Overview

Horror films in the 1990s have routinely defied definition. Many critics and fans have referred to the 1990s as the decade that horror forgot with few notable entries in the genre. However, horror did exist in the 1990s and it went mainstream by targeting the fears and anxieties of teenagers. No longer were horror films made for the lowest budget, in the shortest period of time, dependent on genre fans to consume them, they were the focus of film industry, making careers and big office returns. The films of this era are indebted to auteurs, studios, the young audiences who consumed them and the culture around them. Horror no longer existed in a vacuum, it was on the cover of magazines, in fashion ads and on well worn CD sound tracks. The rise of Third Wave feminism, and its more consumable Girl Power form, influenced these films as did the slow death of the American Dream marking them as a complex entry into teen culture that both embraced its commercial qualities and rejected them at the same time. This book provides an in-depth study of the American youth market in the 1990s as well as the America's history and politics, focusing on such films as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Idle Hands (1999) and Cherry Falls (2000) among others. These films speak to the fears and anxieties of American youth during one of its most prosperous eras.

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9781476670645

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Reviews

“A fun and readily accessible look at the philosophical themes (and commercial considerations) that tie these movies together… West’s writing is lucid and appealing… Hews to a conversational style that brings these films and their intellectual considerations to life with flair, on a subgenre all too often ignored in horror… West is a solid writer with fascinating things to say.”—The AV Club.

West's invaluable insight is educational but rarely dry. Even if you're familiar with every movie profiled in the book, you're likely to look at them in a new light - in addition to learning a few interesting facts --Broke Horror Fan.

West may not have intended to write a feminist book about horror films, but in many ways that's exactly what she did.... West is a self-professed devotee of the genre...well-researched... An interesting read for horror fans and cinephiles alike. --Booklist; West's invaluable insight is educational but rarely dry. Even if you're familiar with every movie profiled in the book, you're likely to look at them in a new light - in addition to learning a few interesting facts --Broke Horror Fan; [West] makes a very convincing argument for the re-evaluation of these [films], particularly through a fiminist lens. West shows herself to be an incredibly talented and gifted writer, able to deftly analyze films that were otherwise disrespected and actually make the case stick.... a very, very good, very effective book that should be placed in the pantheon of must own books about horror movies --Daily Grindhouse; an interesting chronicle of one of the most overlooked decades of horror cinema.... The book reads like a trip down memory lane, and West never condescends or trash-talks the quality of the lesser entries of the decade.... Fans of this unique period in horror films will surely find a lot to reminisce over and think about from a new perspective in this text --Horror News Network.

Author Information

Alexandra West has written about genre films for The Toronto Star, Rue Morgue Magazine and Offscreen Film Journal, and regularly contributes to Shock Till You Drop, Famous Monsters of Filmland and Diabolique. In 2012, she co-founded the Faculty of Horror podcast, which explores the analytical side of horror films. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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