UVIC Philosophy Students' Union

Dr. Scott Woodcock:

Are horror films immoral? Gianluca Di Muzio argues that horror films of a certain kind are immoral because they undermine the reactive attitudes responsible for being disposed to respond compassionately to instances of victimization. Specifically, he claims that it is immoral to produce, distribute or view “slasher” films in which narration is focused on the graphic depiction of murder and the purpose of this depiction is to provide viewers with powerful emotional experiences based on the suffering of victims who are hunted, assaulted, tortured, etc. Muzio has successfully identified a moral failing of many horror films; however, I argue that his thesis must be reformulated in several respects. First, rather than condemning a single category of horror films as if it is clearly demarcated by a uniform objective, we ought to conclude that the illicit characteristic at stake is a moral failing in a broad range of horror films – one that may or may not be outweighed by other redeeming features. Second, if we begin weighing the competing merits of films beyond the “slasher” category, it soon becomes apparent that many other films, books, television shows and video games share in the moral failing at issue; hence, Muzio’s insight should not be limited to the horror genre. Third, and most importantly, I argue that in order for a horror film to exhibit the moral failing at stake, the narrative focus of the film must invite the viewer to identify, at least partly, with the threat rather than the victim of the violence depicted. Using horror to provide viewers with powerful emotional experiences is not, in itself, sufficient for a film to exhibit a prima facie moral failing. It is, rather, an invitation to take pleasure in the suffering of victims that is morally illicit because it constitutes an invitation to suppress our sympathetic reactive attitudes.