Hideous Progeny Disability, Eugenics, and Classic Horror Cinema

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Synopsis

Twisted bodies, deformed faces, aberrant behavior, and abnormal desires characterized the hideous creatures of classic Hollywood horror, which thrilled audiences with their sheer grotesqueness. Most critics have interpreted these traits as symptoms of sexual repression or as metaphors for other kinds of marginalized identities, yet Angela M. Smith conducts a richer investigation into the period's social and cultural preoccupations. She finds instead a fascination with eugenics and physical and cognitive debility in the narrative and spectacle of classic 1930s horror, heightened by the viewer's desire for visions of vulnerability and transformation.

Book details

Edition:
Film And Culture Ser.
Series:
PDF
Author:
Angela Smith
ISBN:
9780231157162
Related ISBNs:
9780231157179
Publisher:
Columbia University Press
Pages:
N/A
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
No
Date of addition:
2021-09-14
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
2011
Copyright by:
Columbia University Press 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Art and Architecture, Entertainment, Horror