Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film / Edition 1

by Joseph Maddrey

Overview

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 American cultural 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 begins with an exploration of the origins of the genre, and follows its development until the present, using various films to document the evolution of Hollywood horror flicks and illustrate their cultural significance. The second part focuses on eight pivotal 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.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786418602
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	05/03/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	207
Sales rank:	631,250
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph Maddrey has researched, written and produced more than 100 hours of documentary television, focusing on true crime and the paranormal. He lives in Midlothian, Virginia.

Table of Contents

	Preface	1
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
	Filmography	173
	Notes	183
	Bibliography	187
	Index	193

Editorial Reviews

refreshing...direct, cogent and uncluttered...it’s a vibrant, compact and easily digestible refresher”—NCFlix.

From the Publisher

refreshing...direct, cogent and uncluttered...it's a vibrant, compact and easily digestible refresher

NC Flix