Long Live The Film's Flesh. On the Expressive Physicality and Embodied Perception of Practical Special Effects in Society, Videodrome & From Beyond

Abstract

There is an oscillating quality to the filmic display of prosthetic effects that pertains to the convergence of textual context and physical material, the latter being physically present in front of the camera at the time of filming. This thesis seeks to (1) articulate the perceptual processes that are guided by such practical special effects’ physical presence in the cinematographic space and to (2) conceptualize practical effects as autonomous agents of their inherent physicality, for which I will engage in visual analyses of Brian Yuzna’s Society (1989), David Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1983) and Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond (1986).