Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

by Maddrey, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9780786418602
• ISBN10: 0786418605
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Joseph Maddrey lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is an associate producer for BellaSwartz Productions in Norfolk, Virginia

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 1
American Gothic in Film	p. 3
You Must Become Caligari: German Expressionism and the Origins of Film Gothic	p. 7
A New World of Gods and Monsters: Hollywood Studio Horrors of the 1930s	p. 11
Shadow Play: Hitchcock, Film Noir and the Val Lewton Cycle	p. 21
Bad Kids, Big Bugs, Body Snatchers and the Bomb	p. 30
The Monster Is Madness: Castle, Corman and California Gothic	p. 39
Apocalypse America: The Modern Horror Film	p. 48
What the Fifty Foot Woman Did to the Incredible Shrinking Man	p. 57
Selling the American Dream: The Postmodern Horror Film (Part I)	p. 68
Old Monsters, New Flesh: The Postmodern Horror Film (Part II)	p. 78
Reality Bites: The New American Film Gothic	p. 87
Auteurs	p. 95
Tod Browning: Sideshows	p. 97
Alfred Hitchcock: Noir Town	p. 104
Roger Corman: Counterculture and Creature Features	p. 112
George A. Romero: The Fall of Camelot	p. 122
John Carpenter: Space-Age Cowboys	p. 131
Larry Cohen: Outside in America	p. 141
David Lynch: American Beauty?	p. 151
Wes Craven: The New Myths	p. 162
Filmography	p. 173
Notes	p. 183
Bibliography	p. 187
Index	p. 193
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