Further visual research - Exploring 'the uncanny' in film

Below is some research into films and filmmakers that consistently work with the idea of the uncanny and examples of how they successfully achieve this.

The uncanny in the films of Michael Haneke

(Image from Hidden/Cache (Dir. Michael Haneke, 2005.) )

Michael Haneke consistently portrays the theme of the uncanny within his film work, which can be seen in the form of things not appearing quite as they seem, for example the way in which homes are represented as places of fear and unease, instead of how the audience expects a traditional home environment to be; a place of safety.

(Research source/further completed reading : Haneke and The Uncanny - http://www.academia.edu/167835/Uneasy_Domesticity_in_the_Films_of_Michael_Haneke )


The Shining (Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

(Image from The Shining  (Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980.)

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a great example of how the uncanny can be represented in film by breaking traditional genre rules and audience expectations attached to a particular subject or theme. Unlike many traditional horror narratives, the film does not create a sense of fear in the viewer around one scary subject, but instead it gives off a general sense of unease as throughout it the viewer is aware of an underlying creepy tone and the knowledge that something doesn't feel quite right, despite the cause of this not being obviously shown. This can be noted in several scenes in The Shining, however one key example is when we see Danny riding the tricycle around the hotel corridors; the viewer is unsure what to expect around the next corner, but has a sense of uneasiness and fear of the unknown.


Vertigo (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1958.)
















(Image from Vertigo (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1958.)

Hitchcock was inspired by Freud's ideas. His classic film Vertigo draws on the idea of blending perception and reality and what we consider as recognisable with an uncanny element. Freud's written theory of the uncanny states these two different sides to the subject, as he writes about the difference between the uncanny that we read up about or imagine ourselves and the uncanny that we experience. Throughout Vertigo, many themes are present which reflect upon Freud's theory of the uncanny. Some of these are portrayed through contrast, such as the fear of heights, character obsessions, the way that insanity is portrayed and character observations. Through consistently changing how characters and subjects are represented and changing the viewer's initial viewpoints throughout the film, Vertigo employs the theme of the uncanny as the one which is most consistently present and which the viewer becomes aware of the most.

Research source/further completed reading: www.art3idea.psu.edu/417/notes/2-vertigo.pdf