Description
The horror genre creates an ideal environment for artists to discuss or comment on the political, economic, social, and cultural effects of colonialism. The symbolism of the supernatural, the creation of a weird or uncanny atmosphere, or general tropes of the genre like haunted houses, blurring the line between dead and alive, or ghosts and otherworldly creatures often used to reflect on historical traumas or conflicts, including the legacy of colonial influence and presence. On the other hand, postcolonialism is present in the horror industry through its thematic and structural relationship with the present film industry of the colonial states, which affects how horror movies are made. These tendencies are visible in the Arab cinema as well, where the horror genre has not been the most popular, artists from Egypt (Blue Elephant), Tunisia (Dachra), and the United Arab Emirates (Djinn) have crafted films that heavily comment on their social history.
The paper aims to present the main tendencies of postcolonialism and reflections on modernity in the evolution of the Arab horror genre with a special focus on the 21st century. After identifying the role of the genre in modern Arab films, the article focuses on the role of postcolonialism in the themes and structures of these films. The research will focus on not just how the colonial past or post-colonial conflicts are represented but how Arab filmmakers are influenced by the artistic tendencies of their former colonial powers. Special emphasis will be put on identifying the effects of the nature of colonialism in the region and various political cultures.
