Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewConcise yet also comprehensive, Leeder’s study examines the horror film from its prehistory to its digital future(s), tackling its history, reception contexts, and shifting forms. A delight to read, the book will satisfy newcomers to the horror genre as well as advanced scholars and die-hard fans. * Harry M. Benshoff, Professor of Media Arts, University of North Texas, USA and editor of A Companion to the Horror Film (2014). *
Leeder maps the glorious dark continent of Horror, guiding us through its high metaphic mounatins and low slasher riverbeds, along the way uncovering the hidden treasures of a true art form that, at its most potent, is poetic, emotionally resonant, and quintessentially cinematic. * Stephen Volk, screenwriter of Gothic, Ghostwatch, The Awakening *
Horror Film: A Critical Introduction is an excellent, engagingly written book. It is both an indispensable introduction to one of the most consistently popular and culturally resonant film genres, and a work that brings new and imaginative perspectives, and previously neglected films and case studies, to the centre of debate and discussion within the field of horror film studies. Highly recommended for students, teachers, scholars and fans alike. * Kate Egan, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, Aberystwyth University, UK *
Ambitious and wide-ranging,
Horror Film is a welcome, accessible overview of this most disreputable and delightful of genres. Leeder’s focus is the reader new to studying horror: the fan, the student, the film practitioner looking to ‘gen up’ on genre. With clear, jargon free language, Leeder expertly guides the reader through horror standards including
Dracula and
Night of the Living Dead, while also making space to explore lesser known gems such as
Eyes Without a Face and
Ginger Snaps, smart indie films designed to provoke shock, disgust and dark pleasures. * Alison Peirse, Lecturer in Writing for Screen and Stage, University of York, UK *
The construction of the book and its engagement with horror in such an expansive way, across all areas of research, is ultimately how the book succeeds in its originality ... an incredibly readable guide without jargon and pretentious language. It also works well as potential research or a creative starting point, one that could lead to a new area of exploration for a seasoned horror scholar or filmmaker. -- John Lynskey * Open Screens *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Images Introduction 1: Horror’s Process of Genrification, 1895-1938 2: 1939-1973: Horror and the Crisis of Rationality 3: 1974-Present: High and Low 4: What Is Horror? 5: Mind and Body: The ‘Why?’ of Horror 6: Horror’s Audiences, Critics and Censors 7: Shocking and Spooky Sounds 8: Colours of Fear 9: Digital Horrors Works Cited Index
