User:Alyssa.Alfonso/Body horror

Alyssa Alfonso
 Content Gaps 

In the article, body horror is referred to as "grotesque and psychologically disturbing" violations or depictions of the human body. The article lists sex, mutations, mutilations, zombification, violence, and disease as types of body horror. One of the main content gaps I identified is the fact that the article is narrow in it's offering of the types of body horror. The article focuses on the extreme examples of body horror and nearly forgets about the less vile types. There are less severe examples of body horror that are informative and broaden body horror. For example, digestion is considered a body horror as well as pregnancy. Body horror is measured by the degree/level of horror associated with it. Slashing and grotesqueness is considered to have a higher degree of body horror due to the responses they receive from the audience. But it is important to also point out that there are less appalling forms of body horror as well such as the previously mentioned digestion and pregnancy, but also smaller things like pimples.

This article refers to body horror as the fear of "unnatural or violent" distortions of the body, but that statement is not completely accurate. Sekrst talks of this in her article Terrors of the Flesh: The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film. Both pregnancy and digestion are two major forms of body horror that Sekrst discusses. Both of these are natural bodily functions, yet are common body horrors. Therefore, I think this article may be leaving relevant information out regarding body horror. The definition is somewhat narrow compared to actual body horror. While the article does discuss body horror in history, film, literature, and graphics/novels, there are a few key points that are missing. There are common interest gaps when it comes to body horror and it's relevance to feminism, the female body, and how body horror changes in extremity when a female is involved. I think the changes of women in history and their roles/expectations is relevant in body horror and should be included in information given.

 Body Horror Additional Information - Femininity 

Body horror is typically focused on only the grotesque and violent involvement of the human body. Oftentimes, body horror involving the female body is overlooked, but remains a key topic in body horror. Body horror seems to be brought to a new level when a female is involved. Feminism and anti-feminism are related to the subject. This also brings up the topic of pregnancy and body horror associated with it. According to Sekrst, birthing anxiety and post-natal depression are in connection with body horror. Within the history of pregnancy and body horror, pregnancy was known to be hidden from public eye and to be ashamed of. There was body horror revolving around the distortion of the human body and the changes that come with pregnancy. Though it is a natural bodily function, and has been around as long as humans have, pregnancy is still considered to be body horror. Throughout history, women are typically seen has feminine, delicate beings. Body horror is directly reflecting of this. People tend to be more sensitive and reactive to body horror when women are involved. The expectations and roles of women have changed through the years. Women have had the role of a nurturing, gentle, soft, inferior being for a very long time. Therefore, horror came from seeing women involved in violent, grotesque, unfeminine, and sexual acts. While these pre-conceived notions and expectations are being diminished, it is still relevant and effects body horror perceptions.

Flexibility is also a form of body horror. It is also another example of a body horror that does not include unnatural or violent bodily movements. Many Japanese films involve women using flexibility to contort and disfigure their body. This is a form of body horror. It is also relevant to women and their role in body horror. Terry discusses women flexibility and the body image of power and being limitless. Flexibility is viewed as a body horror to some people, while some view it as powerful. Just like pregnancy is viewed as beautiful by some, yet scary/disgusting to others. Femininity, women, the history of women, and body horror are intertwined. It is important to include information on how woman and the perceptions of women have changed throughout history. This shows how the degree of severity of body horror surrounding women has changed/adapted.

 Relevant Body Horror Articles/Review 

David Huckvale (2020) Terrors of the Flesh: The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film - Kristina Šekrst

In this article, Sekrst talks about the book written by David Huckvale and how he discusses body horror in film. In this book, Huckvale talks about body horror as the anxieties that we experience about our own bodies and our existence. Huckvale made a point to say that humans are not a makeup of limbs, but a conscious, living, thinking human being. According to this article, body horror is in direct correlation with the fear of death, theories regarding life/existence, and “corruptibility” of our flesh. There are many things people can focus on while discussing body horror: digestion, mutilation, mutation, infection. Sex is also brought up often when it comes to body horror. Birthing anxiety and post-natal depression are mentioned when it comes to birth and body horror. Huckvale noted that for a long time, pregnancy was to be hidden from the public and was something to be shamed of. This all relates to body horror. Going back to digestion, there are people who have body horror about eating and digestion, and are disgusted by it. Infection/mutation is a type of body horror where people are horrified by the fact that there could be infection inside of them. This can cause hysteria and panic in people. All of these things are seen in films. Many films show body horror in different ways. The specific film that Huckvale writes about includes cannibalism – digestion, eating, infection, disease. The books makes you look at both your body and horror differently.

Horror and the Body: Understanding the Reworking of the Genre in Marina de Van’s Dans ma peau/In my Skin – Romain Chareyon

In this article, Chareyon discusses the film Dans ma peau/In my Skin and how Marina de Van represents the human body in the film. Marina de Van uses body horror both visually and technically in order to break down and “reconstruct” the definitions of pain in the body. The wounded body is depicted in the film as body horror. Blood and scars are present in the film. The film uses body horror in order to show character subjectivity. Though wounded bodies are shown, the film does not show violence, gory scenes, or dismembered bodies as typical horror films do. The film is depicting skin as a “transformable surface”. Malleability is used to describe flesh. The film is not traditional at all.