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Article Summary by MaryFrances D.
The horror films of the mid-1970s and 80s are not like the horror films of today. They often were more extreme, even irrational. Rust explains that “horror, postmodern horror films are characterized by the transgression of moral boundaries, violation of bodies, and the construction of open-ended worlds ‘in which categories collapse, violence constitutes everyday
life, and the irrational prevails.’” (Rust 551). Rust uses the example of Jaws where nature, in this case the vicious shark, is attacking humans. I believe this is a great way to easily demonstrate his message about postmodern horror films because not only is the film well-known, but it shows a clear man-versus-nature scenario. Rust intends his article to help show readers that horror films have the ability to not only captivate us, but “shake us out of our comfortably numb resignation to ecological catastrophe by jarring viewers into considerations of their relationships to the world outside the theatre.” (Rust 551). I think that many people assume that dramas are the films that make us view our world differently, but Rust takes a look at horror and helps show us how postmodern horror movies can also have the same effects, if not more.
Rust uses The Wall to help explain how horror can move us and understand our relationships with people and the world. He finds this film worthy of ecological criticism due to its many aspects of the horror film genre and its offering “a stirring critique of the cultural and ecological logic of neoliberal capitalism.” (Rust 553). He also mentions how “cultural logic” helps us look and comprehend new ways of seeing relationships and the environment. This is displayed throughout the movie in the way it is filmed in different angles, zoom-ins, background sounds, and Pink Floyd’s music playing throughout. “This highly choreographed camera movement invites the viewer further into the highly subjective experience of the hyperindividualized protagonist.” (Rust 554). There is a scene where Pink, the protagonist in the film, is sitting in a chair visualizing a crowd breaking through police barricades at a concert to attend a show of his juxtaposing with images of soldiers running into battle. The song “In the Flesh” plays with mixing sounds of the battle while there are images of the concert-goers with a soda billboard featuring a baseball player in the background. The images of the concert-goers and battle scenes flash back and forth which recognizes the material imagery of what our soldiers and our fathers really fought for. (Rust 545-555). I think that films that are able to capture two completely different scenes like this while also sending a message to the viewers is a challenge, but also moving. Not only does it depict modern-day versus historical relevance, but also the music incorporated as well as the story behind Pink’s imagery creates a story that will open the eyes of viewers as they questions themselves and the world around them.
Overall, I think that Rust’s depiction of material ecocriticism in horror films, particularly The Wall, helps readers understand how postmodern horror films give viewers more than entertainment; they give them an experience to see the world differently. It is certainly a unique take on horror films, but the way material ecocriticism was displayed in The Wall, and how the film can make viewers see a whole new perspective on history and their current life. Incorporating new media and these other elements to send a message means that it is a one-of-a-kind film.
Rust, Stephen A. "Comfortably Numb: Material Ecocriticism And The Postmodern Horror Film." Isle: Interdisciplinary Studies In Literature And Environment 21.3 (2014): 550-561. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
