Found Footage Horror Films A Cognitive Approach

This book adopts a cognitive theoretical framework in order to address the mental processes that are elicited and triggered by found footage horror films. Through analysis of key films, the book explores the effects that the diegetic camera technique used in such films can have on the cognition of viewers. It further examines the way in which mediated realism is constructed in the films in order to attempt to make audiences either (mis)read the footage as non-fiction, or more commonly to imagine that the footage is non-fiction. Films studied include The Blair Witch Project, Rec, Paranormal Activity, Exhibit A, Cloverfield, Man Bites Dog, The Last Horror Movie, Noroi: The Curse, Autohead and Zero DayThis book will be of key interest to Film Studies scholars with research interests in horror and genre studies, cognitive studies of the moving image, and those with interests in narration, realism and mimesis. It is an essential read for students undertaking courses with a focus on film theory, particularly those interested specifically in horror films and cognitive film theory.

TABLE OF CONTENTSList of FiguresAcknowledgementsIntroduction: why found footage horror films matterApproaching diegetic camera horrorThe processing of point of viewDeveloping a cognitive approach to diegetic camera horrorLimits of psychoanalytic theories for diegetic camera horrorCognitivism and how we think about the diegetic cameraPriming for point of viewEngagement and empathy in diegetic camera filmsAttention and cognitive participation: activating the seeking systemAlignment and allegiance with camera operators and charismatic killersNotesBibliographyFilmography1 GenealogyFaked representationsFirst-person point of viewReal death on screenDevelopments in technology and the impact on aesthetics: cameras, surveillance, and the dominance of mediated realityThe horror genre: history, aesthetics, and technologyMimicked forms: documentary, reality television, and home videoNotesBibliographyFilmography2 Narration and the diegetic cameraThe diegetic camera and point of viewIssues of narration and enunciationSelf-consciousnessTone and metatextuality PerformanceSound and dialoguePersonal imaginingRealismNotesBibliographyFilmography3 Priming the spectator and mediated realityDefining primingViewer hypothesisingRepresenting mediated reality with the diegetic cameraStylistic techniquesCreating mood and emotionConclusionNotesBibliographyFilmography4 Camera operator interaction with viewers and profilmic subjects: The case of home moviesRecognition of camera operators and cinematography as performanceAlignment of information accumulation and cognitive and bodily responseInteraction with the viewerInteraction between camera operators and profilmic subjectsEmpathy, affective identification, and allegiance with camera operatorsAllegiance with camera operators engaging in amoral behaviourConclusionNotesBibliographyFilmography5 Allegiance with Charismatic Killers: Man Bites Dog, The Last Horror Movie and Zero DayRecognition of killers and amoral fascinationHow the diegetic camera directs moral evaluations of charactersEmpathy, the killer’s face, and the close-upMoral Structure: Killers and camera operatorsConclusionNotesBibliographyFilmographyConclusion: The future for diegetic camerasRe-definitions and classificationsConclusionsThe importance of priming Self-consciousness and camera operator interactionAllegiance with charismatic killersFurther areas of explorationNotesBibliography

Peter Turner is Associate Lecturer in the School of Technology, Design and Environment at Oxford Brookes University, UK