Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Jason Colavito. Jefferson, NC: McFarland , 2008 . This book traces the evolution of the horror genre from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the present day, examining the genre's relation to “the role of knowledge” in society. Colavito contends that “horror stories are a way of understanding and ultimately transcending the limits of mind, knowledge, and science through fear” (3). In order to explore this hypothesis, he breaks down the history of horror into seven chronological periods grouped around the major intellectual developments and concerns of each period. Colavito uses an interesting parallel structure throughout the book in that he examines each major period in relation to “science and society,”“literary developments,” and “horror in the arts” in an individual chapter within each section. This allows the reader to concentrate on a broad range of materials from one era, or to easily jump from one section to another following a horror medium through subsequent periods. This tripartite approach also allows for an interesting historiographic overview of each time period as trends are recurrently related to each horror medium. This book covers a broad range of subject matter that affords Colavito the opportunity to include many topics that are sometimes overlooked in other texts on the history of horror, such as Marie Tussaud (58–60) and memento mori photography (147). It also tends to make the work seem a bit unfocused. Colavito includes a number of plot synopses throughout, and while these are definitely useful for presenting a survey of the time period, they sometimes get in the way of the points Colavito is trying to make. The book would benefit from offering a more in-depth analysis of fewer, carefully chosen texts rather than presenting so many plot synopses for each time period and format. One valuable feature of this book, however, is that it is one of the first to touch upon the films that have been labeled “torture porn” by critics such as Hostel and the Saw series. One curious aspect of this text is its engagement with other prominent theories of horror. While Colavito does comment upon the ideas of a few noted horror theorists including Noël Carroll, Carol Clover, and Jonathan Lake Crane, he omits several others. Considering his approach to the subject matter, the omission of Andrew Tudor's Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie (1989) is particularly surprising. Also, for some reason, Colavito engages in an extensive attack on horror theorist David Skal, whose observations he calls “monotonous” (206) and “tiresome” (209). In fact, he includes an appendix devoted to an extended rebuttal of Skal's theories as put forth in his book The Monster Show (2001). It is unclear why Colavito feels the need to deliver such a pointed (and seemingly personal) attack on one particular critic, but this aspect of the book weakens it considerably. This book has merit in the breadth and scope of material it covers it and is useful as an overview of various works that were prominent in the horror genre during a given time period. It will, no doubt, introduce readers to many texts with which they were unfamiliar and offers a good starting point for learning about the symbiotic relationship of horror and culture. While it does not offer a great deal of in-depth insight into how the horror genre circulates within society, it does provide a general overview of how horror has functioned in relation to knowledge throughout the ages.
Source: The Journal of Popular Culture
Author: Beth A. Kattelman
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1920238793