OPTION 1
For this essay, students will develop an exploratory analysis of the evolution of fear throughout the first three films examined in class: The Wolf Man (1941), Village of the Damned (1960), and Night of the Living Dead (1968). In essence, the question becomes, what has changed?
For the purpose of continuity, students should seek to define a single conceptual framework to look at all the films. For instance, an essay might 1) explore the nature of the fear the "monsters" are meant to evoke; 2) explore how parent/child relations are relevant to the narrative construct; 3) analyze how the monster is perceived/treated by other characters; etc. These are just three possibilities, but it will be to the individual to define this framework and use it across the spectrum of films.
I am not looking for a structural analysis of the filming technique, acting, editing, or continuity issues. Again, we are investigating film as literature, so such issues should not be addressed unless relevant to your larger inquiry. For instance, Romero's choice to make Night of the Living Dead black and white in order to employ noir-like shadows and thereby enhance the ambiguity of right and wrong, black and white, and good and evil.
I am not concerned whether students personally find the film scary. Instead, any discussion of how the film evokes fear (which indeed each of these did in their own times) should be couched in terms of analysis. In other words, what/how does the film do what it does via narrative.
Likewise, I don't care if the film was "good" or "bad". This is also irrelevant to the analysis.
In addition, though we are looking at an evolution, I do not need historical context for the films. I am not particularly concerned with how the film responds to a specific cultural moment at this time. Instead, the films should be treated in relation to one another (while still understanding that there is a chronological order to them).
OPTION 2
This essay will require students to watch the remake of one of the three films we have watched thusfar:
1. Night of the Living Dead (1990)
2. Village of the Damned (1996)
3. The Wolfman (2010)
After screening the film, students will compose a comparative analysis of the films in question (original and remake). In other words, how has the remake changed from the original and why? The changes discussed need not be exhaustive but should address major changes to character and narrative.
For example, I mentioned that the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned shows the collective of "children" clearly led by one of the little girls. This is a conscious choice on the part of the director, so what is this change all about?
Like Option 1, I am not looking for anyone to examine the relation of the films to their cultural contexts. Instead, the films should be treated comparatively, examining how alterations made for the remake effect the story being told and the story's message.
Additionally, I am not looking for a structural analysis, whether the film was scary, or whether it was "good" or "bad". These issues are only relevant insofar as they pertain to alterations to the story (so, does a particular decision/alteration, perhaps, make the film scarier?).