Framing Anxiety. Intermedial Techniques of the Uncanny

The article deals with techniques of the uncanny that are used in horror films, especially in movies that show frames within the image frame and particularly frames of television sets. The author situates the concrete device of framing in the context of medial technology and intermediality, not least the mediality of the television, its representation in movies and the resultant uncanny aspects. Distinctions are then made between the uncanny and anxiety with regard to the effects of framing, especially in relation to the specific status of a framed gaze. The author uses examples from Japanese and US-American horror films.¹