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Horror Lex® @HorrorLex

Horror Lex® (horrorlex.com) is the home of academic horror. Explore our huge research database of scholarly, thoughtful writings on horror films. #horror

Joined May 2021
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Horror Lex®@HorrorLex
21 Jan 2025
Horror Lex will no longer be posting here daily, or perhaps at all. Please join us at horrorlex.bsky.social (which has a nice little academic/film community, by the way) and continue to enjoy our site horrorlex.com, which isn't going anywhere. Awooo!

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We agree with William Burns that CRUISING (1980) is an "underrated, misunderstood masterpiece" about a serial killer lurking in the S&M shadows. Read his new essay in @blfj to revisit the film's production and legacy. #openaccess brightlightsfilm.com/cruisin…
A screenshot of the online essay "Cruising: The Boys in (Black and) Blue" showing a large still from the film in which two men confront each other in a leather bar.

ALT A screenshot of the online essay "Cruising: The Boys in (Black and) Blue" showing a large still from the film in which two men confront each other in a leather bar.
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Horror Lex® retweeted
Horror Homeroom
@horrorhomeroom
19 Jan 2025
A longer think piece by William Burns on Fritz Lang's M & its influence on representations of serial killers (Burns also wrote the brilliant Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror and the Spectre of Nostalgia, from @Headpress) headpress.com/product/ghost-… horrorhomeroom.com/the-art-o…
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Horror Lex® retweeted
Headpress@Headpress
20 Jan 2025
An excellent piece on Fritz Lang's M over at @horrorhomeroom. Author William Burns is also the mind behind our latest book, Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror and the Spectre of Nostalgia. #fritzlang #peterlorre #serialkillers #cultfilm horrorhomeroom.com/the-art-o…

The Art of Murder: The Continuing Influence of Fritz Lang’s M - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom

The Art of Murder: The Continuing Influence of Fritz Lang’s M on Horror Homeroom

horrorhomeroom.com
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In the wake of David Lynch's death, those inspired to write about his signature real-as-surreal style should check out our blog. We've pulled together 75 books & essays about Lynch and his films that are **FREE** to read/download. #davidlynch #openaccess horrorlex.com/blog/david-lyn…
A screenshot of the Horror Lex blog post "David Lynch Resources for Free" featuring a black-and-white photo of the director looking contemplative. The blog post starts "Cinephiles were reeling this week with the news of David Lynch's death at the age of 78..."

ALT A screenshot of the Horror Lex blog post "David Lynch Resources for Free" featuring a black-and-white photo of the director looking contemplative. The blog post starts "Cinephiles were reeling this week with the news of David Lynch's death at the age of 78..."
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Another *free* ebook from @CambridgeUP's gothic series, from the venerable @maishawester. "African American Gothic in the Era of Black Lives Matter" looks to GET OUT, CANDYMAN '21, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY and more, w/in the movement that helped define our times. doi.org/10.1017/978100916100…
The cover of the book "African American Gothic in the Era of Black Lives Matter" which has the standard art for this Elements of the Gothic series - a black shadowed bare tree standing against a green-grey sky in the moonlight.

ALT The cover of the book "African American Gothic in the Era of Black Lives Matter" which has the standard art for this Elements of the Gothic series - a black shadowed bare tree standing against a green-grey sky in the moonlight.

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When we think of an '80s teen icon, why is it Ferris Bueller and not Freddy Krueger? Cullen Wade asks a good question and crunches the box office numbers at @HorrorHomeroom #openaccess #horror horrorhomeroom.com/brats-vs-…
A screenshot of the article, "Brats vs. Splats: Who Really Defined the 1980s Teen Film?" featuring a promotional photo from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS in which Freddy Krueger and the rest of the main cast is lounging in an arrangement that mocks the same pose used for THE BREAKFAST CLUB poster.

ALT A screenshot of the article, "Brats vs. Splats: Who Really Defined the 1980s Teen Film?" featuring a promotional photo from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS in which Freddy Krueger and the rest of the main cast is lounging in an arrangement that mocks the same pose used for THE BREAKFAST CLUB poster.
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How can we use ghost stories like Mati Diop's ATLANTICS (2019) to teach about post-colonial hauntings of French-speaking Africa? Find out in Doyle D. Calhoun & Jill Jarvis's new essay in @YaleFrenStudies. Normally e-embargoed but it's #openaccess pre-pub! academia.edu/126070899/Follo…
On the left, a screenshot of the article "Follow the Ghosts: On Teaching Mati Diop's Atlantique(s) Transmedially" in plain text.

ALT On the left, a screenshot of the article "Follow the Ghosts: On Teaching Mati Diop's Atlantique(s) Transmedially" in plain text.

On the right, a poster for the 2019 feature-length film ATLANTIQUE (a.k.a. ATLANTICS) in hues of oceanic blue and green, showing an African couple embracing above an ominous shot of the ocean at night.

ALT On the right, a poster for the 2019 feature-length film ATLANTIQUE (a.k.a. ATLANTICS) in hues of oceanic blue and green, showing an African couple embracing above an ominous shot of the ocean at night.

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Bonus note: The authors compare ATLANTIQUE (the feature-lenth version of Diop's two films) with John Carpenter's THE FOG (1980), including with some side-by-side screenshots. How did I not notice that similarity before??
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The cover story of this Winter's American Entomologist asks: "Are Entomologists Mad Scientists (According to #Horror Movies)?" Maybe--I've seen PHENOMENA, and that McGregor guy is sketch. Author Edwin Harris / access via Oxford Academic @EntsocAmerica doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmae068
The cover of the Winter 2024 issue of American Entomologist, with a drawing of a man in silhouette, standing in a forest, facing down a giant insect staring down at him from the blood-red sky.

ALT The cover of the Winter 2024 issue of American Entomologist, with a drawing of a man in silhouette, standing in a forest, facing down a giant insect staring down at him from the blood-red sky.
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A fascinating exploration of a 1960 #horror film shot thru w/Mexico's socio-political turmoil. Read Raúl Rodríguez-Hernández & Claudia Schaefer's "Orlak, The Hell of Frankenstein: Screen Monsters and Mexican Modernity" #openaccess in Transmodernity. doi.org/10.5070/T4.20810
On the left, a screenshot of the article "Rafael Baledón's Orlak, The Hell of Frankenstein: Screen Monsters and Mexican Modernity," in plain text.

ALT On the left, a screenshot of the article "Rafael Baledón's Orlak, The Hell of Frankenstein: Screen Monsters and Mexican Modernity," in plain text.

On the right, an original poster for the 1960 film, bright red background with a drawing of a Frankenstein creature dressed in a Mexican hat and cape, dragging an unwilling, buxom female victim.

ALT On the right, an original poster for the 1960 film, bright red background with a drawing of a Frankenstein creature dressed in a Mexican hat and cape, dragging an unwilling, buxom female victim.
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We missed this over the holidays, but check it out --- SAW and vampires, SAW and philosophy, SAW traps as queer!
HORROR SCHOLAR@ScholarHorror
22 Dec 2024
Oopsie daisy, look what I dropped: abatececilia.wixsite.com/hor… The sixth issue is OUT! #horror
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(6/6) The Horror Lex Year in Review concludes! #HorrorLex2024 Over 800 people contributed to at least one work in the Horror Lex index in 2024 as author or editor. We ❤️ you all! But let us thank those prolific few who contributed the most works this year. Do y'all ever sleep?
The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Most Featured Authors. From top to bottom, they are: Fernando Gabriel Pagnoni Berns, Simon Bacon, Dawn Keetley, Gary D. Rhodes, M. Keith Booker, Penny Crofts, Johanna Isaacson, Roger Luckhurst, Kim Newman, Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr., Brandon R. Grafius

ALT The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Most Featured Authors. From top to bottom, they are: Fernando Gabriel Pagnoni Berns, Simon Bacon, Dawn Keetley, Gary D. Rhodes, M. Keith Booker, Penny Crofts, Johanna Isaacson, Roger Luckhurst, Kim Newman, Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr., Brandon R. Grafius

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Data Note 6B: As a final caveat to this entire series, the indexing at Horror Lex is done by a human, not AI. Subjectiveness abounds. Also, we have access to the text of the vast majority of the 2024 works, but not 100%. Take all this data as trends, not hard science.
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Data Note 6A: These honorees on Twitter are: @FernandoPagnon3 @baconetti @dawnkeetley @StepfordDotter @TheProfRog @annodracula @HauntedKevin
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(5/6) The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review continues! #HorrorLex2024 Third, to get a sense of the most talked-about films of the moment, we took the subset of Trending Films that were released in 2023 or 2024. The Substance was first with a bullet:
The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Trending New Films. In rank order, the films are: The Substance (2024), Godzilla Minus One (2023), In a Violent Nature (2024), Longlegs (2024), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), MaXXXine (2024), The Last of Us (TV series) (2023-), Immaculate (2024), The First Omen (2024)

ALT The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Trending New Films. In rank order, the films are: The Substance (2024), Godzilla Minus One (2023), In a Violent Nature (2024), Longlegs (2024), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), MaXXXine (2024), The Last of Us (TV series) (2023-), Immaculate (2024), The First Omen (2024)

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Data Note 5A: This is based on a small number of works, and almost all are articles/essays rather than books - but that's the point. Usu. it takes a few years for very new films to trickle into the zeitgeist, but these films were so hot, people have been writing about them ASAP.
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(4/6) The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review continues! #HorrorLex2024 Second, what films were not just talked about but heating up? We looked at just those films that were the sole/primary focus of a particular work. Note what changed & what didn't - including a swap of Candymans!
The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Trending Films. In rank order, the films are: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Get Out (2017), The Substance (2024), Us (2019), Midsommar (2019), The Shining (1980), Stranger Things (TV series) (2016-), Suspiria (2018), The Witch (2015), The X-Files (TV series) (1993-2002 ), Candyman (2021)

ALT The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Trending Films. In rank order, the films are: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Get Out (2017), The Substance (2024), Us (2019), Midsommar (2019), The Shining (1980), Stranger Things (TV series) (2016-), Suspiria (2018), The Witch (2015), The X-Files (TV series) (1993-2002 ), Candyman (2021)
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(3/6) The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review continues! #HorrorLex2024 What films were hot topics? We sliced that data in three ways. First, this is the uncorrected raw results: the films that were substantively discussed the most, period.
The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Most Discussed Films. In rank order, the films are: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Get Out (2017), Psycho (1960), The Shining (1980), The Witch (2015), Midsommar (2019), Halloween (1978), Us (2019), Candyman (1992)

ALT The Horror Lex 2024 Year in Review chart titled Most Discussed Films. In rank order, the films are: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Get Out (2017), Psycho (1960), The Shining (1980), The Witch (2015), Midsommar (2019), Halloween (1978), Us (2019), Candyman (1992)

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Data Note 3A: PSYCHO has held the overall most-discussed-film spot at Horror Lex since we began. Not surprising: it's both a key film in horror history AND people have had decades to write about it. Will be interesting to see if any film rivals it as the years go by.
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