The Christian Metz model of genre development
Christian Metz formed the ‘model of genre development’ which was later named the ‘Metz theory’. The theory involved the idea that films of the horror genre have four ‘phases’ of horror. These include phase 1- the experimental phase, phase 2- the classic, phase 3- the parody and finally phase 4- the deconstruction.
Phase 1 is the experimental phase, this is when it is determined whether the film will be popular in the film industry and whether it will make a profit for the studio. An example off experimental phase films would be ‘The cabinet of Dr Caligari’. The cabinet of Dr Caligari is a silent horror film made in the 1920's, the film mirrors the book 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' as it was about a lawyer who underwent an investigation of the two murderers of both Jekyll and Hyde.
Phase 2 is known as the classic phase. The classic phase uses the codes and conventions of the genre specific genre the film falls into, for example Horror. An example of a classic horror film would be 'Dracula'. Dracula formed an iconic image which then continued to created a lot of stereotypes for the typical antagonist in a horror film. Dracula is typically represented as a male with a mild European accent. Typically wears a long black cape, has fangs, drinks blood and cannot walk in sunlight. This stereotype is now used throughout TV and within the horror film genre.
Phase 3 is known as the parody phase. This is when a remake is made of a classic film. An example of a parody would be "Sean of The Dead" which is based on the classic "Dawn of the Dead". The parody had humours effects which acted as an ironic pun as well as the humorous twist on the name (Sean rhyming with Dawn).
The deconstruction is phase 4. The deconstruction phase combines the generic themes of a genre and combines it with another genre. An example of a deconstruction is 'scream'. Scream is a deconstruction as it combines the two genres; thriller and horror. Scream was a film which had the purpose to scare the audience yet also have a realistic aspect due to it involving relatable situations and relatable setting (young girl who is home alone who continuously and gets phone calls from a mystery person).
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