Lesson 2 - Kat (notes)

MONSTER MASH:

ZOMBIES:

• ORIGINATED IN VOODOO.
• BARON SAMEDI - MASTER OF THE DEAD. THE MYSTICAL FIGURE OF BARON SAMEDI IS A SPIRIT THAT CAN BE SUMMONED BY A VOODOO PREIST WHO USES POISONS TO CONVINCE HIS VICTIMS THAT THEY ARE DEAD TO DO HIS BIDDING.
• ZOMBIES ARE SYMBOLIC OF A RESPONCE TO AGEING IN WESTERN SOCIETIES.
• AS WE GROW OLDER WE TRANSFORM INTO SOMETHING MONSTROUS.
• OUR MINDS BEGIN TO FAIL, AS DO OUR BODIES, NOONE ESCAPES THE INNEVITABILITY OF DEATH AND AGE. 

GHOSTS:

• OCCUPYING THE LIVING WORLD, ISN'T LETTING GO OF LIFE AND CANNOT MOVE FORWARD, HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THE IDEA OF POLTERGEISTS AND GHOSTS THAT CAN MOVE THINGS AND HAUNT THE LIVING.

WEREWOLF: 

• A DISTINCT FOCUS ON SELF. CONCEPTUAL SEPERATION BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE BODY. 
• 'CARTESIAN DUALISM'
• COGNITO ERGO SUM - I THINK THEREFOR I AM.
• IS REPRESENTED AS AN ALIEN, THREATENING FORM TO THE SOCIAL COLLECTIVE.
• IN THE HUMAN FORM THE MONSTROUS SIDE IS REPRESSED/ INTERIORISED. 
• CONCIOUS VS. THE UNCONCIOUS. 

VAMPIRES:

• NOFERATU - COUNT ORLOCK FIRST PORTRAYL OF THE VAMPIRE.
• AS THE WORLD DEVELOPS THE VAMPIRE IS DEPICTED AS BEING MORE HUMAN AND MORE GOOD-LOOKING. 
• ICONIC MONSTER.
• THE VAMPIRE IS A CONSUMER AND REPRESENTS THE HUNGER AND CONSUMERISM OF A CAPITALIST SOCIETY. 
• SUCKING THE LIFE FROM EVERYTHING.
• ALSO REPRESENTS THE SEDUCTION OF ADVERTISING.
• INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE.
• VAMPIRE HYPE IN THE 1990'S BECAUSE OF THE HIGH MEDIA AWARENESS OF AIDS - REPRESENTING THE INFECTION DUE TO SEXUAL DESIRE AND INTERCOURSE LEADING TO THE CONTAMINATION OF BLOOD.
• HUMAN SEXUALITY LINKED TO DISEASE AND DEATH.
• VAMPIRE IMAGERY CHANGES. INSTEAD OF BURNING IN SUNLIGHT, THEY SPARKLE, THEY ARE DEFANGED AND YOUTHFUL, SEDUCTIVE CREATURES - NOW REFLECTS THE FEARS OF AGEING.

CONTAGION IS THE DOMINANT HORROR OF THE 21ST CENTURY. AN ERA MARKED BY EPIDEMICS OF TERROR AND WAR. OUR GENERATION IS INFATUATED BY POST APOCALYPTIC VISIONS OF ZOMBIE HOARDS AND INFECTION. AN EXTINCTION EVENT. 9/11 AND TERRORISM BECOMES THE BIGGEST THREAT - REVEALED WEAKNESSES AND BREACH IN SECURITY - INFUSED APOCALYPTIC AND POST APOCALYPTIC IMAGERY IN MOTION PICTURES.