Planks of Reason: Essays on the Horror Film

by Christopher Sharrett (Editor), Barry Keith Grant (Editor)

The original edition of Planks of Reason was the first academic critical anthology on horror. In retrospect, it appeared as a kind of homage to the "golden age" of the American horror film, as this genre played an increasing role in film culture and American life. The original material represented the history of the genre through the early 1980s and is a crucial part of the book's value, then and now. The first edition helped legitimize academic writing on the horror genre by addressing breakthrough works of such directors as John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, George Romero, David Cronenberg, and Wes Craven.

This revised edition retains the spirit of the original, but also offers new takes on rediscovered classics and recent developments in the genre. In addition to reprinting 17 essays, including Robin Wood's "An Introduction to the American Horror Film," this revised edition features a new essay on the yuppie horror film by editor Barry Keith Grant, as well as an updated analysis of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by co-editor Christopher Sharrett. Other new essays focus on William Castle's The Tingler and Roger Corman's Pit and the Pendulum , and the recent wave of Japanese horror films.

Contains more than 60 photos.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Horror

432 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1984

About the author

Christopher Sharrett is an associate professor of communications at Seton Hall University. He is the editor of Crisis Cinema: The Apocalyptic Idea in Postmodem Narrative Film (Maisonneuve Press, 1993).

Reviews

[Craven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been really into horror movies lately and I've been wondering why, so I checked some books out on the subject.
Besides a few articles here and there, I've never read much film criticism; basically because it is dry, academic, boring and possibly full of shit. They always gets all Freudian and say that everything has to do with sex or something like that. This book isn't much different, it's collection of writers eventually come around to saying the same few things over and over only about different movies.
I kind of liked the essays that looked at stuff from a progressive political standpoint and how they associate horror movies to society's repression. And the psychological phallus-obsessed parts at least provoked thought, so I give it three stars.

[Jake Dihel]

really good collection of essays. didnt read them all because i havent seen all the films that are their subjects and i have a tough time reading dense, academic writing about a movie i havent seen, but i read most of them and they were all pretty thought provoking. robin wood’s “introduction to the american horror film” is obviously the centerpiece here though, thats one of the most influential pieces of film criticism ive ever read and has played no small part in shaping my current aesthetic tastes as well as political beliefs.

[Chrystal Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not new, but it was cutting edge back when the very idea of studying film genre such as science fiction was considered radical.

These are scholarly papers and essays on things that are still classics today.

They can cause more in-depth thought about why we watch horror, science fiction, and film, and the way directors and artists choose to present it.

Not light reading, but worth reading.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read Sharon Russell's essay on Witches which was pretty okay

[Hey Sailor!]

awesome. awesome. awesome.