rewardingly Craven has pulled another fast one on
his viewers and again defied their expectations. The P.O.V. shots
represent not one intruder but three! Louisa, Faith and William Gluntz
are all obsessed with Jensen’s Martha, and at various times are all
stalking her. (1998; 81)
Muir’s analysis demonstrates Craven’s knowing utilization of the eye/camera and the
potential it contains for the subversion of expectation.