Long time no see, it has been quite some time from when I have last posted, but my research on my horror genre film opening piece is far from over. I have decided to research the history of what conventions the horror genre usually is composed of, and on my internet browsing journey I came across an article that discusses the film I had previously mentioned, 'Get Out'.  This film has currently inspired me significantly as it challenged the typical horror genre conventions. The implementation of race into the horror genre can accurately depict the fear experienced by minorities across the U.S in a time of high political climate. Not only did I draw inspiration from the film 'Get Out', but the history of race in horror movies is a significant factor in the influence of how we perceive and handle race in America. Within this article the ideology that was once shown on screen were typical for their time and can be deemed as racially offensive, was the depiction of white individuals fearing for their lives from people of color. Often in the world of film, the fear of foreigners and those who appeared to be different became a common theme in the horror genre, and influenced other commonly seen films such as ones that follow themes of a zombie apocalypse. The fear of the 'Other' became commonplace as media consistently portrayed minorities to be beings of which were intimidating and/or hostile. Minorities were hardly represented in the world of film as protagonists, and were seen as some entity of which others should be weary and fearful of. Even when portrayed as the protagonists, they are often the first to die in the film. The lack of representation as well as the misrepresentation is toxic in spreading a false common ideology. This racial divide ensued more fear, but not from the white individuals consistently seen fearing for their lives, but from the minorities themselves. Minorities learned to fear those who's objective was to oppress their livelihoods.
    This is exactly where my plot ideas for my film opening stemmed from. By taking inspiration from the film 'Get Out', as well as flipping the switch on how minorities are viewed by their oppressors, I conjured up my future plan for this film opening. I know for some the idea that if a horror movie doesn't contain an element of monstrosity, creatures, or blood that it would make the movie become less fearful as these conventional elements would not be the main focus. My ultimate goal is to allow audiences to understand the struggle of the everyday lives of minorities, and if that means depicting an extreme by implying that the lives of people of color in America feels like a scary movie, then so be it. My film opening is meant to be controversial, and it is meant to make audiences uncomfortable with the idea of talking about race. This unconventional method of representation is necessary in order to drive the point into the heads of many, as entertainment has the potential to be a unifying element and to understand varying points of view. My research process is far from over as I have just scratched the surface in the gathering of information for the future production of my film opening. I hope to dig deeper and will continue to update here! Look forward to what else I will find during this research journey for my final product.

'Get Out' The Evolution of Race in Western Horror Films. (2017, April 25). Retrieved from https://cinemathread.com/pov/get-out-the-evolution-of-race-in-western-horror-films/


Www.facebook.com/blackhorrormovies. (2016, August 21). The Black Death: A Brief History of Black People Dying in Horror Movies. Retrieved from http://www.blackhorrormovies.com/blackdeath/