Halloween - John Carpenter - 1978

1. Why would viewers want to "escape" with a genre that stimulates fear and anxiety as it considers horrible events?

2. Some critics argue that horror cinema causes viewers to think and act in unhealthy, morbid ways. How would you respond? Could this be true of other genres too?

3. Is horror more likely to appeal to male rmoviegoers e.g. men like violence while women do not? Why? Is horror an anti-feminist genre since women are often victims?

4. What relationship, if any, to you see between violence in real life as reported in the mass media and interest in horror cinema? Between horror film and horror books?

5. Is horror really more about shock value than telling a good story?

6. Do some research on John Carpenter. What other films is he known for? Have you seen any?