Pyschoanalytical Interpretation of the Effects of Horror Tales on Children

In this BA Thesis, I examine whether the frightening and dark tales are for children, namely, two of Tim Burton’s films Alice in Wonderland (Burton, 2010) and Corpse Bride (Burton, 2005). Since some American parents do not consider Burton’s films as something they would show their children, however, in my opinion, Burton’s films have artistic elements which can have a really good impact on the develop and the perspective of children. The rarer the topic is, the bigger the preference of Burton to make a film of that topic. He likes films in which the main characters are misunderstood and isolated as he was one too when he was a child, this is why he speaks through his films to children who no one understands. In summary, the aim of my Thesis is to demonstrate that horror tales are not only for adults and young adults but children as well. With this statement, I am not alone, and I try to prove that with the help of Bettelheim and several other psychologists and university teachers who say that children should know even the darkest and the evilest characters along with the explicit tales for different therapeutical purposes. Altogether, I have come to the conclusion that ‘horror’ tales are for children as well and overprotective parents do not have a reason to fear them.