Horror Film: A Critical Introduction

by Murray Leeder

Throughout the history of cinema, horror has proven to be a genre of consistent popularity, which adapts to different cultural contexts while retaining a recognizable core. Horror A Critical Introduction , the newest in Bloomsbury's Film Genre series, balances the discussions of horror's history, theory, and aesthetics as no introductory book ever has. Featuring studies of films both obscure and famous, Horror Film is international in its scope and chronicles horror from its silent roots until today. As a straightforward and convenient critical introduction to the history and key academic approaches, this book is accessible to the beginner but still of interest to the expert.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Film

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2018

Reviews

[Chris Fielding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, well-written, and very well-documented, this is a very good introduction to Horror Films as an area of study, but you do need to have a basic understanding of film and film study before you read it. There are a number of books that cover periods of horror movie history and/or contextual readings of horror films without requiring that you understand film and sound theory. There is also an entire chapter on the psychological theories of Horror Film, which might be better entered into with at least a basic understanding of the broader world of psychological criticism.

If you want to study Horror Films from an intellectual or academic angle, then this is definitely worth the read.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is enjoyable, easy to understand, and the book reads fast due to the many sections in each era. It succeeds in its aims and the long list of sources and films will have a reader going back to it, so they can read and watch more horror.

Because it was a general look at the history of horror and the critical theories that arose over time, it does feel like some things are lacking, but the book never feels shallow or weak in covering a subject. I'd recommend it to any horror fan who hasn't read a horror history book before, since this introduction does have a lot of valuable information.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to horror films, and it also doubles as a recommended viewing list. The fact that the work moves in chronological order is very helpful, and allows the reader to track the earliest, emerging works tagged within this genre, and then shift to more contemporary texts. There are a number of interesting theories proposed about why audiences gravitate towards horror, who horror fans are, and what actually constitutes a horror film. Readers who enjoy lists, and writing in books, can also use this resource to track what they have seen and what they want to see.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best critical intro text to horror I've ever read. Really impressive in its scope, accessibility, and substance. Whether you read it cover-to-cover, or jump from chapter to chapter, this book works well. There are a few too many typos, but not enough to ruin things. I do think horror has been significantly shifting over the last 10 years in ways Leeder doesn't address, but everything here remains valuable. Anyone interested in the critical scholarship surrounding horror will find something worthwhile in here.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the best general overviews of the history of horror film I’ve ever read. This book also devotes chapters to analyzing subjects like horror fans and fandom, the concept of genre movies and how those distinctions are made, and cinematic elements like sound and color. If you’re interested in reading about horror movies or are just a fan of the genre then you might find this book as fascinating as I did.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author teaches film at university level. The history of horror captivated me the most, although you may want to (re)watch the films first, as there are plot spoilers throughout the book.

Often accessible, at times quite academic. The psychoanalytic theories were a challenge, and the digital horror musings hard to follow.

Overall, covers a lot of ground for a book that is 276 pages (I read the revised 2018 edition). An insightful introduction to the horror genre.