Nightmares in red, white and blue : the evolution of the American horror film / Joseph Maddrey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Maddrey, Joseph, 1979-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horror films--United States--History and criticism.

Horror films.

United States.

Physical Description:

vi, 201 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, [2004]

Summary:

What's weighing on Americans? Look to horror movies for your answer -- they're one of the best measures of the American consciousness. From an early fascination with the Gothic, to the mutant horrors of the Atomic Age and alien enemies of the Cold War, to the inner demons of the psyche and the American Dream turned nightmare, the history of American horror films is a reflection of changing attitudes and values -- and the fears that accompany them. This survey of the pivotal horror films produced in America examines the history of the genre as a reflection of cultural changes in the United States. It explores the origins of the genre and follows it to the present, using various films to document the evolution of Hollywood horror flicks and illustrate their cultural significance. A second part focuses on eight directors whose personal visions helped shape the genre -- from early pioneers like Tod Browning and Alfred Hitchcock to modern masters like John Carpenter and Wes Craven.

Contents:

Part I American Gothic in Film 3

1. You Must Become Caligari: German Expressionism and the Origins of Film Gothic 7

2. A New World of Gods and Monsters: Hollywood Studio Horrors of the 1930s 11

3. Shadow Play: Hitchcock, Film Noir and the Val Lewton Cycle 21

4. Bad Kids, Big Bugs, Body Snatchers and the Bomb 30

5. The Monster Is Madness: Castle, Corman and California Gothic 39

6. Apocalypse America: The Modern Horror Film 48

7. What the Fifty Foot Woman Did to the Incredible Shrinking Man 57

8. Selling the American Dream: The Postmodern Horror Film (Part I) 68

9. Old Monsters, New Flesh: The Postmodern Horror Film (Part II) 78

10. Reality Bites: The New American Film Gothic 87

Part II Auteurs 95

11. Tod Browning: Sideshows 97

12. Alfred Hitchcock: Noir Town 104

13. Roger Corman: Counterculture and Creature Features 112

14. George A. Romero: The Fall of Camelot 122

15. John Carpenter: Space-Age Cowboys 131

16. Larry Cohen: Outside in America 141

17. David Lynch: American Beauty? 151

18. Wes Craven: The New Myths 162.

Notes:

Includes filmography (pages 173-182).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-191) and index.

ISBN:

0786418605

OCLC:

54694605