Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture - Hardcover

Kendall R. Phillips

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0275983536 ISBN 13: 9780275983536

Publisher: Praeger (UK), 2005

Synopsis

Movie audiences seem drawn, almost compelled, toward tales of the horrific and the repulsive. Partly because horror continues to evolve radically—every time the genre is deemed dead, it seems to come up with another twist—it has been one of the most often-dissected genres. Here, author Kendall Phillips selects ten of the most popular and influential horror films—including Dracula, Night of the Living Dead, Halloween, The Silence of the Lambs, and Scream, each of which has become a film landmark and spawned countless imitators, and all having implications that transcend their cinematic influence and achievement. By tracing the production history, contemporary audience response, and lasting cultural influence of each picture, Phillips offers a unique new approach to thinking about the popular attraction to horror films, and the ways in which they reflect both cultural and individual fears. Though stylistically and thematically very different, all of these movies have scared millions of eager moviegoers. This book tries to figure out why.

About this title

About the Author

Kendall R. Phillips is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. His essays and reviews have appeared in such journals as Literature/Film Quartlery and Philosophy and Rhetoric.

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger (UK)
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0275983536
• ISBN 13: 9780275983536
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240