A Companion to the Horror Film - by Harry M Benshoff (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This cutting-edge collection features original essays by eminent scholars on one of cinema's most dynamic and enduringly popular genres, covering everything from the history of horror movies to the latest critical approaches.

• Contributors include many of the finest academics working in the field, as well as exciting younger scholars
• Varied and comprehensive coverage, from the history of horror to broader issues of censorship, gender, and sexuality
• Covers both English-language and non-English horror film traditions
• Key topics include horror film aesthetics, theoretical approaches, distribution, art house cinema, ethnographic surrealism, and horror's relation to documentary film practice
• A thorough treatment of this dynamic film genre suited to scholars and enthusiasts alike

From the Back Cover

This cutting-edge collection contains 30 original essays on one of cinema's most dynamic and enduringly popular genres. With contributions by many of the best-known scholars of film horror, A Companion to the Horror Film offers a critical survey of the art and practice of horror movies covering everything from craft and technique, historical developments, and modern-day trends, to broader topics opening onto the socio-political dimensions of the genre. The volume begins with essays devoted to the theoretical methodologies used to study the genre, from cognitive and philosophical approaches, through audience reception and psychoanalysis, to those approaches that examine gender, sexuality, race, class, and (dis)ability in relation to the horror film. Subsequent sections cover horror film aesthetics, the history of the genre, and specific subjects including distribution and the relationship between horror, art house movies, and the documentary impulse.

Combining wide-ranging analysis with nuanced commentary, A Companion to the Horror Film synthesizes key concepts related to the genre and presents original research reflecting the latest trends in horror film scholarship. It speaks to fan and scholar alike and will deepen the appreciation of those well-versed in horror film as well as newcomers to the subject.

About the Author

Harry M. Benshoff is Professor of Radio, TV, and Film at the University of North Texas, USA. His research interests include topics in film genre, film history, film theory, and multiculturalism. The author of several books on cinema, he is best known for work that explores sexuality in relation to the horror film, including Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film (1997). He is also co-author of Queer Images: A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in America (2006), and America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies, Second edition (Wiley Blackwell, 2009).