Film Appreciation

  Hailey Spencer   Film Appreciation  FILM 115-IN1 Professor Trevor  October 27th, 2025      Although I'm not a massive fan of the horror film genre, I found it  incredibly interesting to compare a horror film produced before the 1970s to one made after. The two films I chose are  Piranha , which was released in 1995, and The Devil Bat , released in 1940. Although these films were released during different eras, there is one element they have in common as both of these movies prey upon phobias and society's beliefs and associations with certain animals. Piranhas and bats are often associated with death, evil, and bloodlust, especially vampire bats. However, despite both films possessing plots about creatures killing people, there are some noticeable differences between them and the techniques implemented to build tension, create a disturbing atmosphere, and frighten the audience.       One difference between these fil...

   Hailey Spencer   Film Appreciation  FILM 115-IN1 Professor Trevor  October 13th, 2025       One of my favorite Halloween movies to this day is Disney's Hocus Pocus . I will never forget how much I enjoy the Sanderson sisters and their performance by actors Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Their scenes are some of my favorites in the film especially when they perform "I Put a Spell on You" to hypnotize and distract the adults at the Halloween party. Despite watching this film numerous times, I didn't know much about the various special effects it utilizes. I was familiar with the use of some effects like computer generated imagery, but I knew little about the process of creating them as well as some of the practical effects. After watching an episode of VFX Geek, reading an article, and watching a behind the scenes video about the making of the film, I learned more about some of the special effects present in the f...