"The Return of the Repressed" was a theory of Sigmund Freud stating that the wanton desires that we repress to become part of civilisation (e.g. the transition from baby to man involving a lot of repression of want want want if we wish to become a member of society) and that these repressed thoughts and desires will come out in the form of mental symptoms.
This theory is useful to the horror genre for the eerily human factor that is applied to give greater fear of famous villains. An example of this would be Micheal Myers from the "Halloween" series of films with his enthusiasm for killing being identifiable even to a "civilised" audience.
Perhaps then it can be suggested that horror allows for the audience to experience these carnal desires within the safety of the movie and without killing anyone else.
This is however highly debatable as Freuds theories over the years have oft been discredited due to such studies as the Westermark effect, and therefore any such theory as the return of the repressed must be taken with a 'pinch of salt'
Monday 11 October 2010
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Freud thought we all have to repress some of our most primitive desires and emotions in order to take our place in society. So infant rages etc are repressed (we cannot recall our early childhood). Does horror allow us to experience these things again, in a safe context?
ReplyDeletePeter - where is the narrative theory post? Please get it done asap.
ReplyDeleteSean