Our old monsters : witches, werewolves and vampires from medieval theology to horror cinema / Brenda S. Gardenour Walter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gardenour Walter, Brenda S., 1971- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horror films--History and criticism.

Horror films.

Monsters in motion pictures.

Monsters--History.

Monsters.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (251 p.)

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The witch, the vampire and the werewolf endure in modern horror. These ""old monsters"" have their origins in Aristotle as studied in the universities of medieval Europe, where Christian scholars reconciled works of natural philosophy and medicine with theological precepts. They codified divine perfection as warm, light, male and associated with the ethereal world beyond the moon, while evil imperfection was cold, dark, female and bound to the corrupt world below the moon. All who did not conform to divine goodness--including un-holy women and Jews--were considered evil and ascribed a melancho

Contents:

Cover; Table of Contents; Preface; Introduction; Part I: Medieval Foundations; 1. Upside-Down and Inside-Out: The Medieval Construction of Earthbound Evil; 2. Satanic Cinema: His Legacy Is Legion; 3. Wanton Flesh and Poisoned Breath: Crafting the Satanic Witch; 4. Wicked Women: Female Flesh, the Satanic Witch and the Horror Film; Part II: Modern Permutations; 5. The Transgressive Monster: From the Melancholic Jew to the Blood-Sucking Vampire; 6. A Cursed Embodiment: Modernity, Medievalism and the Melancholic Werewolf; Epilogue; Chapter Notes; Bibliography; Filmography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references, filmographies and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4766-1942-5