Gothic Genre Explored in Tim Burtons Films Essay

Gothic Genre explored in Tim Burtons films Essay Tim Burton is successful in creating horror films such as Edward Scissor Hands (1990), Nightmare before Christmas (1993) and Sleepy Hollow (1999), through his incorporation of Gothic Elements within the setting, flawed hero and the manifestation of the sense of dread and terror. A horror film can be defined as a motion picture that seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from the audience by playing on the viewer’s most primal fears. This is often ignited by key scenes that feature macabre, supernatural, fantasy or science fiction. This is evident in the various scenes within each of Tim Burton’s Films. Tim Burton incorporates the style of Gothic elements such as Gothic style†¦show more content†¦In the film, Sleepy hollow (1999), Tim Burton also integrates various Gothic elements such as Dark lighting and Gothic styled architecture, to emphasize the damaged world of Sleepy Hollow, in efforts to achieve a successful horror film. Tim Burton continuously present the town of Sleepy Hollow under monochromatic tones and shadows, under the principal influence of film noire, a style that highlights the macabre and haunted aura of Sleepy Hollow, through an abundant use of black and white tones with splashes of red. Burton also uses sets in the film that feature dense forests of skeletal trees, rotting and gothic styled houses with prominent exaggeration of key landmarks such as the detail and seemingly animate structure of the ‘Tree of the Dead’. This is evident in the scene whereby, Ichabod Crane with his fellow associates Katrina Vangareth and Young Jonathan Masbeth, come in contact with the ‘Tree of the Dead’, within the haunted â€Å"Western Woods†. In attempts to discover what lies inside the ‘Tree of the Dead’, Ichabod Crane is forced to cut his way through its wooden flesh while fighting to repel the showering red blood, only to see a collection of rotting and blood-soaked heads (from the victims). Burton’s emphasis on the film noire style with splashes of blood-red colours and the gothic styled and animate architectures of Sleepy Hollow, play a significant part in creating a morbid and terrifying character of the damaged world of Sleepy Hollow.Show MoreRelatedGerman Expressionism and Tim Burton Essay2030 Words   |  9 PagesGerman Expressionism and Tim Burton Tim Burtons films have often been noted as modern day forms of German expressionism (the creative movement in Germany before World War I). It is through such things as sets, themes, makeup and costuming, lighting and shadows, acting techniques, and character that we can see Burton has been widely influenced by films of the era. The notable directors films Edward Scissorhands (1990), Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992),