10-18-05
“Confronting Horror”
A Day-Long Celebration of the Scary
Joshua Shaw, assistant professor of philosophy at Penn State Behrend, often wonders: Why do we find horror films so fascinating? “Given that we usually try to avoid situations that terrify us, how come we get such a thrill out of movies that do such a great job of eliciting that feeling?” he asks.
His question might be answered at “Confronting Horror: A Workshop on Horror Films and Fiction.” Or perhaps just more questions will be raised. Either way, the region’s horror fans can look forward to a day of fun, fright, and spirited discussion.
Shaw and his colleagues in the Penn State Behrend School of Humanities and Social Sciences will host “Confronting Horror” on Saturday, Oct. 29. The workshop begins at 11:00 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m.; all events will be held in Room 117 of the Reed Union Building and are free and open to the public.
The day begins with a panel discussion, “Confronting Horror,” followed by the screening of “Hush,” the first of two best-of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” episodes as chosen by the Humanities faculty. Shaw calls “Hush” “the scariest – and quietest – episode of ‘Buffy.’”
Buffy is the star of the second panel discussion, which begins at 1 p.m. and will be followed by “Once More with Feeling,” her legendary musical episode.
Panels three and four are “Reconsidering Classic Monsters” and “Smooth Criminals” at 3 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. respectively. Along the way the faculty speakers on the four panels will touch on topics ranging from Frankenstein, Dracula and Jack the Ripper to The Shining, monster analysis, and slasher films.
Horror isn’t just fun and gruesome games, Shaw reminds. “For many faculty, our research in the humanities and interest in horror can dovetail in interesting ways,” he says. For Shaw, horror intersects with a book he’s currently writing on Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, a Holocaust survivor. “Much of Levinas’ philosophy deals with the issue of confronting evil: What is it? What constitutes a legitimate response? Works of horror present us with vivid representations of evil and powerful examples of people responding to it. Sometimes I find there isn’t much of a disconnect between the work I do in philosophy and ethics and the issues raised in a good horror film.”
“Confronting Horror” is part of the Penn State Behrend School of Humanities and Social Sciences Colloquium series. For more information, contact Shaw at 814-898-6444 or jjs34@psu.edu.