Molly Puckett - Analog Horror and Liminality



For my thesis project, I was curious about whether I could connect something I enjoyed with something academic. I am a huge horror fan, especially of the found-film type genre. Analog horror is a subgenre of the found-film horror genre. It is inspired by the look of older media such as cassettes and VHS tapes. A common theme in analog horror is the use of liminal spaces. Liminal spaces pertain to the threshold between two things or states of being. These are used to create a sense of unease and uncomfortableness because they are meant to resemble things that are familiar yet also unfamiliar. Because of this, the settings and aesthetics of analog horror that use liminality as a cinematic device often feel familiar and unnerving at the same time. The aesthetic of liminal spaces to make the audience uncomfortable is used in many examples of analog horror. I have included a few examples of how popular analog horror films have used liminal spaces, both physical and metaphysical, to create a sense of uneasiness. “The Backrooms” explores everyday locations, such as hallways, which take you from one location to another. What makes this type of example so unnerving is the fact that there is no escaping; there are only hallways and empty rooms that lead to more hallways and empty rooms. “The Hypnagogic Archive” investigates the space between wakefulness and dreaming. The hypnagogic state is the mental and physical transition we experience when we fall asleep. “No Through Road” explores an unsettling road between two towns. The characters in the film are stuck in a loop, with no way to escape the liminal space.

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