THE PHENOMENON OF THE HORROR IN UKRAINIAN HORROR FILMS
Abstract
This article is devoted to a critical analysis of the phenomenon of horror in the philosophical and anthropological aspect in Ukrainian horror films of the early 21st century. The focus is on the manifestation of the phenomenon of the horrific and its components, including anxiety, trembling, shivering, and panic, fear, ugliness, disgust, disgusting, etc. The role of horrors and the terrible in Ukrainian literature (Ivan Kotliarevskyi, Mykola Hohol, Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, Taras Shevchenko, Yurii Vynnychuk, Andrii Kokotiukha, and others) and philosophy (Hryhorii Skovoroda) is emphasized. Particular attention is also paid to the understanding of the phenomenon of horror in various philosophical traditions (Aristotle, Hume, Diderot, Heidegger, Gadamer, etc.). Next, the author outlines the peculiarities of the horror film genre and its various subgenres in the global context. After that, the latest works by foreign authors (Julius Sittel, Adam Lowenstein, Stephen Prince, Eugene Thacker, Ursula Vossen) and Ukrainian authors (H. F. Batalina, etc.) on horror films are mentioned.
The main part of this article is devoted to a critical examination of the peculiarities of the phenomenon of the horrific in contemporary Ukrainian horror films. It begins with a brief overview of the storylines of individual films, their main technical characteristics, and mentions the main characters and actors who play the respective roles. This is followed by a selective analysis of certain episodes of those films that focus on the manifestations of the phenomenon of the horrific and its components. In particular, the role of corporeality, gender aspects, and psychological transitions of the characters from the real state to the state of “Alter ego”, in the sense of the image of the Other (films “Lysa hora”, “Konotopska vidma”, etc.) in the perception of the phenomenon of the horror is emphasized. An important characteristic of these films was the reflection of the horrors in the context of Ukrainian history and culture, in particular the legends and traditions about the pagan gods Perun and Veles of the Kyivan Rus era, etc. (films “Shtolnya”, “Brama”, “Lysa hora”, “Morena”, “Synevyr”). A specific feature of some Ukrainian horror films is the reflection of the tragic present of the Russian-Ukrainian war, when the phenomenon of the horrific becomes a reality in life (for example, “Konotopska vidma” or “The Konotop Witch”). The author concludes by stating that Ukrainian horror films are guided by the achievements of world horror cinema, including in the subgenres of body horror, folk horror, mystical horror, etc.
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