Skip to content
1981
Volume 11, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2040-3275
  • E-ISSN: 2040-3283

Abstract

In 2016, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America, to great surprise. His election has been connected to the emergence of authoritarianism as a political force in America, as political scholars have argued Trump’s campaign success lay in how his rhetoric is authoritarian in nature, and how it activates an authoritarian tendency in a sizeable portion of the voter base in response to social and demographic changes within the country. This article argues that contemporary horror cinema reflects and responds to the rise of American authoritarianism. Building on the work of scholars of authoritarianism, this article outlines a number of characteristics of authoritarian horror films. Specifically, it analyses the case study of to argue that two understandings are possible, linked to the coding of both the authoritarianism associated with the villain and the social threats they react to as troubling. It then draws on a number of further examples ( and the films) to suggest that the emergence of this tendency within horror cinema is reflective of an increasingly polarized population and that, although the films explicitly condemn authoritarianism through their villain characters, they simultaneously cater to both halves of this divide by also depicting the world in which these authoritarians rise as horrific.

© 2020 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/host_00014_1
2020-04-01
2026-04-13

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Altemeyer, B.. ( 1981), Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Winnipeg:: University of Manitoba Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. BBC ( 2016;), ‘ How might Trump “drain the swamp”?. ’, BBC, 18 October, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37699073. Accessed 7 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Beinart, P.. ( 2016;), ‘ Fear of a female president. ’, The Atlantic, 15 October, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/10/fear-of-a-female-president/497564/. Accessed 3 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Berman, R.. ( 2016;), ‘ Trump’s unimpressive support from military leaders. ’, The Atlantic, 6 September, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/why-trumps-support-from-military-leaders-isnt-that-impressive/498806/. Accessed 9 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bialik, C.. ( 2017;), ‘ How unconscious sexism could help explain Trump’s win. ’, FiveThirtyEight, 21 January, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-unconscious-sexism-could-help-explain-trumps-win/. Accessed 3 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Borney, N.. ( 2016;), ‘ How did pollsters get Trump, Clinton election so wrong?. ’, USA Today, 9 November, https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/2016/11/09/pollsters-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-2016-presidential-election/93523012/. Accessed 26 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Brownstein, R.. ( 2019;), ‘ The limits of Trump’s white identity politics. ’, The Atlantic, 15 August, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/08/trump-2020-democrats-racism/596155/. Accessed 15 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Bruni, F., and Douthat, R.. ( 2018;), ‘ Trump can’t unite us. Can anyone?. ’, New York Times, 30 October, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/opinion/trump-pittsburgh-polarization-midterms.html. Accessed 31 October 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Buchanan, P. J.. ( 2018;), ‘ Why the authoritarian right is on the rise. ’, The American Conservative, 20 April, https://www.theamericanconservative.com/buchanan/why-the-authoritarian-right-is-on-the-rise/. Accessed 14 July 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Clover, C. J.. ( 1992), Men, Women, and Chain Saws, Princeton, NJ:: Princeton University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. CNN ( 2016;), ‘ Election 2016 Exit Polls. ’, CNN, 23 November, https://edition.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls/national/president. Accessed 8 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Cutler, L.. ( 2017), President Obama’s Counterterrorism Strategy in the War on Terror: An Assessment, New York:: Palgrave Macmillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. DeMonaco, J.. ( 2013), The Purge, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. DeMonaco, J.. ( 2014), The Purge: Anarchy, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. DeMonaco, J.. ( 2016), The Purge: Election Year, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Edsall, T. B.. ( 2017;), ‘ Donald Trump’s identity politics. ’, New York Times, 24 August, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/opinion/donald-trump-identity-politics.html. Accessed 15 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Enders, Adam M., and Smallpage, S.. ( 2016;), ‘ Racial prejudice, not populism or authoritarianism, predicts support for Trump over Clinton. ’, The Washington Post, 26 May, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/05/26/these-9-simple-charts-show-how-donald-trumps-supporters-differ-from-hillary-clintons/. Accessed 2 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Feldman, S., and Stenner, K.. ( 1997;), ‘ Perceived threat and authoritarianism. ’, International Society of Political Psychology, 18:4, pp. 741–70.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Francis, R. D.. ( 2018;), ‘ Him, not her: Why working-class white men reluctant about Trump still made him president of the United States. ’, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 4:1, pp. 1–11.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Frizell, S.. ( 2015;), ‘ John McCain says Donald Trump owes veterans an apology. ’, Time, 20 July, https://time.com/3964229/donald-trump-john-mccain-war-hero-apology/. Accessed 8 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Gabriadze, L.. ( 2015), Unfriended, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Geher, G.. ( 2018;), ‘ The polarization of America. ’, Psychology Today, 14 August, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201808/the-polarization-america. Accessed 26 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Greutert, K.. ( 2009), Saw VI, USA:: Lionsgate Films;.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Greutert, K.. ( 2010), Saw 3D, USA:: Lionsgate Films;.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Grynbaum, M. M., and Herman, J.. ( 2016;), ‘ Breitbart rises from outlier to potent voice in campaign. ’, The New York Times, 26 August, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/business/media/breitbart-news-presidential-race.html. Accessed 26 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Hetherington, M. J., and Weiler, J. D.. ( 2009), Authoritarian and Polarization in American Politics, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Kerner, A. M.. ( 2015), Torture Porn in the Wake of 9/11: Horror, Exploitation, and the Cinema of Sensation, New Brunswick, NJ and London:: Rutgers University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Klein, E.. ( 2018;), ‘ How identity politics elected Donald Trump. ’, Vox, 5 November, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/5/18052390/trump-2018-2016-identity-politics-democrats-immigration-race. Accessed 15 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Krieg, G.. ( 2016;), ‘ How did Trump win? Here are 24 theories. ’, CNN, 10 November, https://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/why-donald-trump-won/index.html. Accessed 28 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Lavine, H.,, Lodge, M., and Freitas, K.. ( 2005;), ‘ Threat, authoritarianism, and selective exposure to information. ’, Political Psychology, 26:2, pp. 219–44.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Lerner, A.. ( 2015;), ‘ The 10 best lines from Donald Trump’s announcement speech. ’, Politico, 16 June, https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/donald-trump-2016-announcement-10-best-lines-119066. Accessed 27 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Longworth, R.. ( 2016;), ‘ Disaffected rust belt voters embraced Trump. They had no other hope. ’, The Guardian, 21 November, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/21/disaffected-rust-belt-voters-embraced-donald-trump-midwestern-obama. Accessed 27 September 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Macé, D., and Wajsbrot, A.. ( 2016), Don’t Hang Up, USA:: Vertical Entertainment;.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. MacWilliams, M. C.. ( 2016), The Rise of Trump: America’s Authoritarian Spring, Amherst, MA:: Amherst College Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. McCarthy, T.. ( 2016;), ‘ Clinton v Trump: What we learned from the first presidential debate. ’, The Guardian, 27 September, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/27/debate-what-we-learned-clinton-trump-hofstra-recap-presidential-election. Accessed 8 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. McMurray, Gerard. ( 2018), The First Purge, USA:: Universal Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Meyers, D. G.. ( 2010), Social Psychology, , 10th ed.., Boston, MA:: McGraw-Hill;.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Mills, C.. ( 2018;), ‘ The rise and fall of the American farmer. ’, Geopolitical Monitor, 20 March, https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-american-farmer/. Accessed 6 December 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Miska, B.. ( 2010;), ‘ “Saw” writer Patrick Melton confirms “Saw 3D” is “The Last Shebang!”. ’, Bloody Disgusting, 6 August, https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/21199/. Accessed 17 December 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Morris, W.. ( 2009;), ‘ It’s a horror sequel and a health-care initiative. ’, The Boston Globe, 26 October, http://articles.boston.com/2009-10-26/ae/29261477_1_sequels-health-insurance-horror. Accessed 16 December 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Pollak, J., and Schweikart, L.. ( 2017), How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, Washington, D.C.:: Regnery Publishing;.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Rogers, K.. ( 2016;), ‘ White women helped elect Donald Trump. ’, New York Times, 9 November, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/us/politics/white-women-helped-elect-donald-trump.html. Accessed 7 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Rotten Tomatoes (2017), ‘ Saw Franchise. ’, Rotten Tomatoes, 29 October, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/franchise/saw/. Accessed 4 June 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Sabur, R.. ( 2018;), ‘ Hillary Clinton faces fresh investigations amid renewed corruption claims. ’, The Telegraph, 5 January, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/05/hillary-clinton-faces-fresh-investigations-amid-renewed-corruption/. Accessed 8 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Schoen, D. E.. ( 2016;), ‘ Donald Trump saw what politicians ignored. And then he disrupted American politics. ’, Fox News, 8 April, https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/donald-trump-saw-what-politicians-ignored-and-then-he-disrupted-american-politics. Accessed 9 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Sharrett, C.. ( 2009;), ‘ The problem of Saw: “Torture porn” and the conservatism of contemporary horror films. ’, Cineaste, 35:1, pp. 32–37.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Shearer, C.. ( 2016;), ‘ The small town-big city split that elected Donald Trump. ’, Brookings, 11 November, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2016/11/11/the-small-town-big-city-split-that-elected-donald-trump/. Accessed 12 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Smith, R. M.. ( 1993;), ‘ Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The multiple traditions in America. ’, American Political Science Review, 87:3, pp. 549–66.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Spierig, M., and Spierig, P.. ( 2017), Jigsaw, USA:: Lionsgate Films;.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Stenner, K.. ( 2005), The Authoritarian Dynamic, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Stern, J.. ( 2015;), ‘ Obama and terrorism: Like it or not, the war goes on. ’, Foreign Affairs, 94:5, pp. 62–70.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Sunstein, C. R.. ( 2018;), ‘ It can happen here. ’, The New York Review of Books, 28 June, https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/06/28/hitlers-rise-it-can-happen-here/. Accessed 13 July 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Taub, A.. ( 2016;), ‘ The rise of American authoritarianism. ’, Vox, 1 March, https://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism. Accessed 4 June 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Turner, K.. ( 2017;), ‘ The Saw movies defined Post-9/11 horror, but is there any place for them now?. ’, Slate, 25 October, https://slate.com/culture/2017/10/the-saw-series-returns-with-jigsaw-do-we-want-it-back.html. Accessed 4 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Turnham, S.. ( 2016;), ‘ Donald Trump to father of fallen soldier: “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices”. ’, ABC News, 31 July, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-father-fallen-soldier-ive-made-lot/story?id=41015051. Accessed 11 November 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Tyson, A., and Maniam, S.. ( 2016;), ‘ Behind Trump’s victory: Divisions by race, gender, education. ’, Pew Research Center, 9 November, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/. Accessed 2 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Weitzman, E.. ( 2010;), ‘ “Saw 3D: The final chapter” review. ’, Daily News, 29 October, http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/10/29/2010-10-29_saw_3d_the_final_chapter_review_franchise_morphs_into_generic_slasher_series_wit.html. Accessed 4 June 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Wetmore, K. J.. ( 2012), Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema, New York:: Continuum;.
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Wood, R.. ( 1986), Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan, New York:: Columbia University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Goodall, Reece. ( 2020;), ‘ John Kramer for President: The rise of authoritarian horror. ’, Horror Studies, 11:1, pp. 123–140, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/host_00014_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/host_00014_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): America; authoritarian; Donald Trump; Jigsaw; polarization; power

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test