Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950s

by Mark Jancovich

This re-assessment of 1950s American horror films relates them to the cultural debates of the period and to other examples of the horror genre: novels and comics. Through close analysis of a wide range of films such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf and Creature of the Black Lagoon Mark Jancovich argues that horror films of the 1950s developed a critique of conservatism, conformity, mass society and masculinity. In addition, he claims that while many critics have seen contemporary horror as the product of a break with that of the 1950s, most of the key elements within recent horror films and novels were actually established during this time.

Genres: Film, Horror, History

Paperback

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[John Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't find much fun in these surveys, but this one was very enjoyable. The writer doesn't just focus on the obvious movies, but also spends considerable space on writers whose works shaped the era's genre entertainment, particularly Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch. His dissection of the sexual elements of The Creature from the Black Lagoon is especially good, because he shows how many readings get this all wrong, and how the creature identifies with the sole woman he encounters, and isn't just a potential rapist. Recommended.