FILM 120  The Horror Film

  The goal of this course is a close examination of the popular horror film. We

  will be primarily concerned with the ways in which horror is represented, its

  social and cultural significance, and the reasons why horror films are so

  appealing to a mass audience. Throughout the semester we will be examining

  seminal theories of horror, as well as charting the historical evolution of the

  genre. The course will be divided into four sections: the first will cover the

  early period of physical monsters; the second will examine psychological

  monsters, slashers and body films; the third will consider post-9/11 horror; and

  the fourth will look to contemporary horror films as reflections of American

  anxieties. Copies of the current syllabus are available here.