Title: The Turn to Gruesomeness in American Horror Films, 1931-1936
Title Record # 2150569
Author: Jon Towlson
Date: 2016-09-00
Type: NONFICTION
Language: English
Current Tags: None Add Tags
Author: Jon Towlson
Date: 2016-09-00
Type: NONFICTION
Language: English
Synopsis: Is the thirties horror film more akin to graphic modern horror than is often thought?
Critics have traditionally characterized classic horror by its use of shadow and suggestion. Yet the graphic nature of early 1930s films only came to light in the home video/DVD era. Along with gangster movies and "sex pictures," horror films drew audiences during the Great Depression with sensational content.
Exploiting a loophole in the Hays Code, which made no provision for on-screen "gruesomeness," studios produced remarkably explicit films that were recut when the Code was more rigidly enforced from 1934.
This led to a modern misperception that classic horror was intended to be safe and reassuring to audiences.
Taking a fresh look at the genre from 1931 through 1936, this critical study examines "happy ending" horror in relation to industry practices and censorship. Early works like Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) and The Raven (1935) may be more akin to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Hostel (2005) than many critics believe.
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Awards
Place | Year and Award | Category |
---|---|---|
Preliminary Nominees | 2016 Stoker | Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction |
Publications
Title | Date | Author/Editor | Publisher/Pub. Series | ISBN/Catalog ID | Price | Pages | Format | Type | Cover Artist | Verif |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Turn to Gruesomeness in American Horror Films, 1931-1936 | 2016-09-00 | Jon Towlson | McFarland & Company | 978-0-7864-9474-3 | $39.95?$: US dollar |
vii+ 232 |
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep. |
non-fic |