Freud: The return of the repressed

One of the key themes of John Carpenter's Halloween is the return of psychotic serial killer Michael Myers to the town where he was born. More unthinking monster than man, Myers is driven entirely by instinct, and this instinctual behavior forms a key part of Sigmund Freud's theory of the return of the repressed.

Freud posits that this behavior is made up of three significant events. First, a behavior emerges in an individual , usually a negative one. Second, the behavior is frowned upon by the individual's peers, who attempt to stop, or "repress" it. Third, despite it apparently disappearing, the behavior remains in the individual's subconscious, eventually re-emerging partially. This is the "return", and if left unchecked can result in a total relapse.

To use Halloween and Michael Myers as an example, the emergence is his murder of his sister, Judith, the repression is his imprisonment in the lunatic asylum, and the return is his escape and subsequent murderous rampage. However, the theory can be applied to many horror films where something old and forgotten returns to wreak havoc on the new generation.

Freud's theories can also be used to help us understand why people enjoy horror films in the first place. From an early age, we are taught to overcome our fear of the irrational and supernatural, repressing it so we can function in society. However, fear causes a rush of adrenalin, which stimulates and excites us. This is what encourages us to seek thrills and take risks, because it makes us feel "alive". Horror films encourage us to return to a time when we jumped at shadows and sudden noises, to experience what fear feels like without being in real danger.