The Horror Film: An Introduction

A concise and comprehensive survey of the horror genre, now in its second edition What exactly is a horror film? What are the typical settings, characters, and narrative problems that structure and define the genre? What are the psychological functions of horror? How has the form evolved over time? What are its social functions? How is the reception of cinematic horror shaped by historical circumstances? The Horror Film: An Introduction is a lively and reliable survey of the history, development, impact, and interpretation of the genre. Combining historical narrative with close readings of representative titles such as Frankenstein, Halloween, and Bram Stoker's Dracula, this volume explores American horror cinema from its earliest period to the present. Reader-friendly chapters analyze the style, context, and themes of specific horror films while highlighting the different ways horror movies have been received by filmmakers, critics, and general audiences. This updated second edition offers new context for Hollywood horror films in the 1980s and 1990s, discusses the rise of modern filmmakers including Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Jordan Peele, surveys horror films made by women and African American filmmakers, and highlights developments in the genre such as "torture porn," found-footage horror, zombies, remakes of past hits, the "elevated horror" debate, and more. Providing examples of close analysis that can be applied to a wide range of other films in the genre, The Horror Film: An Introduction is an excellent text for undergraduate surveys of the horror genre, other courses in American film history, and a must-read for general readers with an interest in cinematic horror.