Catalogue

Films:
Item 1: Focus film, The Babadook (2014, Jenifer Kent)
The Babadook is a modern day horror film with many representations of character archetypes that go against the norm in modern horror. The film has a couple of strong characters that play very overwhelming parts in the film. It portrays a young boy who plays the innocent, helpless victim who is targeted by the antagonist (Babadook & his mother) that eventually protects himself from the monster and fights back to become the 'hero'. The unusual fear from the mother is built up as she becomes more scared of her child and herself as she becomes more unstable. This rapid transformation of character types is enough evidence to analyse and compare to other modern horror films as well as classic to support my investigation on children in horror.





Item 2: Supporting film, Case 39 (2010. Christian Alvart)
Its key themes and values also represent the idealistic scary films through many horror conventions such as strong characters archetypes. The story of a social worker and monster who disguises itself as a ten year old girl convey many ideas as to why they have chosen to use a child as a disguise. This film not only supports the idea of femininity in modern horror but also the themes of violence and destruction in a film that involves children playing the antagonist. This supports my argument as to why children are featured as villains and are particularly female.





Item 3: Second supporting film, The Omen (1976, Richard Donner)
This classic horror cult film is an excellent comparison to The Babadook due to its similarities and differences even though they are nearly twenty years apart. The Omen is an old horror set in a different period, where it was becoming more common to feature children as the antagonists in horror films since The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin) With different character types, but similar intentions from the film compared to the modern day, it is quite similar through its conventions of horror and values.

Books
Item 4: Del Toro, Guillermo (2013) Children of The Night 'Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film
Edited by James Bell, England: BFI
Pages 106- 112

This book by Del Toro describes the effects that horror films with a child antagonist has a disturbing effect on the audience, more specifically adult spectators. This chapter explores the depths and reasoning for children to appear in horror films overall, with many examples including one of my related films such as The Omen. With the mentioning of the 'end of innocence' and how these roles for females can become empowering, it takes out the context of the norm because we see children as vulnerable and incapable of most things, and when something challenges this such as film it can be effective and engaging because its not the norm. It is reliable because it it written by a filmmaker and prodoucer (Del Toro) who produced The Devils Backbone (2001)







Item 5: J.Renner, Karen (2013) The 'Evil Child' in Literature, Film and Popular Culture, published in USA, Evil children in Film and Literature, pages 7- 9

With most films in modern horror, many show representations of characters through the narrative which is what the chapter 'Possessed child' explains. The possession of a child has more to do with the 'spirits' than the actual child, this is interesting because it supports my idea of the use of children horror. Meaning that children are usually victimized because their incapability to commit crime due to their lack of experience and vulnerability. These pages also include the theory on gender narrative by Carol Clover.

Internet


Item 6: B*tch Flicks 
http://www.btchflcks.com/2014/11/little-girls-in-horror-films-setting-the-stage-for-female-double-standards.html#.WBYyBOCLTIV 
Young girls in horror films
Novemeber 2014, Accessed on 6th October 2016
A website that review films through a 'feminist lens'. This article is based on young girls and how they are represented in horror and how they are more frequently used to scare than young boys. It also gives an insight on how this creates a double standard for women in film. 

Item 7: Empire
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/babadook/review/
The Babadook review
August 2014, Accessed on 29th September 2016
This is a film review by Kim Newman, a film critic. Newman analyses the behavior and actions of the specific characters in the Babadook. Goes into detail about how this has an effect on the viewers and twists the story line unexpectedly. Useful because it goes into detail about certain characters such as the young boy, it is reliable because its on Empire (British film magazine) and written by the film critic Kim Newman.



Item 8: Hopes and Fears
http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/culture/film/216733-creepy-children-girls-dolls-clowns-horror-movies
'Why are there so many creepy kids...in horror'
October 2015, Accessed on 6th September 2016
Explores the opinions of writers, directors, actresses and actors, It includes some quotes from directors and has lists of different films containing 'creepy' children. This is useful because it gives me a variety of opinions and the ideas behind children being horror from many writers and producers.
There are also comments on the reasoning behind props that a related/linked to children such as toys, songs etc. and why this is also effective.

Item 9: Horror-Movies
The Evolution of Children in Horror Films
http://www.horror-movies.ca/evolution-children-horror-films/
June 2014, Accessed on 30th October 2016
This website explains why audiences love the 'creepy kid' in horror films and how it has become a trend in recent, modern day horror films. Not only this but it also goes on to explain how children represent innocence and factors of this such as children's laugh, screams etc. This website is useful because it mentioned one of my related films The Omen, and how these are favourite types of characters because of their sinister/creepy representations.



Item 10: Movie Pilot
http://moviepilot.com/posts/3895711
May 2016, Accessed on 1st November 2016
A useful website/blog about the reasons why children are used in horror and an explanation as to why. Not only this but it focuses on a specific gender such as females and why they have a bigger effect on the audience, particularly adults. 'The Destruction of Innocence' is a very useful section to my investigation because it mentions one of my related films (The Omen) and goes on to explain the ideas of how we loose this innocence.


Item 11: Regan MacNeil
http://exorcist.wikia.com/wiki/Regan_MacNeil
Accessed on December 2016
Website that is based on The Exorcist hence the 'Exorcist Wiki', gives information of the character of Regan MacNeil who is possessed in the film and how this effects her and makes the film what it is in modern day times. I have also noticed that there has been no remake of The Exorcist film, there have been spin off shows and sequels but no remake of the first classic film.

Item 12: YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovGF9MUt84Y
Video, Mark Kermode reviews The Babadook
October 2014, Accessed on 6th October 2016
Reliable source as it is reviewed by Mark Kermode, a well known film critic. It is also easy to access as it is on YouTube which is also reliable. Kermode explains the depth of the film and that it is based of initial childhood fears people experience in their childhood.