Editing Horror film (section)

=== Themes ===
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Revised Edition, 1831) Creature.jpg
| image2            = Apocalypse-Albert Goodwin.jpg
| image3            = Kitab al-Bulhan -- devil.jpg
| caption1          = [[Frankenstein's monster]]
| caption2          = ''Apocalypse'' by [[Albert Goodwin (artist)|Albert Goodwin]]
| caption3          = A [[demon]] in the [[Book of Wonders]]
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| link1             = Frankenstein's monster
| link2             = Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
| link3             = Demon
| footer            = Charles Derry proposed the three key components of horror are that of personality, Armageddon and the demonic.
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In the book ''Dark Dreams'', author Charles Derry conceived horror films as focusing on three broad [[Theme (narrative)|themes]]: the horror of [[personality]], horror of [[Armageddon]] and the horror of the [[demon]]ic.{{sfn|Prawer|1989|p=16}} The horror of personality derives from [[Monster movie|monsters]] being at the centre of the plot, such [[Frankenstein's monster]] whose psychology makes them perform unspeakable horrific acts ranging from [[rape]]s, [[mutilation]]s and [[wikt:sadistic|sadistic]] killings.{{sfn|Prawer|1989|p=16}} Other key works of this form are [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]],'' which feature psychotic murderers without the make-up of a monster.{{sfn|Prawer|1989|p=16}} The second 'Armageddon' group delves on the fear of [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|large-scale destruction]], which ranges from [[List of science fiction horror films|science fiction works]] but also of [[List of natural horror films|natural events]], such as Hitchcock's ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963).{{sfn|Prawer|1989|p=16}} The last group of the “Fear of the Demonic” features graphic accounts of [[Satanic film|satanic rites]], [[witchcraft]], [[exorcism]]s outside traditional forms of worship, as seen in films like ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'' (1973) or ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976).{{sfn|Prawer|1989|p=17}}

Some critics have suggested horror films can be a vessel for exploring contemporary cultural, political and social trends. Jeanne Hall, a film theorist, agrees with the use of horror films in easing the process of understanding issues by making use of their optical elements.<ref name="Lizardi">{{cite journal|last1=Lizardi|first1=Ryan|date=31 August 2010|title='Re-Imagining' Hegemony and Misogyny in the Contemporary Slasher Remake|journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television|volume=38|issue=3|pages=113–121|doi=10.1080/01956051003623464|s2cid=191466131}}</ref> The use of horror films can help audiences understand international prior historical events occurs, for example, to depict the horrors of the [[Vietnam War]], the [[Holocaust]], the worldwide [[AIDS epidemic]]<ref name="History Horror">{{cite book|last=Heller-Nicholas|first=Alexandra|title=History and Horror|publisher=Screen Education}}</ref> or [[post-9/11]] pessimism.{{sfn|Aston|Walliss|2013|p=4}}  

Anxieties surrounding race and racism have historically and continuously informed the horror genre.<ref name="Kuhn-2012" /> This is exemplified by the history of the [[zombie apocalypse]] sub-genre. The first [[zombie]] horror films, such as ''[[White Zombie (film)|White Zombie]]'' (1932), were inspired by stories brought back to Europe by colonizers and explicitly presented [[Afro-Haitians|Afro-Haitian]] religious and spiritual practices as evil and perverse.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McAlister |first=Elizabeth |title=Zombie theory: a reader |date=2017 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-5179-0091-5 |editor-last=Lauro |editor-first=Sarah Juliet |location=Minneapolis |chapter=Slaves, Cannibals, and infected Hyper-Whites: The Race and Religion of Zombies}}</ref> The film which then revived the sub-genre, ''[[Night of the Living Dead]]'' (1968), incidentally presented themes surrounding race in America by casting [[Duane Jones]], a black actor, as the lead.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Means Coleman |first=Robin R. |title=Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present |date=2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-367-76719-8 |location=Oxford}}</ref> Whether accidentally or actively, horror films demonstrate societal issues by who or what is chosen to incite fear and how it is represented, both visually and narratively.