In the Space of "Shadows": Scenarios of Hero’s Formation in American Horror Cinema
The article analyzes the most relevant archetypal scenarios of formation of a Hero's image in the mythical spaces of American horror cinema. It reveals the ideological features of the layout and visualization of the plots of social and political myths, which are built around the typical Hollywood images of the «Shadow» archetype and their social chronotopes. The article suggests testing psychoanalytic, comparative and semiotic analyses, which allow us to explore the artistic experience of reflection on the archetype of «Shadow» in the context of the American horror film tradition. Based on the analysis of the role of fear in human life and society, the artistic boundaries of the use of this emotion in the genre of American horror films are established. Numinous experiences point to the presence of archetypal foundations in Hollywood horror movies. The mystery and uncertainty of frightening images and symbols in Hollywood horror culture determine the authors' appeal to the archetype of «Shadow», the viewer's experience of the symbols which allows you to look beyond the boundaries of individual experience and immerse oneself in the collective unconscious. Hollywood reflection on the archetype of «Shadow» is carried out within the framework of the analysis of the dialectical interaction of the Hero and the Antihero. Based on the analysis of masterpieces of this genre, conditions are created for understanding the essence of social and political myths, as well as the ideological mechanisms of their translation. The findings of the study can be used for cultural and art criticism analysis of the leading trends of modern mass culture as well as for hermeneutical and phenomenological examination of works of modern visual culture.