Bending the Definition of Horror

    Horror; hor.ror (n.) –
    1. An intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear
    2. Intense dislike, abhorrence
    3. Something unpleasant or disagreeable
                                               
                                                -- Dictionary.com

    To first understand why neither Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining nor George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead are true horror films, we must first define exactly what it is that a horror film entails. If only considering the clinical definition above, then yes, these films are indeed horror, but the genre in question, pertaining to film, does not fit inside of that tidy little box quite so well.

Any educated and well versed filmgoer would probably tell you that a horror film is much more than just the ability to cause a viewer to be repulsed by what is seen on screen. It is more likely that for a true fan of film, the genre of horror is more implicitly determined by a film’s intent, rather than its received message from the audience.

With that being said, it is the intention of purposely scaring the viewer, and little else, that will matter in clinically defining a horror film for the purpose of this particular body of work. Films such as the Nightmare on Elm Street series, The Ring, and others of that ilk would be examples of the classic horror films that will be the standard bar that separate these two films from the rest in that genre. While both The Shining and Dawn of the Dead employ some techniques and themes found in many horror films, neither film falls distinctly into that particular category.

From a cinematography standpoint, neither film fits into the horror genre, but they both achieve this subversion through different methods. In Kubrick’s The Shining, the wide-open space is a focal point of the film, achieved through long shots and aerial viewpoints. While the cinematography is purposely used in this regard to convey a feeling of isolation and loneliness, it does not necessarily serve to frighten or scare the viewer.

While it does subconsciously remind the viewer visually of the helplessness of the situation in which Danny and Wendy Torrance find themselves, it has no direct effect on emotion or fright. Towards the end of the film the style changes and incorporates smaller spaces and more close ups, but this change in filming style is used more to show the effects of the psychosis which Jack Torrance is going through, than it is to scare the viewer. Many of the extreme close ups are on Jack’s face, and his eyes in particular, which again allow us as viewers to peer into the fractured mind of the character, revealing to us the suspense of the situation over the often misread representation of horror.

In Romero’s Dawn of the Dead though, it is the absence of night filming, and the shots used to set up scenes, that are the telltale visual signs that differentiate the film from most of the contemporaries it is often mistakenly grouped with. To convey tension, and ultimately the scare, darkness is commonly used in horror films to achieve this response. Romero however, bucks these conventions and films almost entirely in the light, and usually informs viewers of surroundings with establishing shots before moving on with a scene.

Outside of the boiler room scene in which a zombie is stalking Stephen, there is very little filming done in dark areas or at night. The film begins at night, but all filming
is done inside in fully lit areas. This alone is visually enough of a signifier to differentiate and inform viewers that this is not just another horror movie, but something outside of that small paradigm.

In conjunction with the absence of night filming, Romero uses something rarely seen in a horror film, establishing shots. Characters rarely enter scenarios in which the viewer is not first aware of their surroundings and the possible dangers to them. In a true horror film the element of surprise is the most effective tool in frightening viewers through cheap visual and auditory scares, Romero again shuns this trend in the genre, distancing himself from the proverbial pack.

The sound used in both films also tends to lean towards other genres of film as opposed to horror pieces. In The Shining the ambient sound effects and score often support a more suspenseful nature than one of fear. Outside of the ending of the film, little else throughout the course of the film would audibly lead a viewer to believe that this is a horror film.

Romero shies away from tradition even further than Kubrick by employing campy 70’s style mall music as a backdrop to much of his film. The absurdity of the music is often paired with visual matches for sometimes-hilarious effects. The moaning of Romero’s zombies also becomes such a common ambient white noise in the film that any uses of the moaning for frightening effect would become a moot point, and that was apparently Romero’s intention.



Another trait absent in both films is the lack of screaming that is often employed in horror films to clue the audience in that they should be scared of what is happening on screen. Only at the end of The Shining, and only in one scene during Dawn of the Dead, is there any screaming what so ever. Outside of those rare instances, the only sounds made by performers in both films are that of spoken dialogue.

Probably the most common error made when classifying either of these films, is basing a genre classification upon visual imagery represented through the makeup and special effects found in the films. While The Shining does use copious amounts of movie blood to signify the dementia setting in at the Overlook Hotel, it is so over the top that any possible fright that might be derived from these scenes is nullified by the grandiose over use of said “blood”. The only other use of special effects make-up in the film that could possibly be misconstrued as trying to scare the viewer would be the bathroom scene in which Jack finds himself face to face with the corpse of a past resident who was murdered there.

While the makeup utilized in this scene to alter the appearance of the woman in the bathtub may be frightening to some, a closer analysis of the scene simply reveals that this is yet another visual indicator to the psychosis which is slowly taking control of Jack Torrance’s mind, ultimately telling the viewer more about the psychological aspects of the character, rather than just frightening them.

Although Kubrick’s use of makeup and special effects is misleading, Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is ten times as guilty when it comes to using these techniques as red herrings. The entire course of the film is rife with grotesque makeup and liberal use of movie blood for effect, but none of it serves as a fright mechanism for the film. By the time the movie is one third over, viewers are desensitized to the makeup on the zombies as they receive very generous amounts of screen time, and the violence that is perpetrated upon the humans in the film is more of a visual gross-out than it is a genuine scare. Never does Romero’s use of makeup and special effects cause the viewer to turn away or close their eyes in fear, but rather in repulsion. While it would be easy for the casual filmgoer to mistake Tom Savini’s makeup effects for horror elements, they are certainly not utilized for that purpose.

While all of the previously discussed elements serve to differentiate these two films from the horror genre, the substantial differences lie in the narrative content of the films even more so than in the technical aspects. The Shining, while offering viewers a few genuinely scary moments, is much more of a suspense film than one belonging in the horror category.



The cinematography of the entire film serves to guide the viewer visually through what the narrative context is conveying psychologically. Throughout the unfolding of the story, the character of Jack Torrance undergoes numerous psychological changes and is metamorphosed into a picture of insanity. During the film Kubrick intensifies the tension through psychological methods rather than by using fear as his driving emotion. Scenes of Jack’s isolated emotions and fragile state of mind signify a violent climax to viewers, but never is violence used throughout the course of the movie until it is absolutely necessary during the film’s final sequences.

Where a classicly defined film in the horror genre would build tension through death scenes and frightening situations, Kubrick’s work only implies death, while psychosomatic implications through Jack’s character allow viewers to peer through a window that is only opened in the final moments of the film. For these contextual reasons alone, The Shining is more suited to being categorized in the suspense genre, rather than as a horror film.

Where Kubrick’s film and Romero’s differ substantially is in the content. While Kubrick focused on suspense elements in his film, Romero focused on the social
relevance of his film, and the societal reflections that he would ultimately come to be known for amongst film fans globally. In an age of rampant consumerism and social irresponsibility, Romero used zombies as a tool that mimicked microcosms of society that existed in every city around the United States not only in the 1970s, but in the world today as well.

His decision to set his film in a shopping mall was deliberate and intrinsic to the films greater message. His focus on the post-modern family unit and their effectiveness together also delivered a powerful and relevant message to anyone focused enough to look for the deeper contextual meaning in his masterpiece. As a group, a makeshift family of sorts, the characters in Dawn of the Dead manage to secure a home for themselves in a world of chaos. The character of Francine is used as a motherly tool-- and a representation of the future--and the need to preserve life through her pregnancy as well.

It is only at the end of the film, when the “family” disbands unintentionally to protect their home that they fall to the insanity that has swallowed the world that they inhabit. The real enemy is also revealed in the films final moments, but it is not what viewers expected all along. The biker gang that invades the shopping mall is the ultimate undoing of the protagonist’s lives, not the zombies that are really just a tool used by Romero to engage deeper societal issues. Man’s inhumanity to man reveals itself as the real villain of the story.

Romero also uses Dawn of the Dead, and incidentally his future films Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead, to discuss the possibility of a higher power in the form of the existence of a God, and shows us the progression of evolution, bluntly, throughout his entire series of “Dead” films. Racism is another issue that has been tackled by Romero since his first film, Night of the Living Dead, and is also addressed
here in Dawn of the Dead.

So as is apparent, Romero’s film, like Kubrick’s, does not easily fit into the horror genre, but unlike Kubrick’s film focusing on suspense, George A. Romero instead chose to focus his efforts into making a social commentary piece, that in retrospect is alarmingly accurate, even today. Much different than where most people would incorrectly lump this incredible film. While the films employ different means to separate themselves from traditional horror movies, they are both successful in defining themselves outside of the genre, all be it thorough different techniques and methods.

It is discernible that neither The Shining nor Dawn of the Dead fit into the category of a traditional horror film. While employing elements of the medium often associated with horror films, these two movies manage to transcend the boundaries placed upon them by culturally sterile movie patrons and the occasionally uninformed critic.
Although the techniques and methods used, both technically and in the narrative, are markedly different, The Shining and Dawn of the Dead both manage to carve out a particular niche in their genre-shattering representations of often-misunderstood subjects and characters. With multiple viewings of either, or both, films it becomes readily apparent that neither one of these classic films should be discourteously grouped into the too often expansive category of horror films.