The Hollywood Horror Film, 1931-1941 Madness in a Social Landscape

by Humphries, Reynold

• ISBN13: 9780810857261
• ISBN10: 081085726X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-24
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

In February 1931, Universal Studios released Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. As a result of the film's considerable and unexpected success, Universal and the other Hollywood studios quickly cashed in on the horror genre. In the following decade, such classics as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Freaks, King Kong, The Mummy, White Zombie, and The Wolfman, along with a number of lesser-known but significant works, were produced. These films tend to be neglected as serious objects of study; the main interest usually comes from fanzines whose critics often place the accent on the anecdotal at the expense of analysis. Serious studies in culture undertaken by sociologists and specialists prefer to focus on either themes and content or films' reflection of the concerns of the period.

Author Biography

Reynold Humphries is professor of film studies at the University of Lille in Northern France

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	v
Introduction	vii
Chapter 1 Curse of the Superstitious Script	1	(54)
The Text and the Critic	1	(15)
The Return of the Repressed	16	(16)
The Imprint of the Real	32	(23)
Chapter 2 Mad Doctors in Love	55	(70)
The Biological Phallusy	56	(7)
Can Heterosexuals Behave with Gay Abandon?	63	(18)
The Case of the Overwrought Ern	81	(8)
Just What the Mad Doctor Ordered	89	(20)
Good Lookers	109	(16)
Chapter 3 The Road to (Dis)enchantment	125	(66)
Freud with Marcuse	127	(14)
The Very Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll	141	(15)
The Peasants Are Revolting	156	(5)
Specters of the World, Unite!	161	(17)
From Beyond	178	(13)
Chapter 4 History Is Made at Night	191	(68)
From the Hysterical to the Historical	193	(28)
Today the Laboratory, Tomorrow the Universe!	221	(20)
Far from the Madding Crowd	241	(18)
Chapter 5 Conclusion	259	(4)
Filmography	263	(6)
Chronological List, 1931-1941	263	(2)
Breakdown by Studio	265	(4)
Bibliography	269	(6)
Index	275	(8)
About the Author	283