Getting Wet: Rethinking Horror through Oceanic Thinking (html presentation)

Slides and speaking script for the Horror Studies Now: A Two-Day Conference (29-30 May 2025, Northumbria University, UK). This talk aims to introduce oceanic thinking to horror studies. It is part of a forthcoming paper on offshore eldritch horror and the game Still Wakes the Deep. ******* Getting Wet: Oceanic Thinking & Horror Studies Presentation Instructions 📥 Download & Setup Download the presentation files from Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15545445 orhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15540225 Download the zip file: getting_wet_presentation_and_voiceover.zip Unzip the file to a folder on your computer The folder will contain: presentation HTML file, audio files (MP3s), and one video file (MP4) Keep all files together in the same folder - don't move or rename anything Open the presentation: Double-click presentation.html This will open in your web browser Use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari for best compatibility 🎵 Audio Requirements Audio/speakers are required - the presentation includes voiceover narration Test your audio before starting The presentation will control YouTube video audio automatically ▶️ Running the Presentation Click "Start Presentation" when ready A subtitle animation will begin immediately Voiceover starts after 10 seconds - this gives you time to prepare The presentation runs automatically - no clicking needed Total duration: approximately 12 minutes Slides advance automatically based on narration timing Video integration: YouTube videos play automatically when their slides appear Videos should unmute themselves (if they don't, click the speaker icon) On slides with video, voiceover starts after letting the video play briefly 🎮 Optional Controls (for testing/troubleshooting) Arrow keys or spacebar: Navigate slides manually Number keys 1-9: Jump directly to specific slides P key: Play/pause audio Audio controls: Appear in top-right corner when presentation starts 🔧 Troubleshooting If YouTube videos don't play: Make sure you have internet connection Click the play button on the video if needed Click the speaker icon if audio is muted If voiceover doesn't play: Check that all MP3 files are in the same folder as the HTML file Make sure your browser allows audio autoplay (click anywhere on the page first) Check your computer's audio settings If the presentation doesn't advance: Use arrow keys to navigate manually Check browser console (F12) for any error messages 🌊 Presentation Features Animated text effects that emerge like oceanic bubbles Timed visual reveals synchronized with narration Floating theoretical concepts that appear during key moments Smooth transitions between slides with oceanic animations Final contemplative fade into oceanic depths 📱 Technical Notes Internet required for YouTube videos to play Modern browser recommended (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) Full-screen recommended for best visual experience Duration: ~12 minutes total File size: ~50MB (includes audio + video files) For questions or technical issues, contact Victoria Mummelthei This presentation explores oceanic thinking as a theoretical framework for rethinking horror studies, featuring synchronized multimedia elements and interactive oceanic animations. *******Sources from the presentation: The Chinese Room. 2024. Still Wakes the Deep: How a dev’s own claustrophobia inspired the first-person horror, out June 18 [web article]. https://blog.playstation.com/2024/06/17/still-wakes-the-deep-how-a-devs-own-claustrophobia-inspired-the-first-person-horror-out-june-18/ Moss Collective. 2024. Toxic Relationships by Collective Moss [web art/essay]. https://jeudepaume.org/en/palm/palm-toxic-relationships-by-collective-moss/ Ambient. 2024. Still Wakes the Deep Ambience [youtube video]. https://youtu.be/zbr4RPqSESc?si=ASTG3aRpND7oJtJV Ambient. 2024. Still Wakes the Deep Ambience [youtube video]. https://youtu.be/kALSJvYwt5Y?si=6zYyxzxJgGoD5C-e Ambient. 2025. Layers of Fear Ambience [youtube video]. https://youtu.be/QgrEjEGsX_w?si=BeMFgbZlyMBATgK8 Key sources for oceanic thinking, wet ontologies, and more-than-wet ontologies Steinberg, Philip E. & Peters, Kimberley. 2015. Wet Ontologies, Fluid Spaces: Giving Depth to Volume through Oceanic Thinking [journal article]. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/80775838.pdf Steinberg, Philip E. & Peters, Kimberley. 2015. A Wet World: Rethinking Place, Territory, And Time [web article]. Society & Space. https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/a-wet-world-rethinking-place-territory-and-time Peters, Kimberley & Steinberg, Philip E. 2019. The Ocean in Excess: Towards a more-than-wet ontology [journal article]. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/preview/1294428/28428.pdf Neimanis, Astrida. 2013. Bodies of Water: Posthuman Feminist Phenomenology [book chapter]. In: Research Handbook on Body and Water. (Referenced in: https://sshoresite.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/thinking-with-oceans/)