We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

Spaces and Places of Horror

About Spaces and Places of Horror

This volume explores the complex horizon of landscapes in horror film culture to better understand the use that the genre makes of settings, locations, spaces, and places, be they physical, imagined, or altogether imaginary. In The Philosophy of Horror, Noël Carroll discusses the "geography" of horror as often situating the filmic genre in liminal spaces as a means to displace the narrative away from commonly accepted social structures: this use of space is meant to trigger the audience's innate fear of the unknown. This notion recalls Freud's theorization of the uncanny, as it is centered on recognizable locations outside of the Lacanian symbolic order. In some instances, a location may act as one of the describing characteristics of evil itself: In A Nightmare on Elm Street teenagers fall asleep only to be dragged from their bedrooms into Freddy Krueger's labyrinthine lair, an inescapable boiler room that enhances Freddie's powers and makes him invincible. In other scenarios, the action may take place in a distant, little-known country to isolate characters (Roth's Hostel films), or as a way to mythicize the very origin of evil (Bava's Black Sunday). Finally, anxieties related to the encroaching presence of technology in our lives may give rise to postmodern narratives of loneliness and disconnect at the crossing between virtual and real places: in Kurosawa's Pulse, the internet acts as a gateway between the living and spirit worlds, creating an oneiric realm where the living vanish and ghosts move to replace them. This suggestive topic begs to be further investigated; this volume represents a crucial addition to the scholarship on horror film culture by adopting a transnational, comparative approach to the analysis of formal and narrative concerns specific to the genre by considering some of the most popular titles in horror film culture alongside lesser-known works for which this anthology represents the first piece of relevant scholarship.

Show more
  • Language:
  • English
  • ISBN:
  • 9781622737420
  • Binding:
  • Hardback
  • Pages:
  • 299
  • Published:
  • September 22, 2019
Delivery: 2-3 weeks
Expected delivery: December 5, 2024

Description of Spaces and Places of Horror

This volume explores the complex horizon of landscapes in horror film culture to better understand the use that the genre makes of settings, locations, spaces, and places, be they physical, imagined, or altogether imaginary. In The Philosophy of Horror, Noël Carroll discusses the "geography" of horror as often situating the filmic genre in liminal spaces as a means to displace the narrative away from commonly accepted social structures: this use of space is meant to trigger the audience's innate fear of the unknown. This notion recalls Freud's theorization of the uncanny, as it is centered on recognizable locations outside of the Lacanian symbolic order. In some instances, a location may act as one of the describing characteristics of evil itself: In A Nightmare on Elm Street teenagers fall asleep only to be dragged from their bedrooms into Freddy Krueger's labyrinthine lair, an inescapable boiler room that enhances Freddie's powers and makes him invincible. In other scenarios, the action may take place in a distant, little-known country to isolate characters (Roth's Hostel films), or as a way to mythicize the very origin of evil (Bava's Black Sunday). Finally, anxieties related to the encroaching presence of technology in our lives may give rise to postmodern narratives of loneliness and disconnect at the crossing between virtual and real places: in Kurosawa's Pulse, the internet acts as a gateway between the living and spirit worlds, creating an oneiric realm where the living vanish and ghosts move to replace them. This suggestive topic begs to be further investigated; this volume represents a crucial addition to the scholarship on horror film culture by adopting a transnational, comparative approach to the analysis of formal and narrative concerns specific to the genre by considering some of the most popular titles in horror film culture alongside lesser-known works for which this anthology represents the first piece of relevant scholarship.

User ratings of Spaces and Places of Horror



Find similar books
The book Spaces and Places of Horror can be found in the following categories:

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.