The Body as a Site for Socioeconomic Commentary: Cannibalism in Hardcore Horror

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/n296x0651

Abstract

While horror as a genre is a frequent topic of literary research, there is a dearth of scholarly research concerning subgenres such as splatterpunk and extreme horror. When viewed through the various horror theories developed by scholars such as Noël Caroll and John Clute, it becomes evident that these subgenres are in conversation with the broader genre. The subgenres use this connection to make commentary on society, politics, and the economy. The self-reflective monsters of other horror works are substituted by representations of corporate greed, the police, and misogyny in these subgenres. These themes were present at the inception of splatterpunk in the 1980s and persist in it and the closely related subgenre of extreme horror (which I collectively term “hardcore horror”) today. Hardcore horror makes use of over-the-top gore and characters who subvert social expectations to discuss issues present in society. The body, that which is splattered to pieces and graphically described, is used as a tool within the subgenre to represent commodification, transformation, and survivability when faced with socioeconomic pressure. Through its use of graphic imagery, hardcore horror fully utilizes the body as a site for such commentary through depictions of cannibalism, body horror, and sexual sadism.

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