SCARE TACTICS

WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER?

Understand yourself better mentally

How do horror films alter the way we think?

How does it influence the new thoughts and

experiences we build?

WHAT TEXTS WILL YOU USE?

The Horror Film – Peter Hutchings

Various horror movies / clips such as:• The Shining• Silence of the Lambs• Poltergeist• Blair Witch Project

WHAT DISCIPLINES WILL BE COVERED?

Biology• Why do horror films send a chill up our spines?

Psychology• How do horror films affect us mentally? Why are we

scared of certain movies and not others?

Sociology• Why do horror movies vary internationally? Has

society made us prone to fear?

WHAT TOOLS WILL YOU USE?

Experience and reflection• Why are you personally affected by horror films in

the way that you are?

Behavioral Psychology• How do horror films affect us mentally (short term,

long term, and behaviorally)?

What makes a given fear rational or irrational

EXTENDING LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

Do a study of a random group of people watching horror

films measuring physical affects as well as a survey of

psychological affects.

Guest Speaker who studies the psychological effects of

horror movies

Host a horror movie film festival at Stetson

At the end of the semester compose a movie script for the

perfect psychological thriller

GENERAL CLASS ORDER

Basics of psychology, specifically the elements utilized in horror

films/video games as well as a study of the biological aspect of it

International horror films and the differences from country to country will

be looked at to study the cultural impacts on why we are scared by

certain things• Study urban legends often portrayed in horror films

Watching films and analyzing the elements that were used to create the

scary effect

Project in which students will create what they believe would be the

perfect psychological thriller that would scare the living daylights of an

audience of the country of the student’s choosing

FINAL BREAKDOWN: IMPORTANT POINTS

This class forces people to look at parts of pop culture – and

parts of themselves – that they’d rather run from

What we want to change is that people think there’s no

“value” to horror movies; we don’t realize that they impact us.

 A horror movie does more than make you scream

Thank You