Although interest in exorcism has spiked in real world and fictional filmic contexts, scholars have yet to fully identify the exorcism film as a subgenre of the horror film. Following Anne Rothes (2011) argument that representation of trauma in popular culture may function like a discursive knot in contemporary culture due to its vast associative powers of generating interactions between disparate ideas (p. 4), this study recognizes exorcism as a discursive knot that deserves further attention.
Utilizing a case study approach, this dissertation focuses on three exorcism films: The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Last Exorcism (2010), and The Conjuring (2013). Results concluded that although filmmakers utilize a distinct formula of narrative stages and signature characters to represent contemporary exorcism, such elements were negotiated through each films construction. Additionally, this study utilizes Lowensteins (2010) concept of spectacle horror to highlight dynamic elements of the exorcism film including: bodily contortions, film-viewer relationships, and intertextuality.
Based on the analysis, gender stands as a significant theme in the exorcism films content and in conceptualizing its constitution. Exorcism films portray women as inescapably connected to men, but rebellious performances of possession provide liberatory possibilities for new symbolic orders. This study also indicates that representation of exorcism itself is gendered and draws attention to the distinct strategies characters utilize. Finally, this dissertation finds the mother-daughter relationship as a crucial site of stability (and horror) in the exorcism film.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-05272014-141325 |
| Date | 10 June 2014 |
| Creators | McDonald II, Charles Austin |
| Contributors | Suchy, Patricia, Fletcher, John, Shaffer, Tracy Stephenson, Leupin, Alexandre |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-05272014-141325/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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