Essay #2
The Orphanage
Definitions
Cathartic horror: King
• reality unravels
• reality re-knits around
values we can believe in
and take comfort from;
• Remaining characters/
world move forward,
wounded but healed and
healing.
Disaffirmative: Holland-Toll
• reality unravels
• monster as the “site of
humanity,” with human
traits
• monster reflects, in some
way society’s or
humanity’s failures.
• monster is sympathetic
• the ending leaves us with
a feeling of “dis/ease”
rather than comfort.
Paraphrased Definition: Nikhil Pratap
“…I believe the movie is cathartic. In other
words, it follows Stephen King’s definition of
horror…[King] describes horror as affirmative; it
tears down the walls of reality and then
reconstructs [reality] in a way that confirms and
supports our cultural values and beliefs. There
is even a sense of catharsis, a “purging of
emotions” around which [characters] can start
to rebuild the [world] torn apart in the film.”
Thesis:
• Must take a clear stand about the nature of
the film.
• The thesis paragraph should include a
paraphrased definition of the type of horror
your essay will focus on.
Example: Audrey Bucciarelli
The film The Orphanage demonstrates Stephen
King’s definition of cathartic horror. Reality is
torn apart when a heartbroken mother loses her
son, but re-knits itself by bringing them together
at the end. Although the story is tragic,
[fundamental societal values, such as friendship,
care and the family bond, are ultimately
reaffirmed].
Example: Stephanie Gutierrez
The movie El Orfanato is a[an example of]
cathartic horror because [reality] re-forms
around morals we can embrace and believe in.
Body of the essay: Analysis
• Your analysis should grow out of your thesis.
• If your thesis focuses on the re-establishment
of the mother/child bond as an example of
catharsis, then your analysis should emphasize
the breaking and restoration of that bond AND
its significance within the context of the film.
Body of the essay: Analysis
• Your analysis should be organized into distinct
points and paragraphs.
• Each paragraph should be organized around a
particular point
• Each point should draw on specific
examples/details from the film to support
your analysis.
Body of the essay: Analysis
• Be sure that your essay focuses on analysis
rather than plot summary.
Body of the essay: Analysis
Plot summary:
Laura tells Carlos she just wants to have Simon
back. She convinces Carlos to leave her alone in the
house for two days. Then she re-arranges the
entire house to look just as it did when she was a
child there in order to convince the children to
come out and “play.” They play the same game
they used to play together as children, and as a
result of the game, Laura finds Simon’s body and
realizes how he died.
Body of the essay: Analysis
Analysis with support:
The bond between Laura and Simon is so strong
that it transcends the boundaries separating the
living from the dead, and the past from the present.
After Carlos agrees to leave Laura alone in the
house, she re-arranges it to look just as it did when
she was a child there in order to convince the
children to come out and “play.” They play the
same game they used to play together as children,
and as a result of the game, Laura finds Simon’s
body and realizes how he died.
Works Cited
Holland-Toll, Linda. As American As Mom,
Baseball, and Apple Pie: Constructing
Community in Contemporary American
Horror Fiction. Bowling Green: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press,
2001. Print.
King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. New York:
Berkley Books, 1981. Print.
The Others. Dir. J. A. Bayona. Perf/ Belen Rueda,
Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep. New Line
Cinema, 2007.