Description
Book SynopsisThis book argues that Halloween need not be the first nor the most influential youth slasher film for it to hold a special place in the history of youth cinema.
John Carpenterâs 1978 horror hit was once considered the be-all, end-all of teen slasher cinema and was regarded as the first, the best, and the most influential American slasher film. Recent revisions in film history, however, have challenged Halloweenâs comfortable place in the canon of youth horror cinema. However, this book argues that the film, like no other, draws from the themes, imagery, and obsessions that fueled youth horror cinema since the 1950sâGothic atmosphere, atomic dread, twisted psychology, and alienated teenage monstersâand ties them together in the deceptively simple story of a masked killer on Halloween night. Along the way, the film delivers a savage critique of social institutions and their failure to protect young people. Halloween also depicts a cadre of compelling
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: I Was A Teenage Psycho Killer: Halloween and the History of Youth Horror Cinema
Chapter 2: Familial and Societal Failure: Reading Youth and Ideology in Halloween
Chapter 3: A Triptych of Youth: Teenagers, Preadolescents, and Young Adults in Halloween
Chapter 4: The Mise en Abyme of Youth: The Halloween Franchise
