As part of this studio, the research topic that I have developed centres around on the psychological horror genre, focusing on inner monologues, the mind, thoughts and emotions. I have engaged with and taken inspirations from several texts, among others are The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and Inside Out (2015). What started out as genuine enjoyment and for entertainment purposes only, turned out to work well in my favour and compliment my topic nicely. This led me to do a more in-depth analysis and research on both examples.
The Haunting of Hill House
The series establishes the idea of a house-as-body/mind metaphor as its foundation. Since the series was adapted from the original novel under the same name, there were quite a handful of poetic inner monologues that stood out to me. I guess I’ve always been drawn to the psychological genre, but this time around being depicted through horror tropes. The idea of “ghosts” provides an insight to the diverse manifestations that it symbolizes; namely an emotion like guilt, or a memory. Coming across a Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis written by Kristýna Káňová (2021), it talks about the representation of a haunted house trope. It also introduces and provides an insight to other examples of a similar genre, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (2006) and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1992). The paper also includes Sigmund Freud’s (1919) idea of the uncanny, which so happens to be the topic discussed during classes in week 6. To put it simply, the uncanny is a feeling of terror in the familiarly unfamiliar, which could very well be nothing new or foreign, but rather something old that’s repressed or hidden; the resurfacing of a memory or experience. Tying it all back to the haunted house trope, a “house” could be perceived as a comfortable and safe space, but the uncanny could challenge this idea.
Inside Out
Another important aspect of my research journey would be doing a deeper dive into the topic of emotions. I happened to come across an article written by Marsh & Zakrzewski (2015), which provides a more “scientific/psychological” approach to the movie. One of the points being “don’t try to force happiness”, in a way that forcing one’s self to be “happy” could actually be doing them more harm than good. Prioritizing positivity does not mean avoiding or denying negative feelings or situations. Another point would be that sadness is vital to one’s well-being, it is a critical component of happiness. With the final point being mindfully embrace—rather than suppress—tough emotions. According to the article, psychologists will recognize the engagement of a risky behaviour called “emotional suppression”—an emotion-regulation strategy that has been found to lead to anxiety and depression. It also identifies the healthiest method for working with emotions. Instead of avoiding or denying sadness, it should be realized that it is an important part of one’s emotional life.
Reference List:
Káňová, K. 2021, Representation of the Haunted House Trope in The Haunting of Hill House, pp. 1-35
Marsh, J. & Zakrzewski, V. 2015, ‘Four Lessons from “Inside Out” to Discuss With Kids’, Greater Good Magazine, viewed 16 September 2021, <https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_lessons_from_inside_out_to_discuss_with_kids>
