-
A Cure for Wellness. Dir. Gore Verbinski. Regency Enterprises. (2016)
Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness uses the symbolic imagery of eels in this psychological horror film. The scenes in which they feature are some of the most perturbed, which disgusts both the audience and our protagonist, Lockhart. The horror comes as a result of psychoanalytic concern about sexuality; the marrying of sexual desire and…
-
Storks. Dir. Doug Sweetland, Nicolas Stoller. Warner Bros.Pictures. 2016.
Anthropomorphism and stereotypes are often utilized in children’s animation since they cater to a broad audience. The film Storks uses anthropomorphic animals in order to create vivid and lively characters with human characteristics whom the audience can relate to. Moreover, integrating well-known stereotypes in the storyline can evoke empathy or disdain for real animals, such…
-
The Craft. Dir. Andrew Fleming. Columbia Pictures. 1996.
The Craft is a 1996 supernatural teen horror film, in which animals feature heavily as a representation of the otherness felt by four teenage girls who possess extraordinary powers. The film presents witchcraft and magic as something that is inextricable from nature and animals, in line with Neo-Pagan traditions. This scene is particularly striking, as…
-
Willard. Dir. Glen Morgan. New Line Cinema. 2003.
Glen Morgan’s disturbing horror film Willard portrays the life of social misfit Willard Stiles (played by Crispin Glover), and a colony of trained rats who live in the basement of his somewhat derelict mansion. Whilst at first Willard intends to dispose of the rodents, he instead connects with a distinctive white rat whom he names…
-
Seven Pounds. Dir. Gabriele Muccino. Sony Pictures. 2003
Seven Pounds is a 2003 drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino which explores the relationship between humans and non-human animals, specifically focusing on the bond between human and dog. The film highlights how through feelings of trust and dependency, combined with overcoming societal stereotypes, both humans and dogs can utilize the time they spend together…
-
The Shallows. Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra. Columbia Pictures. 2016.
The Shallows uses the tale of Nancy (Blake Lively), a surfer alone and vulnerable in the picturesque coasts of Mexico only to be aggressively hunted by a great white shark with a taste for skinny blonde models (shock). Since Jaws, sharks have become a symbol of fear – an immediate indication of danger within the cinematic…
-
Ted 2. Dir Seth MacFarlane. Universal Pictures. 2015.
Ted 2 is the second instalment of the Ted series in which John (Mark Wahlberg), as a child wishes for his teddy bear, Ted (Seth MacFarlane), to come to life. What follows is thirty-something years of memories, shenanigans and improper behaviour. The first film follows the pair as John finally learns to ‘grow up’. We find…
-
The Hunter. Dir. Daniel Nettheim. 2011.
The Hunter is a 2011 Australian drama film directed by Daniel Nettheim adopted from Julia Leigh’s novel. The chosen scene illustrates the parallels of a lone hunter named Martin and a supposedly extinct Tasmanian tiger, which creates an emotional crescendo and reveals Martin’s abrupt change in stance. The presented animal was subject to human caused…
-
Midsommar. Dir. Ari Aster. A24 Films. 2019
– ‘So are we just going to ignore the bear then?’ – ‘It’s a bear.’ This sequence focalises through the eyes of the newcomers in unfamiliar territory and instills a sense of foreboding and uncomfortable mystery into the film through the conspicuous image of a caged bear. The questions brought about by the bear’s filmic…
Got any book recommendations?