EXTREME, SPECTACULAR AND HORRIFIC A qualitative film analysis of affective strategies in extreme horror via Terrifier 2

Abstract

During the year of 2022 the film Terrifier 2 was shown in theaters all over the western world. This film was not supported by any larger production companies, but was partly crowdfunded. The film combines elements from the 1980s slashers and the Extreme Cinema tradition and contains 2 hours and 18 minutes packed with gore. Still, this film spread in cinemas from country to country. This thesis does a qualitative film analysis on the film and how affective strategies used in Extreme Cinema have been applied in combination with tropes from the slasher genre within the narrative as well as the presentation of the visual and the sound image. The thesis also takes a brief look at how the cultural and political climate in combination with allegorical moments have affected horror genre history and through that the genres and categories seen within Terrifier 2.