Essay on Film Analysis Edward Scissorhands Genre

Edward Scissorhands Genre Essay The most appealing films are those that keep audiences guessing, surprise them at the most unexpected times and break conventional film boundaries. Edward Scissorhands (1990) directed by Tim Burton, is a feature film that does exactly that. It blends a fairy tale story with a gothic horror film, to engage the viewer right from beginning until the resolution. It tells the tale of Edward, who was the creation of an inventor who died before he could give Edward proper hands, and was left with scissors as hands. When he was taken from his gothic mansion, into a â€Å"normal† suburban community, he was at first welcomed, but then heartbreakingly rejected when things went wrong. The character of the â€Å"monster† is an†¦show more content†¦The camera focuses on Edward’s face; it shows how pale and sad he is. The gothic horror feature used here is the physical appearance of the â€Å"monster†. Edward is a large, dark figure with objects (his scissor han ds) that can cause harm. This is very stereotypical of the gothic monster as this has been used in Frankenstein (1931) and Nosferatu (1922), and is imprinted in viewers’ minds. But what makes us question how monstrous Edward truly is, is his facial expression and the way he talks. Unlike most gothic horror monsters, he does not have a scary personality. He is shy and is not the antagonist. As the story continues, all the bad deeds he does, are actually the result of someone else taking advantage of him. As viewers, we see this, and we are led to believe that it is not Edward who is the monster, but rather the community Peg has brought him into. By manipulating common features of gothic horror films, Edward Scissorhands is able to influence the audience into believing the â€Å"monster† of the film is Edward, but when the tradition is changed, it makes us think that not everything is black and white, and that to get the correct judgement, we must wait until all evidence is presented. Just as Edward is seen as the typical gothic horror â€Å"monster†, so can the â€Å"normal† suburban community. As has been discussed, the appearance of Edward can be considered monster-like, but what truly makes a monster, is its personality and what itShow MoreRelatedBlack Humor in America2112 Words   |  9 Pages and film to express the absurdity, paradox and cruelty of the modern world (Black, Columbia). This form of comedy is often reflective of the situations going on in the world. One example of this is the movie Dr. Strangelove, a film about nuclear war, being created during the Cold War era. There are many different forms of black humor but they almost always deal with a serious event. Black humor first began in American film in the middle 1920s. Many scholars agree that the first film was Gold