Transnationalism and Genre Hybridity in New British Horror Cinema

Lindsey Decker

Description

As an intervention in conversations on transnationalism, film culture and genre theory, this book theorises transnational genre hybridity – combining tropes from foreign and domestic genres – as a way to think about films through a global and local framework. Taking the British horror resurgence of the 2000s as case study, genre studies are here combined with close formal analysis to argue that embracing transnational genre hybridity enabled the boom; starting in 2002, the resurgence saw British horror film production outpace the golden age of British horror. Yet, resurgence films like 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead had to reckon with horror’s vilified status in the UK, a continuation of attitudes perpetuated by middle-brow film critics who coded horror as dangerous and Americanised. Moving beyond British cinema studies’ focus on the national, this book also presents a fresh take on long-standing issues in British cinema, including genre and film culture.

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Introduction: Frights, Film Culture and Genre Hybrids: Examining Transnational Genre Hybridity in New British Horror Cinema
1 The ‘Bastard Child of Mainstream Cinema’: Middlebrow British Film Culture, Transnationalism and Horror
2 The Golden Age of British Cinema is Undead: British Zombies and The Social Realist Impulse
3 Hybrid Hoodie Horrors: Genre Localization and Britain’s Moral Panic
4 ‘A Famous Corpse’: Resurrecting Hammer’s Transnational Appeal
Conclusion – British Horror’s Perpetually ‘Dying Light’
Notes
References
Filmography
Index

Sujets

• Horror
• British Isles
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786836991
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

Transnationalism & GenreHybridity IN NEW BRITISH HORROR CINEMA

HORROR STUDIES

Series Editor Xavier Aldana Reyes, Mancester Metropolitan University

Editorial Board Stacey Abbott, Roeampton University Linnie Blake, Mancester Metropolitan University Harry M. Bensoff, University of Nort Texas Fred Botting, Kingston University Steven Brum, Western University Steffen Hantke, Sogang University Joan Hawkins, Indiana University Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet, University of Lausanne Bernice M. Murpy, Trinity College Dublin Jonny Walker, Nortumbria University

Preface Horror Studies is te first book series exclusively dedicated to te study of te genre in its various manifestations – from fiction to cinema and television, magazines to comics, and extending to oter forms of narrative texts suc as video games and music. Horror Studies aims to raise te profile of Horror and to furter its academic institutionalisation by providing a publising ome for cutting-edge researc. As an exciting new venture witin te establised Cultural Studies and Literary Criticism programme, Horror Studies will expand te field in innovative and student-friendly ways.

Transnationalism & GenreHybridity IN NEW BRITISH HORROR CINEMA

LINDSEY DECKER

UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS 2021

© Lindsey Decker, 2021

All rigts reserved. No part of tis book may be reproduced in any material form (including potocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and weter or not transiently or incidentally to some oter use of tis publication) witout te written permission of te copyrigt owner except in accordance wit te provisions of te Copyrigt, Designs and Patents Act. Applications for te copyrigt owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of tis publication sould be addressed to te University of Wales Press, University Registry, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NS.

www.uwp.co.uk

Britis Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for tis book is available from te Britis Library.

ISBN 978-1-78683-698-4 eISBN 978-1-78683-699-1

he rigts of Lindsey Decker to be identified as autor of tis work ave been asserted in accordance wit sections 77 and 79 of te Copyrigt, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Typeset by Cris Bell, cbdesign

Printed by CPI Antony Rowe, Melksam

Co

Acknowledgements

List of Illustrations

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Introduction: Frigts, Film Culture and Genre Hybrids Examining Transnational Genre Hybridity in New Britis Horror Cinema

1. he ‘Bastard Cild of Mainstream Cinema’ Middlebrow Britis Film Culture, Transnationalism and Horror

2. he Golden Age of Britis Cinema is Undead Britis Zombies and te Social Realist Impulse

3. Hybrid Hoodie Horrors Genre Localisation and Britain’s Moral Panic

4.‘A Famous Corpse’ Resurrecting Hammer’s Transnational Appeal

Conclusion: Britis Horror’s Perpetually ‘Dying Ligt’

Notes

References

Filmograpy

Index

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HIS BOOK IS THE culmination of a series of unlikely events, and T I’m grateful to everyone wo as supported me along te way. In par- ticular, tank you to Roger Hallas for working wit me to transform te seed of an idea about genre ybridity in Britis orror films into te full- lengt study from wic tis book stems. Truly, I could not ave asked for a better mentor. I would like to tank Steven Coan and Kendall Pillips for teir expertise, feedback and support, as well as Linnie Blake and Cris Hanson for teir valuable comments on te project in its earlier stages. hank you to Sara Lewis, te ead of commissioning at te University of Wales Press, for er interest in my project and for elping to seperd te project troug te publication process. hank you to te reviewers for teir time and feedback. I would like to tank my colleagues at Boston University’s Depart- ment of Film & Television for teir interest in and support for tis book. hanks to all of te various folks wo ave given me feedback on various pieces of tis project at conferences, particularly Jonny Walker, Ann Davies, Racel Fabian, Justin Smit, Dana Oc and Geneveive Newman. I would be remiss if I did not tank Dustin Potter, Staci Stutsman, Melissa Welsans, Peter Katz and Sara Barkin for listening to me as I worked troug ideas at various stages in tis project. And finally, tank you to my students – I try to touc on te concept of transnational genre ybridity in nearly every course I teac, and I ave really enjoyed our conversations about it across te years.

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. he cover of te October 2002 issue ofSigt & Sound.

Figure 2. Sots fromPure Rage(top to bottom: talking-ead interview, lap dissolve, sot from28 Days Later).

Figure 3. Top,Attack te Block, Moses, played by Jon Boyega, being pursued by te flattened, undifferentiated mob of aliens. Bottom,Assault on Precinct 13, te gang members emerge from te sadows in te mid-ground in te police station parking lot.

Figure 4. Top, Jennet’s smoky black gost and on Kipps’s left soulder. Bottom, te smoke-like gost of Kayako overing over Sacie.

Figure 5. Top, Nataniel inhe Woman in Black. Bottom, Tosio inJu-on: he Grudge.

Figure 6. he cover of te November 2012 issue ofSigt & Sound.

Figure 7. Witeead’s body is turned into itself.

Figure 8. From left to rigt, top to bottom, making an eye inUnder te Skin.

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