Brown and Gay in LA
Happy Pride Month! This week's review looks at the lived experiences of gay men from immigrant families in LA, exploring the intersectionality of the interviewees' identities.
Posted on in Review of the Week
A Very Nervous Person’s Guide to Horror Movies
This Halloween, we apply a theoretical lens to horror films and examine how viewers can mentally prepare to watch the genre.
Posted on October 31, 2022 in Review of the Week
A Very Nervous Person’s Guide to Horror Movies
Clasen, Mathias F. Oxford, 2021
208p bibl index, 9780197535899 $99.00, 9780197535905 $19.95, 9780197535929
Theoretical study of horror is normally dry, but in this witty, engaging, and informative book, Clasen (literature and media studies, Aarhus Univ., Denmark) turns it into a fun exploration. He uses the questions that the “average Joe” who is a bit apprehensive about watching horror might ask regarding the genre and its impact on audiences. Clasen provides jargon-free, data-rich, knowledgeable answers to questions ranging from the mental impact on viewers to the societal perception of people who watch horror films. He even provides guidelines on how to watch a horror film, which he cautions should not be undertaken alone. Clasen examines the subject of viewership at individual and societal levels, presenting the pros and cons of the genre with clear, concise illustrations. Though obviously in the pro-horror camp, he lays out the facts about the impact and effects of horror film and allows readers to decide whether to venture into a darkened theater to partake in said genre. Either way, readers will find themselves well informed and prepared to face whatever awaits them when the lights go down and the creepy music begins.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.
Reviewer: A. F. Winstead, Our Lady of the Lake University
Subject: Humanities – Performing Arts – Film
Choice Issue: Dec 2022
Enjoy this week’s review? Check out more reviews of related titles:
- Afrofuturism in Black Panther: Gender, Identity, and the Re-Making of Blackness
- After “Happily Ever After”: Romantic Comedy in the Post-Romantic Age
- Horror Fiction in the 20th Century: Exploring Literature’s Most Chilling Genre
- Hollywood Diplomacy: Film Regulation, Foreign Relations, and East Asian Representations
- Mastering Fear: Women, Emotions, and Contemporary Horror
Related Posts
-
-
Half American
In commemoration of Memorial Day, this week's review uncovers the experiences of African American soldiers in World War II and the impact of racism on their postwar lives.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Digital Detox
Looking at phone addiction, this week's review analyzes how humanity's obsession with technology has evolved and the value of taking a "digital detox."
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Refusing Death
Taking an intersectional approach to environmental policy, this week's review reveals the stories of Asian and Latina immigrant women at the forefront of the environmental justice movement in LA.
Posted on in Review of the Week