Immersive horror performance as a site of contested identity and authenticity

Norris, David (2024). Immersive horror performance as a site of contested identity and authenticity. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis addresses the subject of live horror entertainment and commercial scare attractions. It positions these works as a significant component of immersive performance that represents a window into the pre-occupation of the contemporary audience’s preoccupation with identity and authenticity. It brings together scholarship from performance, film, literature, psychology and tourism studies alongside the small existing scholarship on the topic. The thesis argues that identity and authenticity are part of the appeal of performing in scare attractions, creating a form of subculture; that the spectatorship of scare attractions is inherently heterogenous and reflexive; that the spectator is in control of the management of their experience, and they engage in ongoing evaluation of their affective responses as a means of digesting the event at both individual and social levels. This evaluation is determined by several potential factors which are identified in the thesis. It argues that audiences may be manipulated by fear and other forms of affect into a sense of community, or that they may experience a sense of “purity” at events that take place in the body. Finally, I argue that in scare attractions, audiences test their attitude towards mortality not only via perceived threats but via a relationship with the uncanny. It positions immersive horror and other similar commercial events as an important, yet broadly overlooked, site of study within performance studies and argues that it offers a new perspective towards the study of immersive theatre.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):