In the movie, he uses shadows, mirrors, and close ups on objects to frighten the viewers. Throughout the film, shadows are present from start to finish. For an example, when Mrs. Baits is shown killing Marion or the detective, her face is never shown. Usually Hitchcock managed to use shadows to block her identity or her face, leaving the viewers with curiosity of what she looks like, and if there is a reason for her face not be shown. Throughout the story “The Storm”, McKnight uses a creative and unique style of suspense that takes terror to the extreme.
This is further reflected through low camera angles that emphasize the immensity of industrial waste, rubbish and pollution existent on Earth. The contrasting bright and colourful images on television screens still running that promote evacuation of Earth to outer space flying with a ‘ fully automated crew’ depict the artificial world man has created along with its dependence on technology. The juxtaposition of the dilapidated environment surrounding the screens ironically reveal how mankind’s’ reliance on technology has led to destruction of the planet and severely damaged mankind’s humanity.
Thus each of the human societies shuns and despises these creatures for what they are. The significance of the alignment of the monsters with ourselves is how the monsters are the personification of our ontology. The unconscious human mind is the content of what these works attempt to personify in the monster. As Donna Haraway said in her "Cyborg Manifesto," "we are all chimeras." The curious thing is that the protagonists in some of the works actually portray monster-like characteristics--a role reversal between the monster and the hero of the work: "We have found the enemy and he is us."
Another theme in this story is the theme of men versus monsters. This theme comes to light when Grendel is described. Even in Chapter 1, it is made known that Grendel is going to be a monster. He is called the “enemy of mankind” (29) and rightly so. That automatically makes the reader see him as a completely evil character.
Sound effects are chilling. The sudden noisy intrusions break the otherwise very quiet scenes in violence almost. The montage keeps us guessing the turn the story would take next – a powerful tool since there is no movement in the script. How did the film’s components match with the comedy genre? The components of the film are entirely incongruent with the comedy genre.
In her book, Mythology, Edith Hamilton describes monsters as living beings unlike anything else known to man. The giant Cyclopes, with one enormous eye in the middle of its forehead and great physical power, easily captures Odysseus and his men when they focus simply on the destination, rather than the journey. Odysseus realizes that with just one eye, the Cyclopes can only see what is in his view. He devises a plan to take advantage of the monster’s vulnerability and escapes. Even today we focus solely on the destination, forgetting
The only images we were able to perceive is he stands on two feet as humans he is covered in hair, and seems to be monstrous. In Beowulf, Grendel is given the name of a large, dangerous, animal-like beast. Also the author in Beowulf allowed this to leave the reader to get the impression that not only was only a little human and the animal instincts overpowered the human ones. Just as stated on page 46. “the monster stepped on the bright paved floor, crazed with evil anger; from his strange eyes an ugly light shone out like fire".
Deep inside every person lurks a savage and dark side. However, if never pushed to the brink of mental capacity and catastrophe, this darkness might never be seen. In William Golding’s Lord Of the Flies, the reader witnesses young boys brought to an untamed island, and they soon become very untamed themselves. Proof of this is found when the more fearful the boys become of the beast, the more savage they become. Also, they turn off their emotions, allowing them to kill their old friends and acquaintances.
Each text highlights humanity’s flaws, such as ego, ambition, obsession with power and greed. The characters of Victor Frankenstein and Eldon Tyrell express these qualities as they are driven by the incredible thought to extend life and defy death. Using her authorial voice of intrusion, Shelly implies reasoning as to why man should not play god. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein fashions a creature out of ‘savaged’ body parts; a monster brought into a world in which he doesn’t belong; “Whence did I come? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them”.
Instead, Scott’s film extends upon the premise established by Shelley in her novel. In Frankenstein, the monster is perceived as a sin against nature, viewed by its creator as a “vile insect”, a “filthy daemon” that is “more hideous than belongs to humanity”, a Gothic disturbance of the order of the natural world and the threat against the purity of nature. Similarly, the grand fireballs rising above the extreme long shot of the futuristic Los Angeles cityscape, symbolic of the hell of St Elmo’s fire, the grim film noir colour palette and the highly saturated, artificial neon lightning of the streets demonstrate the absence of anything natural in Scott’s futuristic dystopia. Despite her perversion of nature, Shelley’s inexorable ties to the Romantic Movement grant nature a sense of omnipotence unperturbed by Frankenstein’s monster, where “immense mountains overhung me on every side – the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfall around, spoke mighty as omnipotence.” Whilst Frankenstein suggests a prelude to the destruction, it is never achieved. Blade Runner, however, extends upon this value, suggesting that the corporatisation of humanity’s scientific advancement has and will continue to destroy nature.