Read complete books and articles on: Horror Films

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15 of the Best Books and Articles on: Horror Films

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Horror Films: Current Research on Audience Preferences and Reactions » Read Now
by James B. Weaver III, Ron Tamborini. 206 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
2.

Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture » Read Now
by Kendall R. Phillips. 230 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
3.

Songs of Love and Death: The Classical American Horror Film of the 1930s » Read Now
by Michael Sevastakis. 209 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This book examines eleven horror films in-depth and their relationships to Romantic Gothic literary conventions--mainly, but not solely, found in works dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. To illustrate the use of these conventions in film, Sevastakis analyzes shots from scenes and sequences of...
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This book examines eleven horror films in-depth and their relationships to Romantic Gothic literary conventions--mainly, but not solely, found in works dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. To illustrate the use of these conventions in film, Sevastakis analyzes shots from scenes and sequences of all films discussed. Due to the large quantity of horror films produced during this period, the films in this book have been selected on the basis of their supernatural and preternatural content, and on four conventions predicated on fictional literary models dealing with the villain-hero.
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4.

Psychological Reflections on Cinematic Terror: Jungian Archetypes in Horror Films » Read Now
by James F. Iaccino. 217 pgs.

Collections: Psychology, Entire Library

In this examination of the psychology of terror, Iaccino uses Jungian archetypes to analyze significant works in the horror film genre. In the past, Jungian archetypes have been used to interpret mythologies, to examine great works of literature, and to explain why sexual stereotypes persist in our...
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In this examination of the psychology of terror, Iaccino uses Jungian archetypes to analyze significant works in the horror film genre. In the past, Jungian archetypes have been used to interpret mythologies, to examine great works of literature, and to explain why sexual stereotypes persist in our society. Here, for the first time, Iaccino applies such models as the "Cursed Wanderers," the "Warrior Amazons," the "Random Destroyers," and the "Techno-Myths" to highlight recurrent themes in a wide range of films, from early classics such as Nosferatu to the contemporary Nightmare on Elm Street and Alien series. With this innovative approach, Iaccino gains a new perspective on the psychology of the often powerful compulsion to be scared.
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5.

Recreational Terror: Women and the Pleasures of Horror Film Viewing » Read Now
by Isabel Cristina Pinedo. 177 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

In Recreational Terror, Isabel Cristina Pinedo analyzes how the contemporary horror film produces recreational terror as a pleasurable encounter with violence and danger for female spectators. She challenges the conventional wisdom that violent horror films can only degrade women and incite...
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In Recreational Terror, Isabel Cristina Pinedo analyzes how the contemporary horror film produces recreational terror as a pleasurable encounter with violence and danger for female spectators. She challenges the conventional wisdom that violent horror films can only degrade women and incite violence, and contends instead that the contemporary horror film speaks to the cultural need to express rage and terror in the midst of social upheaval.
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6.

Film, Horror, and the Body Fantastic » Read Now
by Linda Badley. 199 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This fascinating study relates horror film to recent interpretations of the body and the self, drawing from feminist film theory, psychoanalytic theory, cultural criticism and gender studies. Applying the term "horror" broadly, this work includes discussions of black comedy, thrillers, science...
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This fascinating study relates horror film to recent interpretations of the body and the self, drawing from feminist film theory, psychoanalytic theory, cultural criticism and gender studies. Applying the term "horror" broadly, this work includes discussions of black comedy, thrillers, science fiction, and slasher films. Central to this book is the view of horror as a modern iconography and "discourse" of the body. Badley's thought-provoking analysis of films by directors Tim Burton, Tobe Hooper, George Romero, Ridley Scott, Brian De Palma, David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, and Clive Barker, will be of interest to both scholars and students.
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7.

The Naked and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror » Read Now
by Cynthia A. Freeland. 320 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This text examines philosophical aspects of horror films from a feminist perspective. It focuses on a select body of films, demonstrating how the genre is capable of deep philosophical reflection about the existence and the nature of evil.
8.

Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters » Read Now
by Judith Halberstam. 222 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
9.

Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film Adaptations » Read Now
by James Craig Holte. 161 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

One hundred years after his creation by Bram Stoker, Dracula is still fascinating us. This study traces the changing nature of film representations of Dracula, from the early silent adaptations to recent popular dramas. Holte suggests that vampire films and Dracula adaptations have become an...
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One hundred years after his creation by Bram Stoker, Dracula is still fascinating us. This study traces the changing nature of film representations of Dracula, from the early silent adaptations to recent popular dramas. Holte suggests that vampire films and Dracula adaptations have become an independent genre, the dark romance, with its own set of narrative conventions and audience expectations combining horror and eroticism. This engaging study provides readers with a natural history of the vampire, an examination of the work of Bram Stoker, a history and analysis of many film adaptations of Dracula, a survey of contemporary criticism and theory, and an extensive annotated bibliography of vampire film, fiction, and criticism.
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10.

Eros in the Mind's Eye: Sexuality and the Fantastic in Art and Film (Chap. 9 "The Beast Within: Sexuality and Metamorphosis in Horror Films" and Chap. 10 "Fay Wray: Horror Films' First Sex Symbol") » Read Now
by Donald Palumbo. 292 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This lively collection offers a wide-ranging exploration of the erotic and the fantastic in painting, illustration, and frilm. It covers Western art of six centuries--from medieval woodcuts to contemporary poster art--and the cinema of six decades--from horror classics of the 1930s to recent slasher...
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This lively collection offers a wide-ranging exploration of the erotic and the fantastic in painting, illustration, and frilm. It covers Western art of six centuries--from medieval woodcuts to contemporary poster art--and the cinema of six decades--from horror classics of the 1930s to recent slasher films--documenting the surprising variety of guises in which sexuality appears in fantasy art and cinema. Among the subjects treated are occult eroticism in Medieval and Renaissance art; the use of fantasy as a vehicle for depicting erotic subjects in periods of sexual repression; the fascination with unconscious and aberrant sexuality in the visual arts since the publication of Freud's theories; movie monsters and aliens as emblems of the submerged id or libido; and monstrous metamorphosis as a symbol of the changes accompanying puberty.
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11.

Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment (Chap. 7 "When Screen Violence Is Not Attractive") » Read Now
by Jeffrey Goldstein. 276 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

America is fascinated by violence - where it comes from in ourselves, how it spreads through society, and what effect it has on the next generation. This collection of essays examines numerous facets of violence in contemporary American culture, ranging across literature, film, philosophy, religion...
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America is fascinated by violence - where it comes from in ourselves, how it spreads through society, and what effect it has on the next generation. This collection of essays examines numerous facets of violence in contemporary American culture, ranging across literature, film, philosophy, religion, fairy tales, children's play, photojournalism, and sports. In particular, Why We Watch is the first book to offer a careful look at why we are drawn to depictions of violence and why there is a market for violent entertainment.
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12.

Taboo and Transgression in the Bad Seed, the Fly, and Psycho, in Journal of Popular Film and Television » Read Now
by Cynthia A. Freeland. 11 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
13.

The Horror Film in Neoconservative Culture, in Journal of Popular Film and Television » Read Now
by Christopher Sharrett. 11 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
14.

Horror Film: Creating and Marketing Fear » Read Now
by Steffen Hantke. 262 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
15.

Handbook of American Film Genres (Chap. 12 "Horror Film") » Read Now
by Wes D. Gehring. 412 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

"More genres, 19 in fact, are discussed than in other standard works. The 14 genres considered here by film scholar contributors other than Gehring include the adventure film, the western, the gangster film, film noir, the WW II combat film, the horror film, science fiction, fantasy, the musical...
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"More genres, 19 in fact, are discussed than in other standard works. The 14 genres considered here by film scholar contributors other than Gehring include the adventure film, the western, the gangster film, film noir, the WW II combat film, the horror film, science fiction, fantasy, the musical, melodrama, the social problem film, the biographical film, and the art film. The discussion of fine comedy genres by Gehring himself is far more extensive than in other genre studies, embracing screwball comedy, populist comedy, parody, black humor, and clown comedy. . . . Recommended for both undergraduate and graduate collections." Choice
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