Audience TheoryBebe Henderson

Uses and Gratifications Theory

An active audience meaning the power lies with the audience, not with producers. Emphasises what the audience do with the text. They are free to reject, use or play with the

meaning. Audiences’ could use it for; diversion, escapism, information, pleasure, comparing

relationships, lifestyles and sexual stimulation. In relation to Slasher films, people would watch these at

home or in the cinema purely for their own enjoyment. They will get an adrenaline rush and a sense of excitement, i.e.

watching Slasher films for pleasure.

Globalisation Theory

Globalisation is the spread and connectedness of production, communication and technologies across the

world, i.e. the coming together of ideas and beliefs because of communication, technology and media texts.

When looking at Globalisation and Slasher films, we are quite aware that Horror is a world wide genre and all most every country in the world can get access to some sort of Slasher

film making a lot of Slasher films homogenous (all the same).

Cultivation Theory

The Cultivation theory is all about how the film (or television) industries ‘change the viewers brains’, therefore it is a

passive audience. In some cases, the audience may be led to believe that what happens in these films occurs in reality.

An example of this in relation to Slasher films is walking alone in the woods. As this has been used a lot in a wide variety of

films, it is now seen as unsafe to do so.