Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

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discussing the horrific as beautiful and pleasurable. There is some existing work
already establishing the cultural impact of the series, represented by the work of Ian
Conrich (2003/2010) and Jonathan Lake Crane (1994), while the generic
significance of the first two films is highlighted by Vera Dika (1990). With these
writers identifying the wide audience appeal of the series, an analysis of the aesthetic
form of the series will begin to create an understanding of audience appeal towards
these specific texts. While this is a step towards the understanding of the pleasure
these films provide, as outlined by Berliner’s research philosophy, I aim to establish
a clear understanding of the form and structure of the Friday the 13 th films, in order
to lay the groundwork for future research on the specific pleasures these films
provide.
Aesthetics and Formalism- A Methodology
V. F. Perkins states that “stories do not exist except as they are told, and...
film worlds can be discussed only as they are seen and shown...” (1972; p. 60) It is
each film world created within the Friday the 13 th series that I will analyse within
this thesis. Through this analytical approach, using a formalist framework, I aim to
argue three main points:
1 – The way in which perspective is established and communicated within the Friday
the 13 th films is central to the experience of, and emotional engagement with, these
texts.
2 – The aesthetic creation of perspective sees an intricate chronological development
and evolution, which can show how the form of the Friday the 13 th films has
gradually changed over the last thirty-two years.