Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

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viewer unsure of the specific location and thematically connecting the two seemingly
disparate organisations. Thomas Elsaesser states that, in German expressionist
cinema, “the editing often obscures rather than expresses continuity and causal links
between segments or even between shots.” (Elsaesser in Nowell-Smith, 1996, p.
143) Rick Worland, writing on Nosferatu (1922; dir. Murnau), argues, “Murnau
creates expressionist stylization through careful shot composition and lighting rather
than distorted sets, as in the vaulted chamber where Hutter discovers the monster
resting in his rotten-topped coffin, wide eyes staring up at the terrified man.” (2007;
p.48) These are just a few of the key examples of the intricacy between German
expressionism, horror and perspective.
Perspective in Horror to Perspective in the Slasher
Films within the slasher sub-genre of horror are no exception to the strong
usage of perspective. Since slasher films usually have sparse, streamlined plots,
perspective is often used not only to provide the appropriate emotional response, but
also to propel the film through the narrative. This calls for an examination of the
perspectives that dominate the horror genre.
While most films tend to quickly establish both a protagonist and an
antagonist, slasher films often initially establish the antagonist, and slowly develop
the protagonist, as secondary characters fall by the wayside. This makes sense when
one considers the issue of perspective. Sensing the immediate terror of the victim of
a violent act would be almost entirely eradicated if a slasher film adopted the
perspective of a singular protagonist that meets the antagonist in the climax. This is
why a film such as Terror Train (1980; dir. Spottiswoode) benefits from slowly
developing the characters, as the perspective can move fluidly between them,