The Direct Current #2: Cine-Excess Conference & Dark Academia

 

Hello my lovely underlings,

I have just returned from a trip overseas, where I perused England's finest gallows, gothic architecture, greasy spoons and Wetherspoons. If you hear any rumors about a new plague going around, just know that it was already there when I arrived, and I had nothing to do with it. 

The occasion for the trip was to attend this year's Cine-Excess Film Festival and Conference in Birmingham, England. The theme of this year's conference was "Re-Animated: Reviving Cult Film’s Dead Objects" and I was invited to present at the in-person symposium, on the panel "Multimedia Excess: Animation, Television and Theatre". 

I presented a 20 minute paper entitled “Ghosts of Televisions Past: Horror Hosting and Nostalgia in the Internet Age” where I discussed the tradition of horror hosting, its characteristics and the ways that it is being adopted by modern-day creators, who use nostalgia and retro media practices as a means of resisting or counteracting the effects of streaming and the internet on media.

Horror Hosting 101 (& Why it should matter to media researchers)

 

image courtesy of: Retrontario on Substack

What is horror hosting?

Horror hosting is a type of television program where a horror host, often acting as a horror-related character, introduces and commentates on a horror film (Markusen, 2021). The format was pioneered in 1954 by Vampira, a character played by Finnish actress Maila Nurmi, who had the first horror hosting show, The Vampira Show (Watson, 2000; Markusen, 2021). In 1957, a package of 52 horror films known as “Shock!” (Watson, 2000) or “Shock Theater” was made available for showing on local television stations (Watson, 2000; Markusen, 2021). Shock!’s distribution company, Screen Gems, encouraged stations to show the films in a hosted format, which led horror hosting to become a widespread local trend (Markusen, 2021). Similar packages of horror films were released over the years through the 1960s, giving the hosts fresh material to work with (Markusen, 2021). 

Fictional Realness in Drag and Horror Hosting: Article Review

 In this article, Parry (2015) brings forth the ideas of ‘colloquial performance practice’ and ‘fictional realness’ to describe different types of performance in spaces like drag balls and music groups. Colloquial performance practice refers to forms of performance that are informal and related to everyday life and experiences. Realness is described by Parry as a form of colloquial performance that repeats, adapts, and appropriates aspects of reality for marginalized spaces in order to create a new, often subversive form of performance. This practice can give marginalized people access to forms of reality that they may not otherwise be afforded. Parry relates this to the concept of ‘minor literatures’ which transcend the original meaning of a text by reclaiming and adapting aspects of its meaning that relate to experiences outside of the majority. Building up layers of cultural references, experiences, fictions and subversive interpretations can be understood as 'affective inhabitation' which creates new knowledge through its emphasis on texture and feeling. Parry explains that these texts cannot be read through traditional language, logic or lenses, but rather must be understood through their chosen affect. Fictional realness, a form of affective inhabitation (as opposed to just imitation) combines layers of fictionality and reality to appropriate texts, subverting or transforming their original meanings. Parry argues that this appropriation and the inability to define or read these performances through traditional means makes fictional realness a powerful form of resistance and expression outside of hegemonic forces. 

Self-Reflexive Documentary and Authenticity: Chapter Review

 This chapter (Andacht, 2007) discusses the concept of self-reflexivity in documentary filmmaking and reality TV. Andacht gives several examples of how self-reflexivity, which he describes as drawing attention to the process of production in the content of the documentary, relates to questions of objectivity, representation and ethics in filmmaking. Self-reflexive filmmaking styles challenge the idea that the version of reality presented is one of objective truth, instead discussing the aesthetic and ideological choices that were made to decide what is filmed or included. Andacht discusses three self-reflexive methods, philosophical self-reflection which includes questioning of one’s identity and role in filmmaking, methodological self-consciousness which includes questioning one’s biases and the risks and distortions created through the process, and methodological self-criticism which further criticizes one’s own roles and choices in a way that directly impacts the final product created. He discusses the concept of the “encounter” between the filmmaker and subject as a central theme to self-reflexive documentary. An encounter can be seen as negative “interference” which interrupts the natural flow of events and therefore cannot represent it accurately. Or, it can be seen as a positive “shock” which creates the events and interactions that are worthy of being captured. Andacht describes that self-reflexivity can preserve the integrity of the topics being covered through allowing transparency as to how the filmmaking process impacts their representation. It can also be a tool for self-discovery for the filmmakers themselves, who are engaged in a constant process of self-evaluation and reflection. Andacht contrasts self-reflexivity in documentary with the same concept in reality TV, arguing that in documentary, it is used to add earnestness and reality, whereas in reality TV it is used to add drama and entertainment without adding information or value. 

Considering the Creative Approach to my Documentary Project: Chapter Review

The chapter "Creative Approach" in Documentary storytelling: Creative nonfiction on screen (Bernard, 2016), discusses the creative choices that go into interpreting a subject for a documentary format. Bernard discusses how different filmmakers can take the same topic but create entirely different documentaries based on stylistic and narrative choices. She gives many considerations for creative approach, including how to represent a story that occurred before current technology was available, what elements of the story or interviewees are of interest to you, what/who will tell the story or drive the narrative, how formal your interviews will be and how they will be edited, how much third party footage is available and how you will use it, what effect you want your final product to create, and overall how the presence of the filmmaker will factor into the film. She also gives some tips or techniques for deciding on creative approach, including watching documentaries and taking notes about what parts you like and don’t like, and considering how to arrange the elements of the story you have and fill the gaps that the content may create. Throughout the chapter, Bernard provides examples of different approaches and how they manifested in the films. She discusses how narrative can be driven by the filmmaker themselves, or interviews, titlecards, narration or reenactments, third party footage or a combination of all of them. She also mentions the technique of creating an event for the purpose of observing it in the documentary, which helps visualize the themes the film discusses.

Traveling Back to 1999 to Learn About E-zines: Article Review

 This week, I wanted to look at literature that gave broader context for what the internet looked like before social media, so that I could get a better understanding of how fandom would have functioned at the time. I looked specifically for an article written in the 90s about online community, which would act as a reference for the language and attitudes regarding the activity of the time. I found this really helpful, since up until now I had been looking at fan websites without having context for the culture. (Many of the websites were created before I was born!)

Retrospective Media Consumption Experiences & Young Audience's Impacts on Horror Hosting: Article Review

Tora Korsvold’s article, “Childhood and Children’s Retrospective Media Consumption Experiences: The case of Norway” (2017) discusses the impact of ‘retrospective childhood media consumption experiences’ in a historical context, exploring the concept through focus group interviews. Firstly, Korsvold establishes the connection of childhood media consumption to generations, arguing that generations are a facet of how cultural meanings are created through practices such as sharing media (pp. 98-99). Children have an active role in meaning making surrounding media, as well as in consumer practices around media (pp. 98-99) . Korsvold aims to use ‘memory studies’ where individuals reflect on their memories, to examine the meaning-making process of children with media (p.99). She also notes that passion and nostalgia surrounding childhood media are powerful factors in intergenerational media consumption and meaning-making (p.99). Korsvold describes the cultural and media context that her participants would have grown up in, in post World War II Scandinavia when overall consumption was low and alarmist narratives around television and children’s media were high (p. 100). She explains her methodology, and her goal of understanding “how children as actors seek meaning and how adults look back on their own childhood, especially in terms of how time and space and the material culture of children are interwoven” through a phenomenological study (p. 101). Korsvold identified several themes in the focus group interview transcripts, including discussions of communal media consumption experiences with family, especially when the programs were broadcast at a specific time every day that could become a part of the family routine (pp. 104-105). Korsvold also noted the interaction of imagined representations of the past with true memories in the way that the adults reflected on their childhoods (p. 108). Fascination and passion created the strongest associations in the participants' memories, and collective memories were identified due to the shared place and time of the members of the focus groups (pp. 108-109).

Breaching Reality: the Horror Host and Found Footage Ontology - Article Review

One of the most basic explanations for why audiences enjoy horror is the idea that the genre allows them to experience feelings of fear and terror in a safe, isolated and fictionalized context. I’ve written about this idea in the past, in the context of disability and horror, citing arguments that audiences are made uncomfortable by horror when it suggests a breach of this safe and isolated experience. With disability, this happens when audiences see figures that they associate with movie monsters, such as people with disabilities, in real world contexts. In line with my questions about the level of authenticity and fiction associated with horror hosts, I wanted to explore the ways in which horror films and audiences generally negotiate these themes of reality and fear, by continuing to explore the themes of found footage that I introduced in my last article review of Nelson (2016).

Horror Host Authenticity and Fandom: Learning from Japanese Idols and Found Footage - Article Review

I chose to read this article because I’ve been thinking a lot about the types of celebrity that are most similar to the horror host – ones that have a level of fiction or inauthenticity that may appeal to audiences rather than alienating them. I thought first about theme park mascots, and how they perform as characters in public and interact with fans, but then I settled on the more relevant example of manufactured forms of celebrity such as boy/girl bands. The ways that authenticity is negotiated in celebrity is interesting to me. Authenticity is generally an important quality in both celebrity and fandom that is often stated as a reason for interest and participation in the subculture. However, in the context of manufactured groups, this differs, as inauthenticity is accepted by fans. I was interested to see how this could be similar to the ways that the horror host functions as a fictional character who is nonetheless perceived as real and authentic to the viewer. I was also interested in the author’s analysis of found footage horror as a space of negotiated fiction and authenticity, especially in the context of real celebrities playing themselves as the protagonists.

Horror Host-Audience Relationships: Learning from other TV Hosts - Article Review

“From parasocial interaction to social TV: Analysing the host-audience relationship in multi-platform productions” is a 2012 article by Gunn Sara Enli, discussing the state of host-audience relationships in the era of digital/interactive media and media convergence. The article analyzes several Nordic television productions to discuss the role of audience feedback and interaction in television production today, and how television hosts mediate this activity. Enli discusses how digital technology development has impacted audience interaction, creating an ‘increased capacity’ to process larger amounts of audience data and feedback, and 'continuous dialogue’ where multiple viewers can be heard from at once (Enli, 2012, p. 127). Enli discusses how these new capabilities have been incorporated into the formats of many reality television shows, which use voting, polling, and user-generated content to drive their content (pp. 129-133). In these formats, the audience can be seen as an ‘external production unit’ which generates essential content for the programming (p. 129). Due to the reliance of this audience feedback, Enli notes that television hosts are required to serve as salespeople, teachers, and instructors to encourage feedback. Hosts interact with viewers and provoke responses like salespeople, encourage competition and ‘demystify digital return channels’ like teachers, and repeatedly instruct viewers to vote while emphasizing the importance of their feedback (pp. 129-133). The more essential the feedback to the format of the program, the stronger the appeals from the hosts become (p. 134). Overall, Enli views this interactivity and host-audience relationship as essential to creating and maintaining an engaged audience in the landscape of media saturation, and competition with digital platforms (pp. 134-135). 

The Horror Host as a Localebrity - Article Review

 The article "Localebrities, adopted residents, and local characters: audience and celebrity in a small nation" by Rebecca Williams (2015) provides a useful basis for understanding how local celebrity (referred to here as Localebrity) differs in influence and response from international celebrity in the context of smaller communities. The author specifically spoke with people from South East Wales about their interactions with celebrities and their opinions about them, to understand "how the meanings of celebrity figures are constructed and negotiated by local people" (p. 155). With Wales having recently received a BBC studio, the author observed multiple 'levels' of Welsh fame that functioned in different ways, depending on the type of media they are involved in, how unexpected interaction with the celebrities would be in a local context, and how 'untouchable' or approachable they are perceived as being (pp. 160-161). Williams borrows McElroy and Williams's definition of localebrity "which recognises the ‘conditions that limit the possibility of celebrity making in small nations" (2010, p. 11). As opposed to international celebrities, localebrities "did not, and could not, fully translate beyond the country’s borders and have meaning even for those who had not viewed the show" (p. 13) despite having some level of local fame and recognition. Williams' focus groups in Wales outlined different types of these 'localebrities' including those who were famous for appearing in Welsh media specifically, such as a well-known weatherman, participants in television shows screened exclusively in Wales, such as participants in Welsh reality shows, adopted celebrities who are not from Wales but chose to live there and participate in/represent local culture, and local 'characters' who have no media fame or significance outside the community, but are still well known, such as a local 'tramp' or diner waitress. (2015, pp. 163-166)  Williams analyzes how these different factors and levels of localebrity and celebrity offer the figures different levels of cultural value and symbolic recognition, and how local celebrities may grant value or legitimacy to a space. Overall, Williams argues that celebrity has an important local dimension that is culturally specific, even in the context of global stars (p. 166).

PROJECT INSPIRATION + BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

Virginia Creepers: The Horror Host Tradition of the Old Dominion is a 2009 documentary discussing the history of horror hosting in Virginia and Washington DC. The film interviews producers on horror hosting shows, horror host fans, as well as the hosts themselves, speaking about what it was like to be a part of creating the shows, and to participate in the culture around them. Virginia Creepers addresses a very similar topic to my project, since it explores horror hosting on a local level. However, the film has a more narrow focus, on the hosts in just one state, while I am hoping to pull examples from around the country to provide a more holistic view of the trend's impacts across local communities. The form and medium are also very similar, it combines interviews and archival footage/sound/images in the way that I am planning to. I have been brainstorming ways to make the form of my documentary connect to the subject matter of horror hosting, to make it more original and engaging. I was thinking of having the documentary be presented by a horror host, who could guide the audience through the content. I was interested to find that Virginia Creepers had a similar idea. The film opens with Mr. Lobo, a Virginian horror host who introduces the subject and appears throughout the film to map out topics, just like the horror hosts did on their shows. I don't want to copy their format entirely, but I would still like to incorporate a similar idea with my own spin on it. Overall, I really liked Virginia Creepers, it was clearly very well-researched and did a good job balancing the history of the genre with stories about how it impacted people, and it captured the charm of producing a low-budget show for devoted fans. Some things about the film's production felt a little bit outdated, namely the design of the on-screen text and the transitions chosen. I am hoping to create something that is more stylized and unique in form, while also maintaining the quality/integrity of the research and interview content. 

INITIAL PROJECT PLANS + CONNECTIONS

 My plan for my MA project is to create a documentary film on the topic of "horror hosting", focusing on the interactivity and cultural specificity of the trend and how those factors impacted local communities. I will also provide a background/brief history of the topic including how the trend is being continued today. I am hoping to interview former and current local horror hosts as well as broadcasting professionals, and potentially audience members/fans from across the country to get their perspectives on what it was like to be part of the trend, how it impacted their lives, and how it was impactful to their community. I will gather as much archive footage as I can find to show examples of the trend and illustrate its local connections. I am also considering writing about my thesis topic in my Communication Research methods class so that I can generate resources and information to help me frame my project. The framing, structure, and generally the approach to producing the documentary aren't yet clear to me, but I think that with research I'll figure it out.