Gothic Influences in Film

As my knowledge of the Gothic has expanded, I have started seeing certain influences which have been carried over into the cinema of today and of recent decades.

The first film that comes to mind is The Dark Crystal, a 1982 film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz (yes, the same as The Muppets). Of course, it’s darker than The Muppets, and a lot weirder in its storyline and characters.

In fact, Frank Oz stated in 2007 that Jim Henson’s vision when creating The Dark Crystal was to bring back darkness and fear into children’s stories. He said of Henson that “he thought it was fine to scare children. He didn't think it was healthy for children to always feel safe." A notable influence for this was the stories written by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1812, which are known for their dark plots and even darker implications. 

On top of these influences, which closely link the writing of The Dark Crystal to gothic influences, there are also numerous tropes of Gothic literature that can be found throughout the film itself. Some examples include (but are not limited to):

• Melodrama: as two halves of a whole, the Mystics are good, while the Skeksis are pure evil. This theme is common in Gothic literature and The Dark Crystal is built upon it.
• Ancient prophecies: many examples of Gothic literature incorporate prophecies which the hero must fulfil. A prophecy which Jen and Kira find in The Dark Crystal determines their final actions, putting them in further danger.
• Dark settings: despite there being many scenes in the open in The Dark Crystal, there are also scenes in which the main characters find themselves in dark spaces such as caves and inside the Skeksis’ castle, which resembles a twisted Gothic cathedral.