English professor Carl Peters loves horror. From his early childhood days watching the old Hollywood classics and into adulthood, Peters has built a career in academia and writing about his favourite books and films. In the summer of 2022, he taught a class focusing on horror film and literature, as well as his expanded concept on what constitutes a horror film. For Peters, almost anything that profoundly disturbs, shocks, and challenges viewers could be considered horror.
What is it about the horror genre you find so endearing?
I’d say my fondness for horror goes back to my formative years. I remember seeing The Wizard of Oz, and being amazed by the imagery and disturbed by the themes in the story. Particularly the scene of Dorothy’s dream. The imagery of the witch on the bicycle, the house falling on the other witch, and then the shoes. Seeing the shoes on the feet of the body underneath the house, followed by the good witch waving her wand and making the other witches’ feet curl up. That terrified but also fascinated me.
Do you think engaging with horror films can help us confront difficult circumstances in our lives?
I think so. Good horror films are always aware of that. When you listen to directors, you’ll find they draw attention to something that hurts. They take us into different worlds and systems, introducing us to characters facing major obstacles that we can grapple with. David Lynch is great at this. He takes us to some dark places and creates some difficult challenges through a series of images that can be both dreadful and benign. This juxtaposition produces an effect that one is not always ready for, and that can be a difficult experience. I think that’s healthy. It challenges us to reconsider how we process our own circumstances.
Why do you think horror is such a polarising genre?
I think most people tend to see horror as gratuitous. They might see it as superficial entertainment. One might ask themselves, “why would I watch these things happen to someone?” or, “why do I need to see this?” and not give any credence to the themes underlying the images. People will say some pretty damning things about the genre, and at the end of the day it is their choice what they do and don’t want to see. However, I think they may be denying themselves a transformative visual experience.
What was the most recent horror film that impacted you?
Two films come to mind, one was a documentary on King Henry VIII and the other would be Jordan Peele’s Get Out. While the King Henry VIII documentary wouldn’t traditionally be considered horror, the subject matter deeply unsettled me. The grisly manner in which he decapitated wives who didn’t give birth to sons was horrifying. I found myself becoming anxious towards the whole idea of the monarchy as the film progressed. Jordan Peele’s films also really stand out to me, especially Get Out. I remember watching it at home. The scene where the main character is being introduced to his girlfriend’s mother and father, knowing that something wasn’t right — it gives me shivers thinking about it!
Who are some of your favourite directors?
Of course, Jordan Peele is up there. I think he’s one of the best in the genre right now. I’m an outspoken fan of Brian De Palma, the director of Carrie and Dressed to Kill. David Lynch is another one of my all-time favourites. I love how he started as a painter before he became a filmmaker, you really see it in his films and I think it’s amazing. I also love the films of David Cronenberg, Elaine Renee, and Jean Luc Goddard.
Are you currently working on any horror related projects?
I’m currently running a documentary film class at SFU and am submitting proposals for a few classes I’d like to run in the future. I’m currently preparing a list of horror films I would like to present at UFV, and will hopefully have more to announce on that soon.
What would you like for students to take away from the films they watch this Halloween?
I’d like for students to not just consider the narratives laid out in exposition when watching films, but to extrapolate their interpretations of images by experimenting with the ways they watch films. For instance, when I present some horror films in a showing, I will change things about the experience such as the order in which I present specific films, turning off audio, or playing with the lighting. Watching a film can be so much more than just viewing the film from beginning to end, the circumstances in which we watch the films can have a profound effect on the overall experience.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Kellyn Kavanagh (they/he) is a local writer, photographer, and musician. They first started writing what they now know to be flash fiction stories in the third grade when they learned how to make little books with a couple sheets of printer paper and a stapler. Their work typically focuses on non-ficiton journalism, short horror fiction, and very depressing poetry.
