Ellie Jackson /Film Panel
The ‘Mad Scientist’
This presentation takes a look into gender; more specifically how masculinity has changed over the years and its portrayal within film. The presentation exhibits these points through a Hammer Horror classic The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and a more recent addition to Hammers collection The Quiet Ones (2014). It focuses on the male ‘Mad Scientist’ within these films and closely analyses his traits and attributes. The men themselves will be dissected as a character to demonstrate the progressive journey, as well as his personality, that leads him to embodying the ‘mad scientist’. With close reference to Donna Haraway’s theory of the ‘monster’ it drives the presentation forward into looking at the creations of these scientists and the lengths in which they are willing to go in the name of ‘science’. By disturbing the balance of nature, comes the inevitable consequences that will be brought to light through various events that will be explored in the films. The relationship these men hold with women will be discussed through the use of Judith Butlers theory of women being a ‘threat’ and the fear of ‘female castration’ in order to exhibit the women’s role in society at the time and how they are treated by these men; as a distraction and an object. This leads into the final section of the presentation delving into the historical context of the time in which these movies are set and how these films are used as a medium, embedded with reflecting fears and anxieties.