Intertextuality in Horror Films Examples

Examples of Intertextuality in Horror

Stranger Things

Stranger Things manages to divert from the predictability we see so much in horror films that intertextualise. We often rarely see originality in intertextualisation with many parodies often referencing other texts that are famous in pop culture.

This video effectively showcases the many ways in which Stranger Things successfully references other texts without destroying its authenticity of being an original piece. Within the first season in particular, the series is in constant reference to ET in the form of the children finding Eleven and including her in their whimsical adventures. However, it is evident within the text that whenever a reference is in fact made that it is done with character development in mind. This is made evident by the character Eleven and her similarities to the protagonists in iconic films such as Poltergeist and The Sixth Sense. However Eleven is not exclusively powerless as she is innocent but can tap into supernatural powers which make her a target for government officials.

Scream

Intertextuality doesn't necessary have to explicit, some references can be subtly presented only so that true fans of both products being talked about can understand the reference. This is seen evident in 'Scream' as the character Billy Loomis is named indirectly after two side characters featured in the cult hit films "Psycho" and "Halloween" in which both characters share the last name 'Loomis'. Although indirect, fans of all 3 films will notice the link purposely added in by producers.



American writer and director, Wes Craven is responsible for the creation of the 'Scream' and 'Friday The 13th' franchises. He makes cameo appearances in all of the Scream films, usually disguised to not make it explicitly obvious to the audience.

 



 

The clip above showcases Wes Craven's cameo in the first instalment to the Scream franchise. As Scream pays homage to various horror films, it was expected for 'Friday The 13th' to be referenced in some form during 'Scream'. However, audiences were left surprised when 'Freddie Kruger', the main antagonist of the Friday the 13th franchise was portrayed by Wes Craven briefly within Scream.