The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century

Author: Simon Bacon, Carina Bissett, M. Keith Booker, John Edgar Browning, Kevin Corstorphine, Ian Fetters, Gemma Files, Teresa Fitzpatrick, Jacob Floyd and Brandon R. Grafius Series: Lexington Books Horror Studies

The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century explores the many aspects of the horror genre across thematics and media in the 2020s. Consisting of 21 original essays by experts in the field, this book examines how horror reveals the anxieties around our current cultural moment and how that might develop in the future.

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Summary

Description

The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century examines the intimate connections between the horror genre and its audience’s experience of being in the world at a particular historical and cultural moment. This book not only provides frameworks with which to understand contemporary horror, but it also speaks to the changes wrought by technological development in creation, production, and distribution, as well as the ways in which those who are traditionally underrepresented positively within the genre- women, LGBTQ+, indigenous, and BAME communities - are finally being seen and finding space to speak.

Critic Reviews

“The twenty-first century has seen a new golden age of horror cinema with a wide array of innovative and provocative films from creators around the globe. The essays in The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century capture the breadth and vibrancy of this period. The essays also make the important point that horror films in the twenty-first century are not only reflections of political and social tensions but are actively and critically engaged in advocating for change.”

--Kendall R. Phillips, Syracuse University

The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Centurycaptures a sense of what could be argued to be the two liveliest decades in the history of horror yet. This goes for the increasing diversity of the genre--in production and distribution technologies, national cinematic traditions and styles, and the range of thematic options--but also for horror's status as an object of fan adoration, popular appreciation, and academic study. Readers, academic or otherwise, interested in where horror stands today will appreciate Simon Bacon's collection as a valuable contribution to the study of the genre in one of its most creatively and commercially vital periods.

--Steffen Hantke, Sogang University

About the Author

Simon Bacon is an independent scholar and film critic based in Poznań, Poland.

More on this Book

The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century examines the intimate connections between the horror genre and its audience's experience of being in the world at a particular historical and cultural moment. This book not only provides frameworks with which to understand contemporary horror, but it also speaks to the changes wrought by technological development in creation, production, and distribution, as well as the ways in which those who are traditionally underrepresented positively within the genre- women, LGBTQ+, indigenous, and BAME communities - are finally being seen and finding space to speak.