The Phantasmagoria

What was the Phantasmagoria?  After reading this article, write a reflection on what elements of the Phantasmagoria became adopted into the development of movies.

    The Phantasmagoria is a type of horror spectacle akin to modern day haunted houses. It incorporates science, illusions, and tricks to scare audiences. One major centerpiece is the magic lantern as they use it to create projections of demons and monsters, which were considered much scarier then as more people were religious. Some elements that became adopted into the development of movies are the specific lighting choices, foreshadowing, and immersing the audience. One of the elements of Phantasmagoria was the use of dim and dark lighting; which (1) helps make the projections more visible, (2) added to the atmosphere, and (3) triggered the natural fear response that humans have to darkness. Purposeful lighting is a big part of cinema and the use of darkness for the same reasons are present in a lot of horror films. Another aspect is the use of foreshadowing. In the Phantasmagoria, the idea that the host could have the ability to interact with the dead and even revive them by showing a demonstration of making a dead frog move with electric shocks. Of course, the audience don't know that and think that he has powers or witchcraft. This makes the climax of the Phantasmagoria that much more terrifying as they have the idea planted that the impossible could happen. This is important in movies as foreshadowing important details can create a satisfying moment of realization or to plant ideas into the audience's head. This goes into the immersion, which is very important for the Phantasmagoria to work. People are most scared of the unknown and if they knew the technical aspects and science behind the elements of the Phantasmagoria, they wouldn't be so scared because they know it's not real. That's why it's so important to keep the immersion. This is also key in movies as breaking the immersion can ruin the entire experience. This could happen with things such as continuity errors, undeserved plot twists or jump scares, and/or failing to properly set up the audience's suspension of disbelief.