ABSTRACT
The horror genre addresses our concern with the weaknesses of the flesh. Human mortality and decay
occupy the images in this genre. Interestingly, serious directors in this genre often remain engaged to horror
for their entire careers, such as Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Jack Sholder. These direc-
tors have a passionate commitment to the blood and gore that has permeated the modern visions of horror
films. More than anything, however, the horror film is devoted to the monster. Whether it is a block-
headed behemoth with bolts in his neck or a transient sporting razors on his hands, the horror genre asks us
to look at our own monsters by manifesting them on screen in the guise of various personages. The charac-
ters of earlier times, Dracula, Werewolf, and Frankenstein, join Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Jigsaw
in more recent fare to populate our nightmares with ghastly creatures.
