The Horror Genre: The Target of Fear : Survivor or Victim?

The target of fear defines the source of fear and vise versa. The source and the target should be equally matched. But this does not mean that both should have similar strengths or weaknesses. In general, the strength of the source of fear is the weakness of the target of fear. And the weakness of the target of fear is the strength of the source of fear. This symbiotic relationship within the domain of fear makes the material horrifying, thrilling or perilous. Komiks, as a function of Horror, relies on the inherent relationship between the source of fear and the target of fear. One must therefore define the target of fear in terms of its orientation.

The target could either be a victim or a survivor. Generally, a victim is a typical everyday person who lives within a structured routine lifestyle within a domain under his or her control. Characters, under this orientation, have homogeneous characteristics, characterizations and emotional baggages. This average person then gradually deteriorates as the source of fear begins to attack the said person's domain of control. And like a prey, the source of fear intimidates and disarms the target. Until finally, the target is forced to choose to either escape or die from the ordeal.

Saw is a good example where the target of fear exhibits the template of a victim. You have homogeneous characters that are in full control of their lives and know the parameters from which they operate. Until suddenly, the source of fear puts them in a situation that requires them to do what is unfamiliar in order to validate their existence.

In the example, we see that victims, after going through the ordeal, are emotionally traumatized and damaged. Their spirits are broken and they lose the vitality of control in their respective lives. This is a situation wherein a character travels from a point of control to a point of chaos. Victims may physically eliminate the source of fear but the horrible memory will continue to exist in their minds.

A survivor transverses in a different path. They travel from a point of chaos to a point of control. These are characters that we often find in the nooks and cracks in society. Invisible but their presence lingers in the background. Survivors, in general, have unique characterizations. These are not your typical common members of society performing the routine flow of life. These are deviants that are constantly slipping through the flow of human activities. Thus, as they go through an ordeal, the source of fear presents them two possible choices... fight or die.

In the sci-fi thriller Alien 2, the little is girl is a good example of a survivor. If we analyzed the character, at her age, this little girl before the ordeal is dependent on her parents. Thus, prior to the ordeal, she is a character who exhibits no control with regards to her situation. But as she goes through the ordeal, she slowly gains control over the source of fear.

As stated before, the target of fear defines the source of fear and vise versa. The operating principle is encapsulated in the desire, for both parties, to arrest full control of the situation. Thus, if a character is a victim, the source of fear takes the upper hand in the skirmishes. And if the character is a survivor, the source of fear loses control.

The ending reflects the outcome of the skirmishes. If the source of fear dies, it does not mean that the target gains control. Ripley as a character in Alien 1 loses control. Yes, physically she eliminated the source of fear but the emotional horror remained. As a result, her spirit as a human being is broken.

Sometimes, the source of fear lives to fight another day. In this case, a survivor is empowered to confront the source of fear in the future. Thus, his or her spirit is not broken. On the contrary, the character gains a new sense of control over the situation.

Relationship between the source and the target sets the tone of the genre. When the target is a victim, principles of a "Melo-Horror" often become the tone of the genre. Melo-Horrors are generally made up of faceless and generic victims. These are victims we can sympathize with and relate with like the high school jock, the teen drama queen, the nerd and the blond bimbo. Writers of Melo-Horrors depend heavily on the audience's stored emotions in bringing to life the fear in a material. So, if a material is not part of the stored emotions of an audience in a given set of parameters, the material will not draw success. Given this requirement, a writer must be well versed as a market researcher. He or she must know the audience's impulse as well as the market forces that affect this impulse. Acquiring this knowledge as exhibited by two Melo-Horror icons, The Exorcist and The Omen, often leads to positive consequences.

True Horrors, on the other hand, relies heavily on the writer's ability to construct a unique world for its unique characters. Stephen King does this very well. He creates unique worlds from which his unique characters perform unique tasks in surviving the horrible ordeal. Often, these unique characters are archetypes with unique characteristics, characterizations and emotional baggages. These elements of a character, if cleverly constructed, induce the audience to empathize with a character as a target of fear. Empathy is a genuine expression of sentiment which makes the material unique and refreshing.

The Blair Witch Project and I Know What You Did Last Summer are materials that use teens as characters. But the former is a True Horror because the characters are not stereotypes. We see teens that are deviants who go out of their way to do their unique thing. On the other hand, the latter relies heavily on sentimentality. The characters are stereotypes that represent a particular section in the teen demographic. Furthermore, the actors who participated in the film are your typical teen idols. Cementing the fact that the material is an all out Melo-Horror.

It is then crucial to know whether or not you are making a Melo-Horror or a True Horror. Departing from the genre under discussion, The Alien Series is a good example of shifts in the direction in terms of the tone of the genre. Alien 1 is a Sci-Fi Thriller that uses Melo-Thriller as the tone of the genre. Characters are stereotypes that represent sections in Human Demographics. Alien 2, on the other hand, is a Sci-Fi Thriller that uses True Thriller as the tone of the genre. Thus characters are archetypes in nature. Both Alien 1 and 2 were successful because the shift was deliberate. But when Alien 3 came, the shift became an anomaly.

The material with the third installment suffered form an induced identity crisis. Writers and Filmmakers behind the said material were not sure in terms of the tone they wish to follow. They knew that in the past, both tones made millions. Perhaps they thought that combining both tones would make the said installment a bigger hit. Well, they were wrong. Failure to understand the nature of both tones could cause disastrous consequences.

The Blair Witch Project is a B-Movie as an economic function and a True Horror in terms of tone of the genre. Its success came from these two unique combinations. But when they did the second installment, they totally ignored the elements that made the first one a blockbuster cult classic. Again, this shows the level of maturity of the creators of the material. Inability to understand the nature of a material in terms of tone and economic functions taught the creators an important lesson. Knowledge is power and ignorance sucks.

Discussing "pinoy style melo-horror" is like dissecting a terminally ill patient. Considering that "Melo-Horrors" are market driven materials, creators do not bother to study the stored emotions of audience in a given set of parameters. What we see are Film Studio funded Japanese Horror copycats with star studded casts that are domestic flops but are promoted heavily, as a last resort, to overseas contract workers who just for the sake of validation, nationalism or fanaticism watch these plagiarized creations. A tongue twisting statement. Now, try saying it again but this time you take a deep breath.

So what happens to the source of fear when the character is a victim or a survivor? There is what we call the dynamics in the transfer of control. Meaning, the victim loses control and the source of fear arrests it. Or the survivor takes control from the source of fear as a means to empower herself or himself. The trajectory of the transfer, as a process, varies in terms of construction. We will discuss this in the workshop if given the opportunity. But as a general rule, the rate and the flow of the transfer could make or break a Horror material. Some transfers in materials, like in Nightmare at Elm Street and Saw, are unique and clever. Others are uneventful and boring. Horror B-Movies, as a function of economic limitations, often suffer from this problem. Except of course for some materials, like the Original Night of the Living Dead, Blaire Witch Project and the Original 1976 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that cleverly uses the techniques in making B-Movies in deploying a material that uses True Horror as a tone of the genre. Thus, a good story always has a good transfer.

Going back to the character template, there are times that characteristics exhibit a different characterization. I mean, it does not follow that if a character is a monster or supernatural being, automatically, that character is the source of fear. Not all Count Dracula materials characterized the principal monster as the source of fear. This is something that we need to think about considering that we often relate ugly things to evil and relate beautiful things to good. This is why we always come up with comic book materials with ugly monster and beautiful targets that do not share a relationship in the first place.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a good case study that reinvents the template in terms of Horror as a genre. At first, one could safely conclude that the Monster is the source of fear and the target of fear is Dr. Frankenstein. But if we study the relationship as well as the transfer, we will eventually discover that this is not the case.

The monster is the target of fear and Dr. Frankenstein is the source of fear. The monster represents a character that could be characterized as someone who dwells in the nooks and cracks of society. The monster is an outcast that eventually grabs control from the source of fear, Dr. Frankenstein. What we have then is a reverse story pattern of a prodigal son. Dr. Frankenstein is the prodigal father who is consumed by the desire to dispute the laws of nature by creating life out of body parts of cadavers. His irresponsible and arrogant act creates an anomaly. Thus, when the creation fails to perform as expected, the creator rejects the creation. Sounds familiar? Remember whenever you are not able perform well in school, your dad always makes you feel rejected. The same thing happened between the monster and the doctor.

Frankenstein is a True Horror story of a father and a son. It is a timeless and poignant material where innocence rests at the center of terror. In the end, the doctor loses control of his life. His spirit is broken and the real monster is rapidly deteriorating. But a dutiful son, a survivor, the monster, offers solitude to a defeated father in the icy depths of the Antarctic.

Horror is a genre that has inherent requirements. And one of these requirements is the proper and appropriate construction of the target of fear. Horror writers know that an effective material always involves good characters and a solid story. Though the template is a good guide in coming up with a good Horror material, I encourage you to find creative ways in reinventing the template. But of course, before breaking the rules, one must know the rules first.

As we struggle to translate this knowledge to a comic book material, we will definitely encounter obstacles along the way. It is not easy writing a compelling material that will capture the hearts and minds of the paying public. Knowing is just half of the battle, the next step is to apply one's vision with caution and realistic expectations. It is not wrong to aspire for something like being the next Horror Genius. But when such aspiration gets in the way in the development and management of a material, perhaps it is time to plant your feet firmly on the ground.