Moral panic and film

Abstract

The paper is an attempt to apply the theory of moral panic to public fears provoked by film violence. The aim is to recreate a lively theoretical debate on the influence of media violence on the public and to take a stand that sides with the theoreticians disputing the negative influence of media. A moral campaign against the cinematographic representation of violence is usually launched by the tabloid press which tends to publish partial truths or outright lies about the events that follow the screening of violent movies, followed by selective quotations from survey results. The paper cites the movies that produced the largest campaigns of moral panic against cinematic representations of violence and the responses of directors to these campaigns. Finally, the paper offers an interpretation of moral campaigns, as well as indications as to where the real causes of social violence should be sought.

Keywords

• moral panic
• film
• violence
• tabloids