Movie audiences seem drawn, almost compelled, toward tales of the horrific and the repulsive. Partly because horror continues to evolve radically—every time the genre is deemed dead, it seems to come up with another twist—it has been one of the most often-dissected genres. Here, author Kendall Phillips selects ten of the most popular and influential horror films—including Dracula, Night of the Living Dead, Halloween, The Silence of the Lambs, and Scream, each of which has become a film landmark and spawned countless imitators, and all having implications that transcend their cinematic influence and achievement. By tracing the production history, contemporary audience response, and lasting cultural influence of each picture, Phillips offers a unique new approach to thinking about the popular attraction to horror films, and the ways in which they reflect both cultural and individual fears. Though stylistically and thematically very different, all of these movies have scared millions of eager moviegoers. This book tries to figure out why.
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"[E]xplores the relationship between 10 classic horror films and the cultures they reflect." -
US States News
Book Description
Examines ten key horror films in an attempt to answer the question of why they remain such a powerful force in American culture.
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More About the Author
Kendall Phillips is professor and chair in the department of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University where he teaches courses in rhetorical theory, film studies and public memory. His work focuses on theories of democratic culture, the rhetoric of film, and aspects of public remembrance. He has published several books including, Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture, Framing Public Memory, and Controversial Cinema: The Films that Outraged America and his essays have appeared in such journals as Communication Monographs, Literature/Film Quarterly, and Philosophy & Rhetoric. In 2008 Phillips was named the Syracuse University Scholar/Teacher of the Year and in 2009 was named the Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Distinguished Faculty Fellow.
He was born and raised in Texas and currently lives in Syracuse, New York with his wife and their soft-coated wheaten terrier.
He was born and raised in Texas and currently lives in Syracuse, New York with his wife and their soft-coated wheaten terrier.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Text Fleshes Out Horror,
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This review is from: Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture (Paperback)
I bought this book to augment my research for a film course I took. This book affords a concise, in-depth examination of the horror film genre and aims to identify its relevance in a historical context, psychological context, and social context. Horror films were long denied by critics as a substantial and intellectual genre worthy of scholarly research, but Kendall R. Phillips proves that they couldn't be more wrong. The films discussed in the text follow a chronological sequence, dating back to the 1920s with The Phantom of the Opera, and goes all the way up to the 90s with Scream.Excellent book for anyone interested in horror films, film history, or with an appreciation for the much broader history of American culture.
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read,
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This review is from: Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture (Hardcover)
A brilliant book - full of concrete examples and interesting history combined with insightful analysis. Intelligent without being "overly academic." A must-read for anyone interested in films, horror, or American cultural history.
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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projected fears, suburban vision, shower murder, continuous world, suburban culture, horror genre, slasher film, horror films Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Texas Chainsaw, The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, Father Karras, Buffalo Bill, The Sixth Sense, Van Helsing, Cold War, Howard Hawks, Captain Hendry, Norman Bates, Blair Witch, Second World War, African American, Alfred Hitchcock, Carpenter's Halloween, Father Merrin, Hitchcock's Psycho, Michael Meyers, United States, First World War, Great Depression, New Right, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Browning's Dracula New!
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
projected fears, suburban vision, shower murder, continuous world, suburban culture, horror genre, slasher film, horror films Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Texas Chainsaw, The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, Father Karras, Buffalo Bill, The Sixth Sense, Van Helsing, Cold War, Howard Hawks, Captain Hendry, Norman Bates, Blair Witch, Second World War, African American, Alfred Hitchcock, Carpenter's Halloween, Father Merrin, Hitchcock's Psycho, Michael Meyers, United States, First World War, Great Depression, New Right, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Browning's Dracula New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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1
book
cites this book:
- Night of the Living Dead by John Russo on 10 pages
- The American Horror Film by Reynold Humphries on 4 pages
- Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero on page 83, page 100, and page 195
- Planks of Reason by Barry Keith Grant in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Companion by Stefan Jaworzyn in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
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