Student name: Threnody Aldritt

RUN-EU institution: Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Ireland

Abstract

My research is concerned with representation in horror films. My study aims to investigate the current state and recent progression of gender and disability representation in experimental horror media. This study is necessary to evaluate and quantify the state of representation in film. I am conducting this study intending to generate knowledge in what I have found to be an under-researched area, analysing media depictions and identifying themes in the representation of disability and gender. I hope to spark discussion around the topic and hopefully bring more attention to an under-acknowledged facet of the media that surrounds us. My research will critically evaluate the current cultural attitudes in the genre towards its historical villains, comparing contemporary works with their predecessors to find out just how much progress society’s depictions have made, if any. It will address the pace of that progression and consider the factors that may have contributed to the contemporary state of horror.