Sobchack's "The Postmorbid Condition"

Vivian Sobchack discusses the controversial issue of violence in film making, and how it has changed over the course of history.  She explains that films made in the 60s and 70s used violence as a way of portraying the social meaning of a situation. However, nowadays more and more violence is being used in film, with no real purpose for it at all but as a time filler in a scene.  In fact, present day film violence has become so gorey and extreme that it is not believable by the audience, but merely a type of humorous entertainment.  She explains that in the famous Steven Spielberg film, "Saving Private Ryan," the murder and gore that was displayed was necessary and had social meaning for World War II.  Because this movie was something that the audience had experienced in real life, the violence in it became extremely difficult and disheartening to watch.  This was for the mere fact that the violence was real.  However, present day horror and action films use violence to such an extreme degree, that the audience understands that it isn't real, therefore watching it is not a challenge.  For instance, the profound amount of blood and guts in the movie "Scream" is so ridiculous that any spectator would realize that it was not something to be afraid of, and that it was simply an entertainment tactic.  Present day screen writers use violence in order to portray their progress in technology throughout history.  In other words, they are using it simply as a way of showing off what they are capable of putting in a movie scene. 

Cohen's "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)"

In Cohen's "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)," he explains monsters as more than simply the stereotypical terrifying beings that we normally envision.  His version of the monstrous acts as a sort of lesson to us, reappearing in situations in which we are making bad decisions or being careless.  While our ideal goal would be to get rid of our lingering monsters, it becomes almost impossible.  Just before we are about to conquer them, they escape and reappear later on when we are not expecting it.  Their constant reappearance is symbolic of the fact that we tend to repeatedly step over our intended boundaries, giving them the opportunity to attack us when we are the most vulnerable.  The monstrous also embodies every outcast, difference, and abnormality that our society looks down on today.  Although most people strive to fit in and be like everyone else, the monstrous defies the norm, longing to stand out and be unique.  It is a part of his strategy to instill a sense of fear in us, because when we are unable to classify it, it has an automatic superiority over us.   While we do fear the monster, being in his presence is almost a kind of thrill to us.  We get a rush out of being exposed to fear, because we have a belief instilled in us that good will prevail in the end, and that the fear is only temporary.  However, this naive perception is what keeps the monsters around.  The monstrous is created out of our foolishness and naivety.  Although the monster is meant to scare us and is the so-called villian, he is actually our very own creation.  Without us, the monster would have no purpose for existance.