9781786839794
The first collection of scholarly essays exploring the history and resurgence of folk horror.
While the undisputed heyday of folk horror was 1960-70s Britain, the genre has both a rich literary prehistory and a vibrant contemporary presence. This book rethinks the assumptions that have guided critical writing on the genre in the face of these expansions. Chapters explore a range of subjects including E. F. Benson’s fiction, Scooby-Doo, Lancashire witches, and video games. Beyond Britain, the collection examines folk horror’s wide geographic appeal in Italy, Ukraine, Thailand, Mexico, and Appalachia, mapping new conceptualizations of the genre that emerge from these places.
While the undisputed heyday of folk horror was 1960-70s Britain, the genre has both a rich literary prehistory and a vibrant contemporary presence. This book rethinks the assumptions that have guided critical writing on the genre in the face of these expansions. Chapters explore a range of subjects including E. F. Benson’s fiction, Scooby-Doo, Lancashire witches, and video games. Beyond Britain, the collection examines folk horror’s wide geographic appeal in Italy, Ukraine, Thailand, Mexico, and Appalachia, mapping new conceptualizations of the genre that emerge from these places.
280 pages | 12 halftones | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2023
Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory
Reviews
Table of Contents
Introduction - Dawn Keetley and Ruth Heholt
I. FOLK HORROR’S FOLKLORE
1. The Frightening Folk: An Introduction to the Folkloresque in Horror - Jeffrey A. Tolbert
2. Whose Folk? Community, Folklore, Landscape and the Case of the Lancashire Witches - Catherine Spooner
2. Folkloric Origins of the Ukranian Gothic - Svitlana (Lana) Krys
4. 'Wow, this place is spooky at night!' Suburban Ennui, Legend Quests and What Folk Horror Shares with Scooby-Doo - Ian Brodie
II. RE-VISIONING CANONICAL FOLK HORROR
5. The Curse of the Cursive: The Horror of the Hand in Folk Horror Film Typography - David Devanny
6. The Devil His Due: Folk Horror, Occulture and the Black Magic Story - Timothy Jones
8. Black Boxes: Tradition and Human Sacrifice in American Folk Horror - Bernice Murphy
III. FOLK HORROR IN NEW PLACES
9. Sunny Landscapes, Dark Visions: E. F. Benson’s Weird Domestic Folk Horror - Ruth Heholt
10. Monsters in the Making: Phi Pop and Thai Folk Horror - Katarzyna Ancuta
11. Curses, Rites and Questionable Offerings: Ludic Folk Horror in Video Games - Tanya Krzywinska
IV. FOLK HORROR'S POLITICS
12. Catholicism, Unification, and Liminal Landscapes in Italian Folk Horror Cinema - Marco Malvestio
13. ‘Me quitarán de quererte, Llorona, pero de olividarte nunca’: La Llorona, Colonial Trauma and Mexicanness - Valeria Villegas Lindvall
14. Sacrifice Zones in Appalachian Folk Horror - Dawn Keetley
I. FOLK HORROR’S FOLKLORE
1. The Frightening Folk: An Introduction to the Folkloresque in Horror - Jeffrey A. Tolbert
2. Whose Folk? Community, Folklore, Landscape and the Case of the Lancashire Witches - Catherine Spooner
2. Folkloric Origins of the Ukranian Gothic - Svitlana (Lana) Krys
4. 'Wow, this place is spooky at night!' Suburban Ennui, Legend Quests and What Folk Horror Shares with Scooby-Doo - Ian Brodie
II. RE-VISIONING CANONICAL FOLK HORROR
5. The Curse of the Cursive: The Horror of the Hand in Folk Horror Film Typography - David Devanny
6. The Devil His Due: Folk Horror, Occulture and the Black Magic Story - Timothy Jones
8. Black Boxes: Tradition and Human Sacrifice in American Folk Horror - Bernice Murphy
III. FOLK HORROR IN NEW PLACES
9. Sunny Landscapes, Dark Visions: E. F. Benson’s Weird Domestic Folk Horror - Ruth Heholt
10. Monsters in the Making: Phi Pop and Thai Folk Horror - Katarzyna Ancuta
11. Curses, Rites and Questionable Offerings: Ludic Folk Horror in Video Games - Tanya Krzywinska
IV. FOLK HORROR'S POLITICS
12. Catholicism, Unification, and Liminal Landscapes in Italian Folk Horror Cinema - Marco Malvestio
13. ‘Me quitarán de quererte, Llorona, pero de olividarte nunca’: La Llorona, Colonial Trauma and Mexicanness - Valeria Villegas Lindvall
14. Sacrifice Zones in Appalachian Folk Horror - Dawn Keetley
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