Sex, Gender, and Politics in the American Horror Film

What makes something a horror film? Why are some horror films remade and others not? How have horror films changed over the years, and what common threads run through them? And what are the sexual politics of horror films? This class will involve comparative, aesthetic, sociological, and political(-economic) analysis of horror films and television. We will work through a definition of what makes something 'horror' and how sex, sexual violence, and gender work within the genre. What are the common tropes of horror? What makes something scary? Horrifying? Horror films reflect and inform the popular imagination; so what do these films say about us? We will focus primarily on US films and television, though not exclusively. The course will involve brief overviews of various European and Asian films in order to provide a basis for comparison with US produced films and those that are most popular in the US. Viewing outside of class of remakes will be required as well in order to discuss the politics of remakes. SPECIAL NOTE: We do not want to discourage anyone from taking this class. However, the films we view in class and require you to watch outside of class will include violence, gore, nudity, sexualized violence, etc. Please, if you are at all concerned about the content of the films, reconsider taking this class. Many of these films are disturbing. Additionally, if you do not have access to Netflix or another way of viewing films outside of class, be sure that you can view the films somehow. This is absolutely required.