Abstract
The social, historical and industrial constructions of monstrosity have become key objects of discussion for film and videogame scholars alike. Monstrous figures often expose the paradoxes surrounding physicality (Carroll, 1990), whilst their ‘degraded’ bodies also betray the socio-economic constraints underpinning monstrous marginality (Wood, 1986). Equally, monsters and their intended prey also pose challenging issues of cross-media identification for (cinematic) viewers and (videogame) players (Clover [1990], Švelch [2023]).
This paper investigates transgressive remediations of film and videogame monstrosity through the consideration of two case-studies. The first derives from the horror film franchise The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), focussed on the unstoppable killer Leatherface. The second case-study is adapted from the Sony PlayStation videogame franchise Twisted Metal (1995-2023), dominated by the flaming haired maniacal ice-cream van clown, Sweet Tooth. Despite their origins across differing media platforms, this paper charts a series of connections between the two transgressive characters, noting the emergence of interchangeable sets of physiological and personality traits, as well as comparable family conflicts and emergent companion figures that further function to confound the barriers between normality and transgression. Additionally, the role of the mask as a key characteristic of both figures will be assessed as “a symbol of chaos and breakdown of social order, a denial of the “open face” of human exchange” (Sharrett, 1984).
By assessing modes of media switching from film/TV to game (Leatherface) and game to film/TV (Sweet Tooth) the paper will indicate the transgressive potentials these case-studies offer for monstrous adaptations across film and videogame formats (Lukas, 2008). It will also consider the industrial factors behind these transmedia mediations, utilising primary interview data with videogame creators associated with such videogame formats.
This paper investigates transgressive remediations of film and videogame monstrosity through the consideration of two case-studies. The first derives from the horror film franchise The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), focussed on the unstoppable killer Leatherface. The second case-study is adapted from the Sony PlayStation videogame franchise Twisted Metal (1995-2023), dominated by the flaming haired maniacal ice-cream van clown, Sweet Tooth. Despite their origins across differing media platforms, this paper charts a series of connections between the two transgressive characters, noting the emergence of interchangeable sets of physiological and personality traits, as well as comparable family conflicts and emergent companion figures that further function to confound the barriers between normality and transgression. Additionally, the role of the mask as a key characteristic of both figures will be assessed as “a symbol of chaos and breakdown of social order, a denial of the “open face” of human exchange” (Sharrett, 1984).
By assessing modes of media switching from film/TV to game (Leatherface) and game to film/TV (Sweet Tooth) the paper will indicate the transgressive potentials these case-studies offer for monstrous adaptations across film and videogame formats (Lukas, 2008). It will also consider the industrial factors behind these transmedia mediations, utilising primary interview data with videogame creators associated with such videogame formats.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published (VoR) - 17 Jun 2025 |