Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950s [Paperback]

Mark Jancovich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

This re-assessment of 1950s American horror films relates them to the cultural debates of the period and to other examples of the horror genre: novels and comics. Through close analysis of a wide range of films such as "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "Creature of the Black Lagoon" Mark Jancovich argues that horror films of the 1950s developed a critique of conservatism, conformity, mass society and masculinity. In addition, he claims that while many critics have seen contemporary horror as the product of a "break" with that of the 1950s, most of the key elements within recent horror films and novels were actually established during this time.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Horror film is an increasingly visible topic of research, as demonstrated by these two books, which attempt to balance textual analysis and historical inquiry with different degrees of success. Jancovich (Horror, Trafalgar Square, 1994) targets the 1950s in his scholarly treatment of titles like The Thing from Another World, The Day the Earth Stood Still, It Came from Outer Space, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Refuting the usual interpretation that such films display Cold War paranoia, he shows how American 1950s horror cinema offered a critique of consumer culture, masculinity, and scientific rationality. His insightful reassessment links 1950s horror cinema to novels and comics and concludes with a section on how films of the period established conventions and themes that would be revisited by Hollywood during the Reagan years. A good addition for most film collections. Senn's filmography of 1930s horror cinema is simultaneously less scholarly than Jancovich and more dubious in its final effect. Golden Horrors contains entries for 46 films, with each entry divided into sections on memorable moments, assets, liabilities, reviews, and production notes. Synopses occupy too much space, and Senn's evaluations comprise a bland mix of fannish enthusiasm and low-level film analysis. His samples from contemporary reviews are illuminating but too often limited to Variety and the New York Times. His production notes are always informative, however. Additional depth would be welcome, especially in one of the appendixes, which supplies more than 50 pages in minuscule type of borderline horrors, rare films, and foreign titles. While Senn (Fantastic Cinema, McFarland, 1992) undoubtedly knows his topic, it is doubtful that the publisher packaged his knowledge in a manner that will benefit any library.?Neal Baker, Dickinson Coll. Lib., Carlisle, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Manchester Univ Pr (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719036240
• ISBN-13: 978-0719036248
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sociological/Anthropological View of Trash Film, April 9, 2001

By 

James H. Hicks (JMU, Harrisonburg, Va) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950s (Paperback)

This book does an excellent job of providing a framework for horror/sci fi "films" of the 1950s. The author postulates that these films are inicitive of Fordist society and integration vs. outsiders in the culture at the time. His use of films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still and Creature from the Black Lagoon is very interesting, although this book, both in paperback and hardcover, is a little expensive. Overall, it is worth the money.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same Old, Same Old, With Few Surprises, January 4, 2003

By 

Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950s (Paperback)

Yet another in a seemingly endless procession by academics seeking to fit horror films into some sort of Film Theory niche. In this case they play the 'id' to the Fordist (i.e. Henry Ford) 'superego' of society. The book is almost redeemed by the chapters on the writings of Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont and Robert Bloch, three masters of horror/sci-fi whose works have been largely forgotten by the mainsteam culture. But is it enough to spend the money for this book? Depends on how much of a collector/scholar one happens to be. That and the size of the wallet.

For those who want to experience the joy of these sort of films, I would rather recommend the works of David J. Skal, Bill Warren, and Michael J. Weldon, all of whose works can be purchased on this site.