Projections: Death Scenes in Cinema with Mary Wild, Begins January 18
5-Week Class Taught Online via Zoom
Sundays, January 18 - February 15, 2026
2 pm - 4 pm EST (NYC Time)
$125 Paid Patreon Members / $100 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
Embark on a reflective journey by exploring death scenes in sixty movies across various categories and genres. While death scenes in cinema can evoke fear, sadness, or grief, they also provide a powerful means for catharsis and emotional processing. By allowing us to confront death in a fictional context, films help us to deal with unconscious concerns about mortality and life’s transience in a symbolic and safe manner. These scenes can be life-affirming by highlighting the value of our existence, encouraging reflection on meaning, and reinforcing the idea that death is part of the natural life cycle. In doing so, cinema can foster a deeper appreciation for life, making death not merely a source of anxiety, but also a catalyst for personal growth, emotional release, and existential contemplation. The aim is not a comprehensive resolution of all sixty movies, but rather to access top line textures and study the aesthetic representations of death in cinema.
The content will be divided into 20 categories, including Death Rituals (The Wicker Man), Doomed Romances (Bonnie and Clyde), Surreal Departures (Eraserhead), Cosmic Horror (Event Horizon), Deadly Performance (Suspiria), Time Loops (Groundhog Day), Female Subjectivity (The Love Witch), Persistence of Death (A Ghost Story), and concluding in an examination of the Sublime Exit (Melancholia).
Mary Wild @psycstar is a prominent figure in the field of film studies, particularly known for her work on psychoanalysis and cinema. Mary contributes to the Evolution of Horror Podcast and hosts a podcast on patreon.com/marywild
5-Week Class Taught Online via Zoom
Sundays, January 18 - February 15, 2026
2 pm - 4 pm EST (NYC Time)
$125 Paid Patreon Members / $100 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
Embark on a reflective journey by exploring death scenes in sixty movies across various categories and genres. While death scenes in cinema can evoke fear, sadness, or grief, they also provide a powerful means for catharsis and emotional processing. By allowing us to confront death in a fictional context, films help us to deal with unconscious concerns about mortality and life’s transience in a symbolic and safe manner. These scenes can be life-affirming by highlighting the value of our existence, encouraging reflection on meaning, and reinforcing the idea that death is part of the natural life cycle. In doing so, cinema can foster a deeper appreciation for life, making death not merely a source of anxiety, but also a catalyst for personal growth, emotional release, and existential contemplation. The aim is not a comprehensive resolution of all sixty movies, but rather to access top line textures and study the aesthetic representations of death in cinema.
The content will be divided into 20 categories, including Death Rituals (The Wicker Man), Doomed Romances (Bonnie and Clyde), Surreal Departures (Eraserhead), Cosmic Horror (Event Horizon), Deadly Performance (Suspiria), Time Loops (Groundhog Day), Female Subjectivity (The Love Witch), Persistence of Death (A Ghost Story), and concluding in an examination of the Sublime Exit (Melancholia).
Mary Wild @psycstar is a prominent figure in the field of film studies, particularly known for her work on psychoanalysis and cinema. Mary contributes to the Evolution of Horror Podcast and hosts a podcast on patreon.com/marywild
5-Week Class Taught Online via Zoom
Sundays, January 18 - February 15, 2026
2 pm - 4 pm EST (NYC Time)
$125 Paid Patreon Members / $100 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
Embark on a reflective journey by exploring death scenes in sixty movies across various categories and genres. While death scenes in cinema can evoke fear, sadness, or grief, they also provide a powerful means for catharsis and emotional processing. By allowing us to confront death in a fictional context, films help us to deal with unconscious concerns about mortality and life’s transience in a symbolic and safe manner. These scenes can be life-affirming by highlighting the value of our existence, encouraging reflection on meaning, and reinforcing the idea that death is part of the natural life cycle. In doing so, cinema can foster a deeper appreciation for life, making death not merely a source of anxiety, but also a catalyst for personal growth, emotional release, and existential contemplation. The aim is not a comprehensive resolution of all sixty movies, but rather to access top line textures and study the aesthetic representations of death in cinema.
The content will be divided into 20 categories, including Death Rituals (The Wicker Man), Doomed Romances (Bonnie and Clyde), Surreal Departures (Eraserhead), Cosmic Horror (Event Horizon), Deadly Performance (Suspiria), Time Loops (Groundhog Day), Female Subjectivity (The Love Witch), Persistence of Death (A Ghost Story), and concluding in an examination of the Sublime Exit (Melancholia).
Mary Wild @psycstar is a prominent figure in the field of film studies, particularly known for her work on psychoanalysis and cinema. Mary contributes to the Evolution of Horror Podcast and hosts a podcast on patreon.com/marywild