Although usually considered the "master of suspense," Alfred Hitchcock relished working humor into his films, frequently juxtaposing it against scenes of utter gruesomeness. This placement of comic elements--comic relief--in an otherwise serious murder mystery or suspense thriller became a Hitchcock trademark early in his career.…

Using Burkean analysis, this essay shows how films about haunted houses can serve as symbolic equipment to help audiences cope with real life problems. (PD)

An argument for increased attention to visual literacy, both as a research topic and in the classroom. (RL)

This study is to explore cinemagraphic and visual elements and their inter-relations through the reinterpretation of previous research and literature. The cinemagraphic elements of visual images (camera angle, camera motion, subject motion, color, and lighting) work as a language requiring a proper grammar for the messages to be conveyed in their…

Using the methods of cultural criticism to analyze the images of Blacks prevalent in American popular culture, this book examines possible connections between the finite and often distorted range of depictions of Blacks, especially prevalent in the mass media, to the treatment that they receive in contemporary society. The book looks at the way…