Terror and Everyday Life: Singular Moments in the History of the Horror Film

He persuasively demonstrates that horror films are not merely a manifestation of the solitary, unconscious ‘I’ or cultural abjection… . This well-crafted, insightful, and devilishly witty study brings horror out from under the psychoanalytic rock to let it scurry and bleed in the daylight of everyday life. The detailed endnotes are scintillating gems in and of themselves. –Choice
Terror and Everyday Life is an important, well-conceived, and well-executed work. Crane’s treatment of the topic is unusual; he clearly positions himself as a fan of the contemporary horror film. Consequently, there are moments that seem to revel in the disgusting details of murder and mayhem. However, this approach is appropriate; as Crane makes perfectly clear, this is what the genre is about, so to ignore it would be to misrepresent its effects and–for horror fans–its pleasures. This is a complex scholarly work, exceptionally original.
–Charles R. Acland, Communication Department, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada How does horror in film relate to the horror we experience in everyday life? This is one of the key questions addressed in this new examination of the horror film genre. Terror and Everyday Life argues that today’s horror films have broken away from the genre’s tradition to embrace far more violent imagery, images that are in keeping with the escalating violence in our society. By examining the horror film, its history, and its current trends, Jonathan Lake Crane furthers our understanding of the genre’s meaning in today’s culture and our fascination with violence. An important supplement for courses in popular culture, media studies, and film; Terror and Everyday Life’s unique approach on the nature of horror in our society will also be of interest in a wide range of disciplines.