Cape Fear

Devil's Advocates #49

by Rob Daniel

Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991) opens with a shot of water and climaxes on a raging river. Despite, or perhaps because of, the film's great commercial success, critical analysis of the film typically does not delve beneath the surface of Scorsese's first major box office hit. As it reaches its 30th anniversary, Cape Fear is now ripe for a full appraisal.

The remake of J. Lee Thompson's 1962 Cape Fear was originally conceived as a straightforward thriller intended for Steven Spielberg. Author Rob Daniel investigates the fascinating ways Scorsese's style and preoccupations transform his version into a horror epic. The director's love of fear cinema, his Catholicism and filmmaking techniques shift Cape Fear into terrifying psychological and psychosexual waters. The analysis also examines the influence of Gothic literature and fairy tales, plus how academic approaches to genre aid an understanding of the film.

120 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2021

Reviews

[David T · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone that want to dive beneath the surface of the movie Cape Fear specifically and the movies by Martin Scorsese in general.

A great book with details, insights and thoughts about how Caoe Fear came to be and what we can take away from it.