Spielberg's Poetics of Horror
Résumé
This chapter on Spielberg’s poetics of horror analyzes his horror movies (Duel, Jaws, Jurassic Park and The Lost World), as well as the horror scenes in films in other genres (Close Encounters, E.T., A.I., Schindler’s List); the aim is threefold: to describe how the strategies are orchestrated within each film, and from one film to another; to assess the degree to which they have evolved; and to demonstrate the fluidity of aesthetic categories (suggestion vs. monstration, terror vs. horror) that are often opposed. It also acts as a transtion for the following section on film genre.