Frame by Frame: Exploring Film Through Horror (Part 2)
Registration is open!
Students may not register themselves for this course. Parental registration is required. Parents and guardians, please note the rating of each film below to determine if this course will be appropriate for your child before registering. This course is for high school students who will be at least 16 years of age at the start of the course. Several of the films that will be screened contain violence and suggestive subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Grades: 10th—12th (Ages 16+)*
*This course is for high school students who will be at least 16 years old at the start of the course.
Time: 6:30–9:30 PM
Dates: October 17–December 12, 2025
Session Length: 6 Classes. One Day/Week, Fridays
Cost: $300
Camp and Course Policies at the Lab
Email registrar@burnsfilmcenter.org to receive scholarship information
Frame by Frame: Exploring Film Through Horror (Part 2)
Back by popular demand – and now after dark! This introductory cinema studies course for high school students continues our exploration of the horror genre, with screenings and discussions at a spookier time of night. Each week will focus on a different subgenre: psychological, supernatural, creature feature, slasher, international analog, and horror-comedy/satire. Students will be able to identify how horror reflects societal anxieties while pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.
Students will view six films: Black Swan, The Sixth Sense, The Thing, Thanksgiving, Skinamarink, and Scream.
Students may not register themselves for this course. Parental registration is required. Parents and guardians, please note the rating of each film below to determine if this course will be appropriate for your child before registering. This course is for high school students who will be at least 16 years of age at the start of the course. Several of the films that will be screened contain violence and suggestive subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences.
10/17 – Black Swan (Psychological Horror) (R) – 2010
10/24 – The Sixth Sense (Supernatural Horror) (PG-13) – 1999
10/31 – NO CLASS
11/7 – The Thing (Creature Feature) (R) – 1982
11/14 – NO CLASS
11/21 – Thanksgiving (Slasher Horror) (R) – 2023
11/28 – NO CLASS
12/5 – Skinamarink (Analog Horror) (Not Rated) – 2022
12/12 – Scream (Horror-Comedy/Satire) (R) – 1996

Instructor
Detroit Hamell, M.A.
Detroit Hamell earned a Master’s Degree in Cinema Studies from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and his Bachelor’s Degree in Film Studies from Pace University in Manhattan. He plans to pursue a doctorate in Cinema Studies. His journey with cinema began at the Jacob Burns Media Arts Lab in 4th grade, where he cultivated his passion for storytelling and filmmaking. Since 2018, he has worked as a teaching assistant at the Media Arts Lab, inspiring young students to explore the fundamentals and joys of filmmaking. Detroit’s work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Jacob Burns New Lens Award, Best Director and Best Picture at NYLIFF, and Best Director at the Revolution Me Film Festival. He is also a published poet, a collection of which was honored by the Sarah Willis Award.
CampDoc
We are excited to partner with CampDoc, a third party program we will be using to collect and consolidate student registration information in order to streamline the registration process, and enhance the parent and guardian experience while your child is participating in our program(s). CampDoc will give parents and guardians full access to their own participant portal which they can log into at any time to view course details and information, and previously submitted documents.
Once a course has been purchased on the JBFC website, an email from CampDoc will follow within a few days with instructions on how to create a CampDoc account (if you do not have one already) and submit additional required registration information, such as an updated immunization record, a list of allergies, names of individuals who are authorized to pick your child up, doctor and insurance information, etc., and the deadlines by which this information must be received. We look forward to seeing your child this year.