Page 25 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 2

Figure 2.1 The Exorcist

Genres can fulfill a therapeutic function, putting audience members in touch with their
primal emotions. For instance, horror films arouse feelings of terror. In addition, films
like The Exorcist (1973) play on the affective responses of the audience by arousing their
primal fears to build dramatic tension. (Photo by Warner Bros./Getty)

Emotional displays are a central element of genres such as reality
shows, soap operas, and afternoon talk shows. Indeed, the “feel good
movie” is an emerging genre, designed to leave the audience in a jolly
mood. Reality shows focus a large proportion of each episode on the
emotional reaction of the participants. In The Biggest Loser, the camera
scrutinizes the faces of the contestants as they approach their weekly
weigh-in. Tears—both of joy and despair—abound.
Affective responses put the audience in touch with their primal
emotions. For instance, watching horror genre enables individuals to
confront those dark aspects of life that are fundamentally terrifying
to human beings. Filmmaker Larry Cohen explains: “In my mov-
ies, these things crawled into the people’s minds and forced them
to face the dark side of their personalities. The monster is always
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themselves.” Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro adds, “At its best, horror
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