Author: Katherine Purvin

On Dragons and Ideals: An Examination of the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Franchise and the Aspects of Ideology

Published by Katherine Purvin

Film theory is a subject made fascinating by its layers; for what the methods of analysis reveal about the film to which they are applied. A film—as with any other form of media—can be viewed from multiple angles based on one’s perspective and learning, and with each refraction that results another layer to the film is peeled away, leading to greater understanding of the film as a whole. In some cases, the film in question is not a film, but a series, and the layers that are revealed have layers of their own, and the interactions between concept and film become a microcosm of a larger picture, even as they themselves are created of supporting threads. This in turn allows for surprising depth in the most unlikely of films and film franchises, such as the one examined within this paper. After all, who would expect a beloved animated franchise such as DreamWorks’s How To Train Your Dragon—inspired by Cressida Cowell’s twelve-volume children’s series of the same name—to reflect the concepts of ideology, cultural hegemony, and …

Katherine Purvin is currently a Cinema Studies major a Oakland University, and hopes to someday work in the film industry as an animator. She can often be found at meetings of the Oakland University Filmmaker's Guild.

What Lies Within: The Grotesque in Early Horror and the Fear of the Other Side of Humanity

Published by Katherine Purvin

Given the nature and form of the modern horror film, such antique fare as Frankenstein, The Island of Lost Souls, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fail to invoke the same reactions as they once did—in fact, they seem quite every day in comparison. And yet, these films once held captive the minds of audiences around the country and stood boldly in the face of a censor board who were utterly appalled by the monsters at their door. While it is true that for a time they managed to tame the beasts, it seems rather strange to the modern viewer that such an act was even needed—and yet, there was clearly something about these films that flew in the face of everything that the Production Code deemed lawful and good. Skimming through the production notes of a long-lost era offers clues as to what warning signs each film bore: usually, fear of the film being too frightful or grotesque, or scenes that were deemed too violent or sexual—or, as the case may be, profane by …

Katherine Purvin is currently a Cinema Studies major a Oakland University, and hopes to someday work in the film industry as an animator. She can often be found at meetings of the Oakland University Filmmaker's Guild.