Interview with Dr Tom Watson

Here is my interview with Dr Tom Watson from my newsletter last month, to get exclusive access to these early - ensure you subscribe to my newsletter!

Absolutely thrilled to interview, Dr Tom Watson, an amazing academic and lecturer, as well as a great friend! Thank you so much for taking part!

Can you tell us what type of horror you’re interested in and how it has maintained your interest?

My personal tastes in horror cinema have definitely changed over the years, largely through exposure to different types of cinema and also the influences I have picked up alongside my studies at university. I have been lucky enough to have been taught/ supervised by some really influential and interesting people, whose specialisms in horror have definitely shaped my own. For example, whilst completing my MA thesis, I was heavily interested in the cinema of Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke and his misanthropic take on life, relationships and violence. His early films still stay with me as some of the most affecting horror I have seen, although they would not necessarily be placed in the horror genre in any straight-forward way. I would say at the moment, and this has informed a lot of my recent work, I am most interested in ‘extreme’ horror, or rather horror that pushes against or breaks the boundaries of acceptability. I am interested in transgressive culture more broadly, so films that challenge boundaries of taste and propriety tend to interest me in terms of how they either justify such transgressions, or the ways in which they court controversy. I am also interested in horror cinema as a means of engaging with radical politics and subcultures, especially the intersections between punk and horror(independent horror cinema seems to come from the same spirit as punk in a lot of ways, so I am interested in that relationship).

What is your opinion on extreme violence in horror? How far is too far?

I suppose the term ‘extremity’, which is often attached to a lot of violent horror cinema with arthouse/ avant-garde inflections, is one I approach rather cautiously as it is a relative term that perhaps ignores why some ‘extreme’ films are interesting (or rather lumps them together under the ‘extremity’ label, which is not always useful). For example, what is considered ‘extreme’ at one point, or in certain contexts, may not be framed in the same way at a later date or somewhere else. That being said, I am really interested in how violence is represented in cinema and the formal processes involved in amplifying violent content. My doctoral research was focused on the ways editorial choices impacted on representational violence, becoming a form of violent practice in its own right. I think extreme violence definitely has a place and is an important means through which a person can test their own thresholds and boundaries (doing so within the safe space of cinema). A few years ago, myself and colleagues from different UK universities compiled an edited collection on the cultural mythology of snuff films, dealing with representations of real death within constructed fictions, pseudo-snuff films and also death films (compilations of atrocity footage and imagery from suicides, warzones and executions). Researching this subject definitely took me to some of the darker sides of representation, where certain grey areas were presented in terms of ethics and morality (both from the perspectives of why these films were being made, but also justifying my own viewing as ‘research’). Ultimately, I think my own sense of ‘going too far’ would perhaps be the salacious representation of child murder, genuine sexual violence and abuse and scenes of animal cruelty (the latter being part of certain sub-genres of horror cinema).

What do you think is next for extreme horror?

Personally, I think there is perhaps a lull in extreme horror cinema at the moment. We go through periods of time where there will be a sudden burst of activity that gets framed as ‘extreme’. The New Brutalism of the early 90s or the New French Extremity/ Extreme European cinema of the early 2000s come to mind here as obvious examples that have been covered in academic discourse. What tends to get overlooked and left out of these discussions is the independent cinema that can push the boundaries of extremity and transgress social norms. There is a lack of compromise felt here because these films can be released unrated, they might be streamed online in fan forums etc. or filmmakers themselves will provide copies upon request. This is what interests me, that sense of extremity emerging from the underground. I think we are seeing a lot of cinema that deals with contemporary identity politics and problematic ways in which such politics are framed in the era of #MeToo and #Timesup. I would anticipate ‘extreme’ cinema shifting into these areas and dealing with some of these timely issues, either in progressive or reactionary ways.

You’re also a true crime fan (like me)! I know you’ve written quite a bit on the topic. I was wondering if you had a particular case that you found particularly haunting? Why and how has this impacted your work?

The case that I have been the most observant of, and I guess a little obsessed with over the years, is that of the West Memphis Three. Essentially, three teenagers were arrested, tried and convicted of triple child murder in West Memphis, Arkansas in the early 1990s. The teenagers were sentenced to life imprisonment, with the so-called ringleader of the group sentenced to die by means of lethal injection. The case was covered by the documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky in their film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robinhood Hills, and the development of the case and the impact of this initial documentary was covered in the sequels Paradise Lost: Revelations and Paradise Lost: Purgatory. There is also a documentary by Amy Berg called West of Memphis that also covers the initial case proceedings and various developments. In terms of the case being particularly haunting, I will never be able to forget seeing the forensic footage of the three young boys as their bodies are found in a West Memphis swamp (the intensity of that footage has certainly had an impact). In terms of my work, I am interested in the way this case was framed by media and the role the media has had in shaping the reality of the case. The Paradise Lost trilogy essentially documents a case in progress, and also documents its own position as evidence that has had a palpable effect on the case itself. As this was prior to social media and programmes like Making a Murderer on Netflix that are able to garner widespread public concern and generate debate, I really think the Paradise Lost films hold a key influence in the waves of True Crime documentary media we see today. Joe Berlinger recently directed The Ted Bundy Tapes for example, so there is definitely a lineage there.

Lastly, I know this will be a hard one for you, (so, I’m sorry in advance 😂); what are your top 3 horror films, TV and books...?

Yeah, these types of questions are always difficult because my answer could literally change on a daily basis! So today, I think I will go with the following choices (and I immediately regret not having included John Carpenter’s The Thing and True Detective in here): Horror Films1) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980): This is the film I have definitely viewed the most and still find it really fresh and engaging. I had a VHS copy of the film that had Vivian Kubrick’s making of documentary on it and went through a period of watching it almost religiously every Friday night (kind of like my own cult midnight movie curation). The film is near perfection in my opinion, from the spatial confusion of the Overlook Hotel down to the unnerving Wendy Carlos score. Never bettered for me personally. 2) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974): I remember seeing this film soon after the BBFC had lifted its ban and the film was released on home video. I remember seeing the poster for this movie in Forbidden Planet with the image of Leatherface and the tagline ‘Who will survive and what will be left of them?’ – I was hooked immediately. Having re-watched the film recently, the sound is so unnerving and powerful that I can understand all of the concerns around the dark tone of the film in the absence of any real graphic violence – a masterpiece for my money. 3) Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983): I have more editions of this film than any other. I have UK quad posters, US one-sheets, front of house stills and various other ephemera relating to this film. I was really into Baudrillard and hyperreality when I watched this for the first time and it just clicked into place. A really interesting film and a really interesting meditation on violent imagery. The practical effects are also amazing. Television Shows 1) Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004): an utterly amazing parody hybrid of horror, splatter-punk fiction, sci-fi and 80s situation drama with amazing characters and endlessly quotable lines of dialogue. It only ran for one series, but it is truly amazing and definitely worth a watch.2) Peepshow (2003 – 2015): Amazing comedy series with characters I worryingly identify with the most. 3) Twin Peaks (1990 – 1991, 2017): I still don’t know what to make of Twin Peaks but still find myself repeatedly revisiting the show and trying to decipherthe imagery, narrative arcs and underlying mystery. Books1) American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis, 1991): I remember reading this book following the release of Mary Harron’s film and being utterly enthralled by the vacuity of the violence and degradation described in the novel, and how ultimately it was all surface and façade without depth and motivation. I absolutely love the film too. 2) Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground (1981 – 1991) (Michael Azerrad, 2001): This book is a great history of the American indie/ punk scene(s) spanning the decade of the book’s title. It details the key releases and respective histories of some of my all-time favourite bands including Black Flag, Minor Threat, Big Black, The Replacements, and Fugazi. 3) Ask the Dust (John Fante, 1939): Just an amazing book from a really overlooked American author.

So, so interesting to hear your perspective and I am so intrigued by how our interests feed our research and work and how this all fits in. Thanks so much again, Tom!