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EN
Nordic horror is a relatively rare and uneven occurrence. Norway had only one horror movie prior to 2000, but since then things have changed. Of all the Nordic countries it is in Norway that the horror genre has become a cinematic staple. Why this happened at this time and not before is discussed in the article, and the subgenres of horror most prominent in Norwegian horror are put in the context of their transnational origins and development. Most importantly, do Norwegian horror movies offer something genuinely unique to the genre?
EN
The article presents examples of the use of old Slavic beliefs by authors of contemporary Polish horror, including stories included in five anthologies published by Horror Masakra in 2016– 2023, in the unrelated Żertwa. Antologia słowiańskiego horroru, and the novel Gałęziste by Artur Urbanowicz. In contemporary Polish fantasy, after 1989, we can see a growing trend of interest of writers in old Slavic beliefs or their literary interpretation and re-creation. The first analysis of this phenomenon was Elżbieta Żukowska’s doctoral dissertation Religia dawnych Słowian we współczesnej polskiej prozie fantasy, which covers this subject in the years 1986–2011 and her research material consist of about fifty works inspired by Slavic mythology, but these are only fantasy texts. In the last decade, the number of such works has only increased significantly, which may be indicated by the fact that in the period 2012–2023 there are already about three hundred of such texts. Despite her insightful and accurate analyses, the researcher completely ignores “Slavic” horror, which is currently emerging as the second most popular medium of interest in pre-Christian beliefs in Polish literary fantasy, right after fantasy. The wealth of Slavic beliefs rediscovered today allows for the creation of many original and attractive stories, including those that cause nightmares. As the examples presented in the article have shown, “Slavic fears” have many faces, and many of them take the form of various creatures originating from the incredibly rich demonology of our ancestors. However, authors most often do not reach for the sophisticated sources of human fear, but for the most primal and universal ones, related to fear of untamed nature, fear of darkness and the unknown lurking in the darkness, or disgust at the sight of dirt, disease, blood and human entrails.
3
80%
EN
The article deals with the issue of the horror genre in the Polish People’s Republic’s filmmaking. An indication of the trends that defined the acceptability limits for developing the supranational potential of horror cinema during communist times is accompanied by a discussion of the phenomena inherent to the few of horror movies that were produced at that time.
Panoptikum
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2013
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issue 12(19)
269-277
EN
This essay brings forward and analyzes some constitutive elements of Lars von Trier’s Antichrist that enable an understanding of its alleged morbidity and misogyny in terms of the sovereignty of aesthetic experience and its relation to the problem of cultural nihilism. These elements are the followings: the juxtaposition of horror and lyricism, and a corresponding archaic understanding of nature; the disengagement of visual and audio elements from their narrative function, and a corresponding deconstruction of the representational character of the movie itself.
EN
The article Zombie Apocalypse in Contemporary Children’s Literature tackles a subject which has scarcely been mentioned in Polish research on children’s literature: that of catastrophic zombie-centric narratives, elements of which – especially the motif of the zombie apocalypse – are increasingly common in works targeted at children of pre- school and early school age. Three popular English-language picturebooks are interpreted: A Brain Is for Eating (2001) by Dan and Amelia Jacobs with ilustrations by Scott Brundage, Joe McGee and Charles Santoso’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Brains (2015), and Zombie Cat. The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty (2012) by Isabel Atherton and Bethany Straker. The dominant features of these books are respectively: dark carnivalisation and a drastic representation of bloodthirsty monsters; mild carnivalisation and a zombie-child as a humanised phantom; dark carnivalisation with an animal zombie leitmotif. The texts present a multidimensional, grotesque-macabre depiction inspired by children’s folklore and apocalyptic gore cinema, as well as its significance in the context of discourses focused on post-humanism and social issues of importance in the present day. The article also seeks to answer the question of why these subjects are less popular among Polish authors, and what makes them so important in Anglo-Saxon children’s literature.
PL
Artykuł „Apokalipsa zombie we współczesnej literaturze dziecięcej” porusza mało rozpoznany w polskich badaniach nad literaturą dla dzieci temat katastroficznych narracji zombiecentrycznych, których elementy, szczególnie motyw zombie apokalipsy, pojawiają się coraz częściej w utworach skierowanych do dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym i młodszym wieku szkolnym. Interpretacji podlegają trzy popularne anglosaskie książki obrazkowe: „A Brain is for Eating” (2001) Dana i Amelii Jacobsów z ilustracjami Scotta Brundagea,„Peanut Butter & Jelly Brains”(2015) Joe’go McGee i Charles’a Santoso oraz „Zombie Cat. The Tale of a Decomposing Kittu” (2012) Isabel Atherton i Bethany Straker, w których dominuje kolejno: mroczna karnawalizacja i drastyczne ujęcie zombie-dzieci jako krwiożerczych monstrów; łagodna karnawalizacja oraz zombie-dziecko jako fantom uczłowieczony; mroczna karnawalizacja z przewodnim motywem zwierzęcia zombie. Omówione teksty prezentują wielowymiarowe, zaczerpnięte z folkloru dziecięcego i apokaliptycznego kina gore, groteskowo-makabryczne obrazowanie, jak też jego znaczenie w kontekście dyskursów zogniskowanych wokół posthumanizmu i tematów społecznych istotnych dla współczesności. W artykule pojawia się również próba odpowiedzi na pytanie: dlaczego polscy twórcy niechętnie sięgają po omawianą tematykę i z jakiego powodu jest on tak ważny w anglosaskiej literaturze dziecięcej.
EN
We can see many changes in so-called formula stories in last decades. One of them is the change of typical monsters from horror stories. They not only became “less dangerous” and “more human” (especially in texts for younger readers). The characters cease to be associated with the horror at all. They can be placed in detective novel, for example. The author of te essay concentrates on novels by two contemporary Polish writers: Wampir (Vampire), Wilkołak (Werewolf) and Zombie by Wojciech Chmielarz as well as Czarne narcyzy (Black daffodils), Martwiec (untranslantable – it is one of the Slavic words for vampire), Rodzanice and Utopce (local names, meaning also “ghosts or deities of fate” and “kelpies”) by Katarzyna Puzyńska. In all novels malefactors are real people. In the books by Wojciech Chmielarz monsters’ names are metaphors for human evil. Katarzyna Puzyńska, on the other hand, chooses small, partially depopulated villages as the place of action. In such places some people still believe in ghosts, vampires, werewolves, haunted houses and so on. But the killers are human too. The author shows what even policemen are afraid of as well as the truth, that people are sometimes much worse than the monsters from literary fiction.
PL
Celem artykułu jest ukazanie, jak, mimo ustalonych dawno temu postulatów, nakazujących „oczyszczenie” powieści kryminalnej z elementów fantastycznych i nadprzyrodzonych, motywy te funkcjonują we współczesnych utworach z tego gatunku. Jako kontekst należy wskazać zjawiska dające się zauważyć w najnowszej literaturze i kulturze popularnej. Jednym nich jest zmiana postrzegania typowych monstrów z horroru, które stają się zarówno „mniej groźne”, jak i „bardziej ludzkie”. Kolejnym – zakwestionowanie związku postaci (a także zespołu motywów) z fabułą. To na przykład, co było dotąd typowe dla horroru, może pojawić się w powieści kryminalnej. Przeprowadzono analizę wybranych utworów dwojga współczesnych pisarzy: Katarzyny Puzyńskiej (Czarne narcyzy, Martwiec, Rodzanice i Utopce) oraz Wojciecha Chmielarza (Wampir, Zombie i Wilkołak) pod kątem występowania w nich motywów rodem z powieści grozy. We wszystkich omawianych tekstach to ludzie, a nie potwory są zabójcami. W utworach Chmielarza nazwy rodem z horroru to metafory ludzkiego zła lub szaleństwa (autor odwołuje się do zakorzenionych w kulturze znaczeń słów użytych jako tytuły). Katarzyna Puzyńska z kolei za miejsce zdarzeń wybiera małe, często prawie wyludnione miejscowości, gdzie wciąż żywa jest wiara w duchy, wampiry, nawiedzone domy (autorka odwołuje się między innymi do wierzeń słowiańskich). Ukazuje przy tym siłę ludzkich lęków (dotyczy to, w odpowiednich okolicznościach, nawet policjantów), jak również fakt, że istoty ludzkie potrafią być gorsze od potworów z fikcji literackiej. Motywy rodem z horroru funkcjonują w omawianych tekstach na kilka sposobów: 1) jako odwołania do doświadczenia odbiorcy, który odczytuje np. zaprezentowane w powieści nazwy w oparciu o własną wiedzę; 2) jako element lokalnej lub rodzinnej tradycji (żywy najczęściej w miejscach oddalonych od „centrów”); wreszcie 3) ucieleśnienie ukrytych w ludzkiej psychice obsesji i lęków, które niespodziewanie mogą się ujawnić.
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Geneza horroru jako gatunku

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Tematy i Konteksty
|
2022
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vol. 17
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issue 12
228-239
EN
This article examines the origin of horror as a genre within the clusterof all horror literature genres. The structure of genological-typological evolution of these genres has been analysed. It has been proven that horror, due to its specificity, should be referred to this group of genres which are realized in literature on the basis of genre memory.
PL
W artykule zbadano genezę gatunku horror w klasterze gatunków literatury grozy. Poddano analizie strukturę genetyczno-typologicznej ewolucji gatunku literatury grozy w literaturoznawstwie. Udowodniono, że horror – ze względu na jego specyfikę – odnieść należy do grupy tych gatunków, które realizowane są w literaturze na podstawie pamięci gatunku.  
ES
En su libro de 2004, Ajuar funerario, Fernando Iwasaki nos presenta un abanico de historias potencial o efectivamente terroríficas. En algunos casos el horror es el resultado del desfase que se produce entre lo terrible de la historia contada o sugerida por el cuento y el tono de la narración. Aunque la presencia de referencias intertextuales –directas o indirectas– a autores canónicos del género desemboca a menudo en parodia, en Iwasaki la risa, o la sonrisa, nunca duran mucho, pues muy pronto el lector se da cuenta de que el horror ha dejado de encarnarse en los motivos tradicionales del género pero sigue ahí, vivito y coleando, listo para poner en duda nuestras convicciones más certeras y regalarnos nuevos escalofríos.
EN
In his book, Ajuar funerario (2004), Fernando Iwasaki presents a range of scary stories. In some cases, the horror results from the gap between the terrible story told or suggested and the tone of the narrator. Although the presence of intertextual references to canonical authors of the genre often leads to parody, laughter, or smile never last long in Iwasaki’s literature. The reader soon realizes that even if horror has ceased to be embodied in the traditional motifs of the genre, it is still there, alive and kicking, ready to put our certainties in crisis and give us new chills.
Facta Simonidis
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2025
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vol. 18
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issue 2
469-488
PL
Chociaż Alfred Hitchcock znany jest przede wszystkim jako twórca thrillerów, wyreżyserował również dwa nowatorskie horrory: Psychozę (1960) i Ptaki (1962). Jego podejście do rozumienia strachu i budowania napięcia zrewolucjonizowało stosunkowo skostniały gatunek, jakim był horror, i zainspirowało wielu twórców. Hitchcock unikał elementów fantastycznych i epatowania okrucieństwem, budując grozę umiejętnym montażem i ścieżką dźwiękową. Ponadto w wywiadach i artykułach prasowych tłumaczył wielokrotnie swoje rozumienie thrillera i horroru oraz suspensu i szoku. Poglądy te są odzwierciedlone w jego dziełach. Celem tego tekstu jest analiza nowatorskich elementów, które Hitchcock wprowadził do amerykańskiego horroru, takich jak: współczesne miejsce akcji, zwykli bohaterowie oraz ulokowanie źródeł strachu w codzienności, zwłaszcza w życiu rodzinnym. Celem tego tekstu jest analiza nowatorskich elementów, które Hitchcock wprowadził do amerykańskiego horroru, takich jak współczesne miejsce akcji, zwykli bohaterowie oraz ulokowanie źródeł strachu w codzienności, zwłaszcza w życiu rodzinnym.
EN
Though Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) is usually referred to as the Master of Suspense due to his famous thrillers, he also made two ground-breaking horror films, Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). His approach to fear and building tension revolutionized the previously stagnant genre and has been copied by innumerable imitators. He also avoided overtly supernatural motifs or exploitation of gore, relying instead on skillful montage and soundtrack to build tension. Furthermore, in various interviews or short articles Hitchcock explained his theories on thriller and horror genres, as well as his distinction between suspense and shock. These views are mirrored in his work. This article examines the novel aspects Hitchcock introduced to American horror films, such as a contemporary setting, ordinary characters, and location of fear in the everyday, mundane aspects of life, especially family relations. The aim of this text is to look at the novel aspects Hitchcock introduced to American horror films, such as contemporary setting, ordinary characters, and location of fear in the every-day, mundane aspects of life, especially family relations.
Świat i Słowo
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2019
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vol. 33
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issue 2
75-92
PL
Zgodne przeświadczenie twórców kultury masowej, że ludzie lubią się bać, ma swoje głęboko zakorzenione podstawy. Ich częścią składową jest jednak nie tylko strach, ale i potrzeba doświadczenia czegoś tajemniczego, nieziemskiego. Groza „wehikułów grozy” uwarunkowana bywa dwojako: straszny jest ich wygląd i nadprzyrodzona proweniencja, ale także przerażająca bywa osoba, która nimi podróżuje. Rozpatrywane w artykule przykłady pozwalają wnioskować, że teksty kultury idą tym właśnie śladem: łączą grozę wehikułu z grozą pasażera lub pasażerów. Zwykły pojazd nabywa cech straszności od tych, którzy nim jadą (czy płyną), w pewnym sensie jest też w stanie zarazić się ich nienawiścią, żądzą mordu, agresją czy szaleństwem Na drugim biegunie pojawia się wizja transcendentnej obecności demona, który przyjmuje postać pojazdu. Wszystkie przypadki autonomicznych wehikułów grozy przejawiają ich zastanawiającą antropomorfizację. Nasuwa się wniosek dość oczywisty: proweniencja zjawiska (z wewnątrz czy z zewnątrz psychiki ludzkiej) nie jest ważna, istotny charakter ma jego uczłowieczenie – to samych siebie boimy się w demonicznych maszynach.
EN
The current vogue for zombie is spreading. The zombie pandemic has affected various dimensions of human life manifesting itself in the sphere of entertainment as well as in economic and social discourse. The epidemic character of this term can be noticed in the language usage, in which it has become a catch-all which signifies a person whose appearance, lack of physical coordination and emotional numbness constitute an opportunity to be compared to a walking dead. Anthropophagy, which has become a part of the zombie topos, seems to have many different meanings that refer not only to a cultural taboo, but also to some external aspects which can be defined as a prefiguration of corporations craving for profits, banks devouring borrowers or immigrants rushing at the gates of alleged European paradise. The theme of zombie may also appear in a psychological and sociological perspective. It can be related to such phobias of civilization as economic collapse, disintegration of human relationships and state structures, or global development of corporation-based system. All these elements make up an allegoric meaning of zombie characters and provoke reflection on how the artistic potential of this theme can be exploited.
EN
A director’s analysis of the narrative layers in the film Medium allows one see, among other things, the construction of individual elements of the film.  Through an analysis of the construction of particular scenes and the relations between them within the story, the text describes the visual narrative structure of the first layer, i.e. “discovery” (the next layers are: confirmation, confrontation and fulfillment). Within the horror genre, this layer is an essential element in building a dramaturgical structure and in influencing the viewers’ reactions (including the visual pleasure of  “discovering”).
PL
The Film Medium. Visualization of the First Layer of the Narrative Level: Discovery A director’s analysis of the narrative layers in the film Medium allows one see, among other things, the construction of individual elements of the film.  Through an analysis of the construction of particular scenes and the relations between them within the story, the text describes the visual narrative structure of the first layer, i.e. “discovery” (the next layers are: confirmation, confrontation and fulfillment). Within the horror genre, this layer is an essential element in building a dramaturgical structure and in influencing the viewers’ reactions (including the visual pleasure of  “discovering”).
EN
This article is an attempt to determine whether the successful film Snake Spring, directed by Nikolai Lebedev, can be considered the first slasher of Russian production. Slasher, as a subgenre of horror films, is not a typical phenomenon in Russian cinematography (or even more so Soviet), and its roots should be sought primarily in American culture and filmography.In this text, the author, first of all, focuses on the slasher as such, presents his distinguishing features and lists the most important pictures of the world’s cinematography representing this par-ticular subgenre.
Gender Studies
|
2013
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vol. 12
|
issue 1
144-163
EN
Shakespeare’s plays have been universally praised for centuries. However, Titus Andronicus was not included in this positive evaluation until the second half of the 20th century, when mainly feminist criticism contributed to an academically kinder re-assessment of this generally gory play. This paper, focusing on the issues of aesthetic value and the deletion of empathy, proposes a defamiliarized, a different reading of this Shakespearean play, from the perspective of the Japanese people, ‘famous’ for aesthetically enjoying the cathartic showing of gratuitous violence.
EN
This article examines the 2019 film The Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers, which follows the descent into madness of two 19th-century lighthouse keepers as they become stranded on a desolate New England island and confronted with threats both natural and supernatural. The focus of the article is primarily on the film’s employment of the cinematic language associated with the horror genre, discussed primarily in reference to the theoretical framework proposed by Noël Carroll, and thus it serves as the argument for The Lighthouse’s inclusion into the genre. I place particular emphasis on the considerations of human nature present in the film. The Lighthouse illustrates the disastrous impact of finding oneself outside of the boundaries of civilization; without the constraints imposed by society, but also without the sense of security it offers, the evil that can be found in every human being is revealed and the characters turn against each other.
EN
This article looks at the relationship between music and image in the two final films that Roman Polanski made with Krzysztof Komeda. Fearless Vampire Killersand Rosemary’s Baby are cinematic examples of a very close collaboration between a director and a composer. The article deals with the function of music in relation to genre films. The most important question is the extent to which Krzysztof Komeda’s compositions adhere to or depart from the horror film music convention. A key issue in this context, and one that applies to both of the analyzed films, is the technique of leitmotifs which Polanski and Komeda developed already in their first short films. In Fearless Vampire Killers and Rosemary’s Baby, the jointly developed director-composer method evolved greatly, and Polanski’s collaboration with Komeda took on a very distinctive style, which the author of this article attempts to describe and define.
Communication Today
|
2025
|
vol. 16
|
issue 1
36-47
EN
The Terrifier horror film series, despite its low-budget, has become a cult phenomenon and achieved unexpected commercial success. This study focuses on analysing the function of violence in contemporary horror cinema, specifically examining the relationship between realism and stylisation in violent scenes within the Terrifier films. The theoretical framework of this research explores violence as both a narrative and aesthetic element, as well as its evolution in modern horror films. The core of the study is the application of this knowledge in the form of discourse analysis on three scenes from the Terrifier film series. The analysis utilises qualitative methods of film study to determine the extent to which these scenes balance realistic depictions of violence and their stylised presentation. The findings of this study contribute to a broader discussion on violence in contemporary horror, its ability to shock and captivate audiences, and its role in testing the boundaries of viewer tolerance.
EN
This article explores some of the findings from a work-in-progress project that I began working on in 2020 to investigate the retrospective memories of 1980s British audiences surrounding viewing films classified either 15 or 18 by the BBFC, while the participants were underage. I question the so-called victims of censorship that have matured into their 40s and are no longer at the mercy of parents or the classifications of the BBFC in order to investigate the retrospective memories of these adults who were once participating in forbidden viewings as children in the 1980s. This article explores Annette Kuhn’s idea that for audiences, the movie fades from memory to make way for more movies, but it is the life experiences that stay with the viewer. By focusing on underage viewers and films that had been deemed unsuitable for their age, I hope to review Kuhn’s claim, by resituating the film itself as the prominent memory – a memory not replaced by many decades of movie watching since. This article outlines the methodology for the project, before turning to a discussion of participants’ memories of interrupted film viewings. In exploring the dichotomy between memories of viewing conditions and memories of the film themselves, this article then considers memories of the horror genre (and terrifying scenes in other genres), and also the issues of watching sex in films, and the impact of parental restrictions, or watching while with parents.
EN
A horror story, a genre whose primary role is to instill fear in its audience, uses a variety of methods to achieve its goal. One of these is the skillful building of a mood using the acoustic plane. The following article is an attempt to show the role of (broadly understood) sound in the process of inducing fear in the reader of a horror story, using the example of the first two books by contemporary Polish prose writer Jakub Małecki (Błędy; Przemytnik cudu). The article also refers to the reflections of sound theorist and practitioner David TooP: as well as to the findings of other researchers (Brzostek, Carroll, Marak, Misiak, Regiewicz et al.), who deal with sound on the one hand and horror on the other, it is shown how the writer uses stereotypical ways of provoking fear in his prose (e.g. creaking doors, mysterious moans, howling wails), proposing also original solutions (e.g. an extended motif of eavesdropping). The realm of this type of sound proves to be an attractive platform for building extreme emotions in these publications. Silence and quiet, the sounds of nature and civilization, and all somatic sounds play a similar role, allowing Małecki’s early prose to be read through the prism of somato-aesthetics. The analysis of the selected texts shows that the hitherto existing hierarchy of the senses, favouring sight as the one through which we perceive the world most fully, is not always justified, as hearing plays an equally important role in a horror story. Sometimes the sound overtakes the image, provokes visions or frightens us with something we cannot see, something we only imagine.
EN
The article is devoted to the formation of a new horizon of expectations towards horror literature, which appeared on the literary market and was influenced by translations between the years 1989–1995. At the same time, it was a period of economic transformation from an economic model of top-down control to one subordinated by the rules of the free market, in which the book(resp. literature) became a commodity, subordinated like any other to the market mechanisms of supply and demand. As a result, the book market was dominated by books that were not always artistically valuable, but widely read (this explains the popularity of second-rate authors in Poland, who had their own publishing series in publishing houses).The beginning of the transformation in the understanding of the essence of horror fiction was associated with the appearance on the Polish book market of translations from English-language literature, which dominated popular literature of the time. Even then, it was also possible to notice that the translations - dominating the readers’ stock market - could not be reduced to a single, dominant concept of horror fantasy. This is because it appeared on the Vistula with the following problematic and thematic trends: (1) emphasizing corporeality as a source of horror, resulting from the “adventures of the body” - both non-normative, disciplined, and subjected to variously motivated interference; (2) emphasizing the uncanny as an immanent feature of existence; (3) problematizing the issue of the species hegemony of man treated in traditional culture as the “crown of creation”; (4) rooted in locality and finding sources of horror in it. The problematic and thematic trends of horror stories listed here, which can be found in the translations from 1989–1995, dominated Polish literature to such an extent that it - insofar as it appeared on the readers’ market - copied proven (in terms of plot, but also marketing) patterns, inspired by Western translations.
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