Lily Andrick, a transgender horror fan, shares her personal connection to body horror and how it resonates with her experiences. The discussion delves into the psychological complexities of the genre, exploring the feelings of repulsion and fascination it evokes. Lily highlights how body horror reflects societal pressures and personal traumas, particularly for marginalized identities. The conversation also touches on the resurgence of body horror in contemporary media and its potential for empowerment and social commentary, making it a deeply insightful and thought-provoking dialogue.
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Body Horror Confronts Embodiment
Body horror confronts us with the inescapability of our embodied existence.
This deep connection to the body is the source of both joy and horror for humans.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Caregiving Deepens Horror Understanding
David Huckvale shared how caring for his dying parents exposed him to real bodily disintegration.
These experiences deepened his understanding of body horror's emotional weight.
insights INSIGHT
Philosophy Behind Body Horror
The philosophy of body horror reflects that we are simply bodies without souls or afterlife.
Recognizing this corporeal reality can be profoundly unsettling and obscene.
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Xavier Aldana Reyes' "Contemporary Body Horror" offers a comprehensive examination of the subgenre's evolution and its enduring relevance. The book delves into the social and cultural contexts that shape body horror, exploring its use as a tool for social commentary. Reyes analyzes how the genre reflects anxieties about the body, identity, and societal norms. He categorizes body horror into 'positive' and 'negative' forms, highlighting the diverse ways in which the genre engages with themes of transformation and empowerment. The book provides a nuanced understanding of body horror's complex relationship with fear, disgust, and the human condition.
Terrors of the Flesh
Terrors of the Flesh
The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film
David Huckvale
In "Terrors of the Flesh," David Huckvale delves into the philosophical underpinnings of body horror cinema. He analyzes how the genre confronts our anxieties about mortality, bodily disintegration, and the limitations of the human form. Huckvale explores the works of influential thinkers like the Marquis de Sade, whose ideas resonate with the genre's exploration of the body's inherent obscenity. The book examines the life cycle of the body, from birth to death, through the lens of body horror tropes. Ultimately, Huckvale's work provides a rich and insightful analysis of body horror's enduring power and its capacity to reflect our deepest fears and fascinations.
We all have that one thing we just can’t watch. For me, it’s body horror -- the kind of horror where grotesque and disturbing things happen to someone’s body, like in The Thing, The Fly, or The Substance. There is a long history of body horror as a form of social commentary and special effects showmanship. I respect the artform, but I can’t stomach the art. So I decided to figure out why. I talk with Chioke l’Anson (horror fan and voice of NPR underwriting), author David Huckvale (“Terrors of The Flesh: The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film”) and author Xavier Aldana Reyes (“Contemporary Body Horror”) about how this subgenre taps into fundamental aspects of being human that we often try to put out of our minds. Plus, I speak with listener Lillie Andrick about why some transgender fans, like her, feel a special connection to body horror.
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