Critical Perspectives- Dissertation Proposal ogr

Katie Lima
20/2/2017
Finalised Dissertation Question
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE HORROR USING THE SILENT HILL FRANCHISE
 Dissertation Synopsis
This Dissertation will be going through how Culture can effect how horror is
perceived to those in different countries. Tropes present in Western Horror and
J-Horror will be compared and contrasted, until the primary factors of J-Horror
is discovered, Then, in Chapter two, the theories of the Kristevas essay of the
Abject and Freuds essay of the Uncanny will then be discussed, using them to
back up the claims about the fundamentals of J-Horror, presented in Chapter 1.
After a brief explanation the genre of the horror game and how it deals with
horror traditions, Silent Hill, will be used in the Chapter 3 as the example using
the games Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Homecoming to show the contrast of the
differences of horror due to the games different countries of origin. By using
the theories of Freud and Kristeva to prove the argument that culture has some
effect in changing what is perceived to be horror.
 Chapter 1 Synopsis
An Investigation into the similarities and differences between J-
Horror and Western Horror, with the primary aim of this chapter
being to effectively understand the key attributes of J-Horror that
separates it from its Western counterpart
 Chapter 2 Synopsis
From the established themes of J-Horror discovered in Chapter 1, Chapter 2
will then go more in depth about the significance of these tropes in the
genre using Julia Kristevas The Powers of Horror to discuss the Abject and
Freuds essay of The Uncanny as a way of demonstrating an understanding
of the points brought up in Chapter 1
 Chapter 3 Synopsis
Chapter 3 will begin with the introduction of the horror video game and how it takes
tradition horror and broadens the impact in a way different from films and books.
From there the game series, Silent Hill will then be introduced, with the games Silent
Hill 2, made in Japan, and Silent Hill: Homecoming, made in America. These two
games will be used to illustrate the points made in the previous two chapters, using
the ideas of Kristeva and Freud to prove the argument that culture does have an
impact on the Horror Genre.
 Research Performa

The Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection by Julia Kristeva (1982)

Reason for use: The essay explores the theory of the abject and is one
of the key ideas present in this dissertation.
 Research Performa

The Uncanny an essay, by Sigmund Freud (1919)

Reason for use: Similar to Kristevas The Powers of Horror, the theories
present in Freuds essay of the Uncanny are one that will also be used
to discover the differences of J-Horror and Western Horror in the
Dissertation
 Research Performa

Japanese and American Horror by Katarzyna Marak (2015)

Reason for use: A comparative study looking into the differences

between the Japanese and American horror which will be helpful to
draw ideas and insight from in Chapter 1 of what those differences are.
It also talks about the differences in video games so it will also be
useful in the introduction of horror games in Chapter 3.
 Research Performa

Visual Aesthetics and the ways of seeing: Comparing Ringu and The
Ring a Journal Article by Valerie Wee (2011)

Reason for use: While the subject matter isnt the one up for discussion
in this Dissertation, the Journal Article also displays the differences
between the way the horror plays out in the Japanese 1998 original to
the 2002 American remake.
 Research Performa

Horror by Brigid Cherry (2009)

Reason for use: The book is a comprehensive overview of the Horror

Genre and goes into detail of the psychological effects that it has on its
viewers through the use of gore and the uncanny.
 Research Performa

The Making of Silent Hill 2 by Konami (2001)

Reason for use: This documentary is an official film released by the

game company Konami discussing the behind the scenes of the games
use of horror in its environments and monsters through interviews with
members of the original team behind the game series.