Scarily obvious: why the horror genre needs to drop clumsy metaphors

, Jessie Buckley plays a woman whose holiday in the English countryside curdles into a surreal nightmare. Her tormenter is at once singular and plural: a whole village of hostile strangers, all with the face and voice of Rory Kinnear. Garland, the sci-fi novelist who wrote and directed Ex Machina and Annihilation , never explains the nature of this menacing anomaly, this apparent hive mind of identical stalkers.

We are living in an age of metaphorical horror – of scary movies that strive, loudly and unsubtly, to be about something scarier than a sharp knife or sharp fangs, something real and important. The monster that’s more than a monster is nothing new, of course. Just ask any scholar of vampire or werewolf lore what these enduring folkloric icons can represent, or what they have over the centuries.

These are films that basically write their own academic papers aloud, doing the interpretative labor for the audience. At their worst, they can play more like equations than thrillers: solve for X to reveal the cultural or psychological issue the monster is blatantly representing. Not that every film-maker even settles on just one metaphorical function.

Plenty of great horror films released over the last few years have privileged a message above cheap thrills, and deployed a metaphor without surrendering scares. But for every

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Why Paul Vaughan is the type of footballer the Bulldogs don’t needOpinion: Why Paul Vaughan is the type of footballer the Bulldogs don’t need | Andrew Webster Nothing brings on a media pile on quicker than criticism. I’m no fan of Vaughan, but his flaws are old news. Boringly predictable glass jaw on show.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

Kendrick Lamar upends hip hop’s game of thrones with vulnerable, dense new albumLamar’s emotional terrain, especially on the album’s revealing second disc, will perpetuate a reputation that already transcends the genre.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

Craig McLachlan denies he manipulated and insulted fellow actors during Rocky Horror Show, court hearsMcLachlan disputes allegations he disparaged female cast members, calling one ‘a bitch’ and claiming another was ‘ruining the show’, defamation trial hears
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Family in 'shock' after NSW mayor stabbed in violent home invasionSome of Mayor Patrick Connolly's children witnessed the attack, after five to six men reportedly broke into the family home and stabbed him. 9News
Source: 9NewsSyd - 🏆 23. / 51 Read more »

Spender rejects Coalition’s super for housing policyThe independent candidate said the policy would inflate house prices when increased supply was needed. michaelkoziol Looking forward to the headline 'Spender backs price cuts'. michaelkoziol Sharma is a goner. Deadman walking. michaelkoziol There you have it Spender was always Labour. Voters beware the fake teal.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

Colleague feared Craig McLachlan could take his own life after articles alleging harassment, court hearsRocky Horror Show actor tells defamation trial McLachlan looked ‘very frail’ and ‘in shock’ the day ABC and Fairfax reports were published
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »