Abjection in Stanley Kubrick’s & Ridley Scott’s films : tracing the roots of horror

Abstract

To the audience, science fiction is often recognized as a genre that delivers different portrayals of the future, serving as warning lights with regards to the usage of science and technology. This essay seeks to explore how horror is evoked through the representation of three key features that are characteristic of these films: technology, ‘utopia’, and the ‘Other’. Through these representations, different aspects of abjection are observed. This leads to a confrontation with anxieties of the period that ultimately draws the focus onto the users, rather than the usage, of science and technology.