The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula

by Alexandra West

Many critics and fans refer to the 1990s as the decade that horror forgot, with few notable entries in the genre. Yet horror went mainstream in the ’90s by speaking to the anxieties of American youth during one of the country’s most prosperous eras. No longer were films made on low budgets and dependent on devotees for success. Horror found its way onto magazine covers, fashion ads and CD soundtrack covers. “Girl power” feminism and a growing distaste for consumerism defined an audience that both embraced and rejected the commercial appeal of these films. This in-depth study examines the youth subculture and politics of the era, 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).

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Film, Pop Culture, Media Tie In, Academia, Cultural Studies

195 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2018

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror comes in different chunks (cycles). Trends drive these, zeitgeists, technology and… politics. She makes a point that in the conservative (Reagan) 1980s horror was all about sex equals death and the famous killers and endless sequels, and in the more liberal 1990s (Clinton), horror became more about the survivors and the victims. Scream makes fun of these sequels then of course has endless sequels. But the killer in Scream is not one person. Different killers wear the Ghostface mask.
I was 20 when the first Scream came out (and all the actors playing high schoolers in it are older than me, like 2 - 6 years older).
I liked when she says Final Destination was the movie (s) that took the horror mindset from teen to torture porn. I thought Final Destination was scary and icky and I never watched the sequels. So this made sense to me. Luckily I stayed away from torture movies.
I saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the movies and then watched the show. She talks about how fans don’t like the movie. I think it’s good. Except for Buffy. Obviously the TV Buffy is better.

[Ashley Grace Harter · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)
I will be brief with my review, but will point out a flaw that held me back from giving this a five-star rating.

I’m a huge fan of Alexandra West’s previous work. I enjoy her previous writing contribution and her work as one half of the wonderful podcast, The Faculty of Horror. I’m also a huge fan of horror and 90s teen thrillers (thanks nostalgia). I felt it was important for me to disclose that information first, but it is a book that can still be enjoyed even if you do not share the same affinity for these topics.

I thoroughly enjoyed her exploration through some popular, and a few forgotten 90’s teen horror flicks. It is probably important to note that I believe my familiarity with her style just may have aided in my resulting satisfaction with this book. She takes care when approaching these films, but is sure to admit their flaws and tendency to fall victim to lack of lack of inclusion. Using research, she supports her claims and even manages to shine new light on a few films.

No, it is not perfect. There are grammatical errors.
However, there are many books that find their way to store shelves these days that contain a higher number of far more egregious errors (many of which become extremely popular...regardless of their tragic mistakes).

Overall, this is a solid, good read!

[Nick Spacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

rarely do i ever scrap a planned published review of a book, but the absolute thrashing i'd have to give alexandra west's examination of the '90s teen horror movie revival would seem pedantic.

basically, the book takes some interesting looks at movies, and examines them with an eye that's critical of these movies' lack of inclusion. the ready admission of tokenism and lacking intersectionality for so many of the movies west looks at is refreshing. her willingness to grant small victories to movies which are pretty lacking in many areas is also excellent.

however ... the grammatical and spelling errors which riddle this book have me wondering if the editor was maybe overwhelmed at the time. 'grizzly' substitutes for 'grisly' multiple times, several characters' names see letters transposed ('cladicot' instead of 'caldicot' when talking about disturbing behavior, as just one example), as well as a couple of other homophones, and that's just what i noticed on the first read-through.

it's a solid book, but given the lack of attention to detail before it headed off to press, i found myself frequently distracted and irritated. it's so difficult to take a book seriously when it has grammatical errors which wouldn't fly in a high school term paper.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was strange. I’m surprised an academic press publishes it tbh. I liked the stage setting at the start, but I felt most of the film ‘analyses’ were just synopses. I think it was well researched but the writing read like a first draft, with all manner of spelling, word usage and grammar errors that other people have catalogued. It made me wonder if editors are being scrapped by publishers as too expensive? I like the authors other work, so this was disappointing. Comparisons to Carol Clover’s book Men Women and Chainsaws, are baffling—I suspect some reviewers didn’t actually read this book.

[Céline · Rating 3 out of 5]

some really eye-opening takes and ideas. the teen horror films from the 90s are how i think i really got into horror as a little tween in the 2010s, so this was kind of a must-read for me, especially after listening to the faculty of horror podcast. i love the insights on possible feminist leanings (and failings) for these films.
the film choices were pretty hit or miss for me. while reading this introduced me to some amazing movies i'd never heard about, it also introduced me to some i wish i could have continued not knowing about.
biggest let down is the lack of an editor. there are way too many typos and mistakes, including in the plot descriptions. some of them literally just needed a quick speed read through the plot portion of the film's wiki to fact-check.
finally, the first two chapters provide some necessary context but they were way too long and are the main reason it took me so long to finish this. i'd like to think we don't need *that* much context (or maybe since i listen to the podcast, i've just heard some of this before in almost the same wording, who knows)
anyway, still a great read and a perfectly bite-sized intro into some often under-talked about horror films

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligent read on '90s horror movies. Short and sweet but lots to think about.

Reads like you're chatting about your fave movies with your friend (which you are - if you listen to West's podcast "The Faculty of Horror" which I highly recommend).

Insightful analysis of the films and social and political commentary of what was occurring in the US in the '90s. I grew up with these movies and have a nostalgic sweet spot for them, but was shocked at how much deeper she is able to read into them and to tie them into the culture. Very engrossing read.

Highly recommend.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a fan of The Faculty of Horror podcast, which West co-hosts. It took me a while to get through, but mostly because I'm not a fan of reading nonfiction, even when it focuses on one of my favorite topics: horror films. This touched on many of the 90s films that got me hooked on the genre (primarily Scream), and it was RIDICULOUSLY well researched.

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice and informative book. I liked the first chapters' sociological/historical context for the 90's, and I liked the groupings of the movies. I liked reading about how sequels deal with metaness. I really enjoyed reading the production history for the movies , and what happened behind the scenes for the flops. I was surprised to hear about some movies for the first time (Wicked and Idle Hands)/ Towards the end of the book, I started to get a little bored (To be fair, I didn't watch all of the well known movies, so I got impatient with the flops), but the 2000's chapter took an interesting turn. There are good books referenced, too.

[Damian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 1990s were an interesting time for horror and Alexandra West focuses on how teen characters have changed from victims in the 1980s to survivors in the 1990s. Trauma, self-awareness, and a different approach to teen sexuality compared to previous years are some of the major topics in the book. I found most of the arguments to be solid and strong. West first contextualizes the 1990s with the politics and evolution of media at the time. It was a decent overview of the time period and set up the differences between the conservative attitudes of the Reagan era and what changed while Clinton was in office.

The meat of the book is in the readings of the 90s horror films. Certain interpretations and observations might be too much for some readers and not academic enough for others, but I think West toes the line well. She quotes academics, filmmakers, and even some internet retrospectives which could take up a lot of space, but it was still informative and they supported her takes on these films. I like that she included films that aren't typically mentioned in horror circles like Wicked and The Crush.

This isn't my favorite decade or cycle of horror, but West made me appreciate it a little bit more. It's a short book and the chapters spend some time on summarizing the films, so there could be closer analysis on how these films approach gender. Written about 25 years after Men, Women, and Chainsaws, it follows in its footsteps but the book doesn't expand on how those theories fit in later horror films as much as I would like. Also, as others have mentioned, there are typos which can bog down the experience.

If you like horror films, this book will appeal to you. There's a lot of research involved and while it doesn't reach the highs of Clover or Robin Wood, it's still a worthy read if you want to spend a few hours looking back on the 90s.

[kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I love horror movies - especially 90s horror movies. Maybe it's because I was a kid in the 90s and I was never allowed to watch these movies.

This book was definitely interesting but it did often feel like I was reading a university paper and often felt dry and lacked it's own distinct voice. The first two chapters set up what America was like in the 90s and while I get how important that is because it influences the movies I found them hard to get through. Maybe because I'm not American? But I found myself skimming a lot of it. It picked up once we got to the analysis of the movies.

Each chapter focuses on a series or movies with similar themes. It gives a summary of these films and then offers an analysis of the themes. There was a lot of really interesting stuff here. I really liked looking at the themes of trauma especially in Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer (aka HELEN SHIVERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FINAL GIRL!). It is hard to review this without critiquing the analysis themselves. Some of them I found really interesting and agreed with while others I felt like saying - honey, it's not that deep.

I did find the number of quotes in this annoying (though I did like the perspective of some of them). Even though the tone was very academic and dry at times I did find this a fairly quick read. If you like horror movies especially 90s ones you may find some interesting stuff here.

Or you could just watch the movies themselves, lol.

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

actual rating: 2.5

I just didn't find this book very interesting. The first 20% or so is just talking about other things that happened in the 90s that have nothing to do with horror movies. I get that you have to set the stage with world events at the time but I still feel like a full fifth of the book is probably too much page space to spend on that. Then we get into the actual horror part of the book and there's a lot more just recapping the plot than any kind of actual 'analysis' in my opinion. I'm sure that will still be interesting to some people but for me reading a fairly lengthy summary of a movie I haven't watched it confusing and reading one for a movie I HAVE watched is just infinitely boring to the point where I started skimming a lot of it. Reads more like an extended freshman college essay than anything else but I'm sure if you have more patience than me you'll be able to find a few things of value in here

[Marie Davoise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. It has interesting ideas and I enjoyed the trip down the 90s-00s horror memory lane, but… the many, MANY grammatical errors, homonyms and wrongly spelled names really made it hard to trust that this was a well-researched, polished piece of work.

I’ve lost count but there were really obvious ones - “Jeffery Tambour” for actor Jeffrey Tambor, “JonBenet Ramsay” for JonBenet Ramsey… and that’s just for the most famous pop cultures names, how can I be sure the rest of the book isn’t also riddled with errors?

I try not to be snobbish about those things but some of those mistakes made certain sentences incomprehensible (e.g. switching “sacred” and “scared”, the random omission of words). It really put me off the book, especially knowing that this could so easily avoided through a thorough proof read/careful editing.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had paragraphs of analysis but mostly it was long summary of film followed by long quote from someone else description of something from the 90s description of next film without the author actually making a point.

[MaryKate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of great insights into the genre's mutations at the end of the millennium, but in dire need of a copy editor.

[Ken H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra Wests' The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle is a nice, general, overview of the eras slasher movies. She touches upon several common threads which bind these films together, and offers insight into their creation, reception, and underlying themes and motifs. Unfortunately, more often than not, it felt as if the book skewed more towards summary rather than analysis. When the analysis does come in, it's engaging and thought provoking.

The discussions of feminism, trauma, and race really stood out, and I would love to see West or another author take a deeper dive into unpacking their presence within the 90s cycle. I thought she did a really good at situating the films in their proper historical context, and really enjoyed her look at the state of the U.S. during this period. Likewise, her discussion about the transition from horror films focusing on the killer to the victim/survivor and the emphasis on generational conflict throughout several of the films was engaging and, I'm ashamed to admit, not something I had really thought about.

I was also surprised, but pleasantly so, by the decision to include the Scary Movie franchise in the discussion. It's not something I would have thought to have done, but it provides West with a chance to really open up the discussion of race in ways focusing solely on the horror movies wouldn't have.

While the analysis is not as academically in depth as some might hope for, it was still and engaging read, and hopefully it will spur others on to deeper analysis where they feel is necessary. All in all, a solid read that feels like the beginning of a longer reevaluation of this films!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are familiar with Alexandra West’s other work, most notably her previous book on an extreme phase in French film or her five-year stint co-hosting the wonderful podcast The Faculty of Horror, you already know of her talent for digging into the time period of a movie for some of its inspiration and cultural halo. She brings that same critical eye to the period of horror that starts and ends with Scream (original to 4), a period that is touted by some as the commercialization of horror. West doesn’t overextend her investigation to undo such claims, but she does make a tight case for the growing feminist elements this period offered by redefining Carol Clover’s final girl away from a reaffirmation of the male gaze to women actually acting on their own traumas to resolve their storylines. While West acknowledges the need for inclusion (nicely satirized by Scary Movie), she shows how this period made strides away from the conservative ideals that inhabited the “classic” slashers of the 80s (even when these classics were revolting against them), and most importantly brought a self-awareness to horror and raised some expectations in their audiences. West shows us the groundwork that both led and spotlighted the need for the innovations of such recent masterworks like The VVitch and Get Out. Her reads of the original Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are absolutely spot-on brilliant. Another fine contribution to the world of horror criticism.

[Nicole Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, what is wrong with this author? The handwaving of incest and statutory r*pe that permeates this book is quite disturbing. Just as disturbing is the fact that there seemed to be no editor in sight. There's a mistake on almost every page of this book. It got to the point where I was re-reading sentences just to understand what the author was trying to say. Perhaps if West spent less time quoting irrelevant people and more time editing I wouldn't be cringing every time I turned the page.

The subject and concept were truly interesting and I'm honestly disappointed in this outcome because I was really looking forward to an in-depth, insightful read (I didn't find it that insightful to be honest).

Sometimes Academics really check their humanity at the proverbial door and it's tiresome and often alarming to read them glossing over or philosophizing on things like incest and r*pe, and handwaving or theorizing grooming. Disturbing, and frankly I hadn't expected disturbing until I reached my Christpher Pike checkout.

In summation, get an editor, a real one and try to remember you're a human and a woman in this world, West. The roboticized, theoreticizing over very real traumas that readers may or may not have experienced themselves was absolutely not the way to go.

P.S As a final slap in the face, this book alludes to Norman Bates mother as being the killer of Marion in the shower. What?!?!?!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Andrea West, one half of The Faculty of Horror postcast team, is a books about the teen horror cycle of the 90’s.

Written like a long 248 page research paper replete with foot notes, (not MLA or APA format mind you) discusses the horror films of the 90’s and how they differ from the slasher films of the 80’s. And there is a big difference. Andrea explores such films as the Urban Legend franchise, the Scream franchise, the Final destination franchise and a lot more. The book is fairly interesting. I was in my 20’s in the 90’s so these movies were right up my alley as I love the horror of the 90’s (and the 80’s). I will recommend this book to fans of 90’s horror.

[Horror DNA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle is a well-written collection of thought-provoking essays that shed new light on how the genre is a reflection of the times and how society itself influences the cinematic output. Alexandra West is well-versed in the material, but the book could use stronger editing. There are minor problems peppered throughout the narrative that easily could have been caught before going to press. Overall the book is enjoyable, if a bit dry, but comes recommended all the same.

You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Jessica Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a lot of people who read this book, I came to it because I’m a fan of the Faculty of Horror podcast. Personally nothing about it was as interesting as listening to the podcast. I don’t hate this era of horror but the analysis felt pretty surface-level and ultimately a little pointless. The Faculty of Horror sometimes has that first problem but I never feel like the second is true, probably because the hosts have so much chemistry and genuine enthusiasm for the topic. That same enthusiasm was on display here but with no one to bounce the ideas off of, it felt more like a superficial lecture. I’m not necessarily disappointed but I wish I’d enjoyed it more.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, academic tour of some of my favorite scary movies, this book examines films like Scream and The Faculty, grouping by theme to discuss how horror cinema handles particular tropes and what that says about the 1990s. I could give it five stars for topic and enthusiasm, but almost every page had some small error - a word left out, a word spelled wrong, a punctuation error - and after a few chapters, this became distracting. I wish someone had made one more read for grammar before sending this to the printer, because West’s ideas are fun and deserve more focus.

[Alise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid book that touches on most of the mainstream horror films from the 90s (and even a few flops). I didn't agree with all of the analysis, but they are interesting perspectives nonetheless. I do wish it looked more into the effect that continuing sequels had on the formula and horror overall. Definitely worth a read if you are a horror fan. It's in-depth but doesn't drone on and it's not overly analytical in a way that can't be understood by most.

[Paul Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

This is a very insightful look into the teen horror film after the success of Scream. Well researched and would have got top rating but for a host of grammatical errors throughout

[Leslie S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and interesting, but would have benefited greatly from a competent editor. So many homonym mixups, misspellings, and sections missing context made it more difficult to read and enjoy than it should be.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun reminder of some of the older horror movies that I grew up watching. While the analysis was somewhat amateurish, there were a couple movies that I had overlooked in building up my collection and this was a nice reminder of those that were missing. Just in time for Halloween too!

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 - such a fun, interesting read! As a female horror lover I really enjoyed this investigation of the 90s horror zeitgeist. It touched on many of my favorite films that were the basis for my undying love of horror.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is obviously a super niche book, but it is a niche that I am interested in! I really enjoyed West's analysis of the 1990s teen horror genre, especially since it largely uses a feminist lens to unpack the tropes of that decade. Definitely more academic than pop nonfiction, but worth a read if you're a horror fan.

[Aaron B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Ms. West's book very much. She respected her sources and conveyed the films' themes clearly. As with her book, Films of the New French Extremity," I learned a great deal about film and French national cinema.

[Judith Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro es interesante y ofrece un buen análisis del género, pero está claro que no se molestaron en corregir el texto, que está lleno de typos y faltas gramaticales hasta cuando cita obras de otros. Es enervante y hace que no disfrutes la lectura.

[Logan Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the attention paid to a time in horror history that does not get the proper critical attention. These 1990s horror films were formative for me, and the detail paid to them in this book is great.