The Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA
Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa
Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Finland
moderated byAtalia Lopez
Frida Cinema Board Member
The Devil's Backbone— Horror in mind
Program Description
Ever wondered what happens in your brain when you watch a horror movie? In her presentation "Horror in Mind," Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa explores the neurobiology of fear, explaining how filmmakers use techniques like vicarious simulation and unpredictability to create a chilling experience. Uncover the scientific reasons behind our paradoxical love of horror and how it allows us to explore dangerous situations from the comfort of a movie theater.
Presented At
The Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA
Film Synopsis
After Carlos—a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War—arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets that he must uncover.
After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes), and the kindly professor, Casares (Federico Luppi). Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent caretaker, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega). Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
About the Speaker
Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa leads the Human Emotion Systems laboratory at the Turku PET Centre and Department of Psychology, University of Turku in Finland. He earned his PhD in neurocognitive mechanisms of social attention from the University of Turku and conducted postdoctoral research at the MRC CBU in Cambridge, UK. Dr. Nummenmaa has published over 150 scientific articles on the brain basis of emotions and social cognition and his research focuses on the neural mechanisms of human emotions and social interaction using various neuroimaging and behavioral techniques.
Atalia Lopez is an Australian transplant, Letterboxd devotee, and Frida Cinema board member. She teaches classes on the intersection of film, literature, and the urban environment at Chapman University, and is proudly responsible for exposing hundreds of students to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. Atalia completed her undergraduate studies in literature at Chapman University and holds a master’s degree from the University of Oxford. You may also know her as the host of The Frida’s monthly Film Trivia Nights, where she invented the “fourth round stretch.”