The first group’s media work that stood out to me as reflecting a key insight into our studio was the short film Shrine. Shrine’s plot focuses on an 18-year-old girl who is essentially held hostage in her bedroom following a friendship breakup. I thin Shrine in particular embodied the idea of ‘post horror’ as the rough synopsis of the plot doesn’t necessarily lend itself to horror yet the actual execution has plenty of horror elements that are combined with coming-of-age elements which create a very memorable experience. I believe the best ‘Post Horror’ films combine all sorts of genres that create unique and memorable experiences which is why Shrine really stood out to me.
Another film that stood out to me from our studio was He Sucks. Which follows Mary as she navigates a toxic relationship. Much like Shrine this also stuck out to me as combining a non-horror plot with more traditional horror techniques. In particular, I think the use of stock, black and white footage created a unique atmosphere and really hammered home the strengths of post-horror, which is taking from the old classics and expanding on them with modern techniques and sensibilities.
On the studio website, I looked at Uncomfortable Filmmaking which looked at the ability of a film or a piece of media to make the viewer uncomfortable through different techniques and visuals. The first work I looked at was Unreliable Narrator, a short piece on how grief can manipulate memories. I think the idea of exploring dreams and memories is a very effective way to generate discomfort, as these things are often out of our control and, especially in dreams, there is often small things that are seemingly a little off yet we cant put our finger on what exactly is wrong. I think this shorts idea of not being able to trust your own memories was successful in creating an ‘off’ atmosphere that puts you at unease.
The Second work I looked at was Maneater a short film about a break up and what happens after. Much like Unreliable Narrator, it explored the idea of not being 100% in control of your actions and being driven by your emotion. This topic is one that is relatable to many, and I thnk seeing it onscreen ilicits a strong feeling of unease as you see the main character descend into a grief ridden madness over a breakup.