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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror Paperback - 2001

by David J. Skal

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Reader reviews for The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror

From the publisher

Featuring a new Afterword by the author.

Illuminating the dark side of the American century, The Monster Show uncovers the surprising links between horror entertainment and the great social crises of our time, as well as horror's function as a pop analogue to surrealism and other artistic movements.

With penetrating analyses and revealing anecdotes, David J. Skal chronicles one of our most popular and pervasive modes of cultural expression. He explores the disguised form in which Hollywood's classic horror movies played out the traumas of two world wars and the Depression; the nightmare visions of invasion and mind control catalyzed by the Cold War; the preoccupation with demon children that took hold as thalidomide, birth control, and abortion changed the reproductive landscape; the vogue in visceral, transformative special effects that paralleled the development of the plastic surgery industry; the link between the AIDS epidemic and the current fascination with vampires; and much more.

Now with a new Afterword by the author that looks at horror's popular renaissance in the last decades, The Monster Show is a compulsively readable, thought-provoking inquiry into America's obsession with the macabre.

Details

  • Title The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror
  • Author David J. Skal
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 1st
  • Pages 448
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2001-10-15
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index
  • ISBN 9780571199969 / 0571199968
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 in (21.08 x 13.72 x 3.05 cm)
  • Category Pop Arts / Pop Culture
  • Library of Congress subjects Horror films - History and criticism, Social problems in motion pictures
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2002278460
  • Dewey Decimal Code 791.436

About the author

David J. Skal (1952 - 2024) was the author several critically acclaimed books on fantastic literature and genre cinema, including The Monster Show; Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen; Screams of Reason; Mad Science and Modern Culture; V Is for Vampire: The A to Z Guide to Everything Undead; and, with Elias Savada, Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning. With Nina Auerbach, he co-edited the Norton Critical Edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula. His writing appeared in a variety of publications, ranging from The New York Times to Cinefantastique, and for television, on the A&E series Biography. He wrote, produced, and directed a dozen original DVD documentaries, including features on the Universal Studios' classic monster movies, and a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the Academy Award-winning film Gods and Monsters. He lived in Los Angeles

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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

by Skal, David J

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Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Used - Good. THE BOOK COVER AND A NUMBER OF PAGES ARE DOG-EARED OR BENT. Paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Good condition with all pages in tact. Item shows signs of use and may have cosmetic defects.
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

by Skal, David J.

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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

by Skal, David J

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Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001-10-15. paperback. Very Good. 5x1x8. Softcover. Very Good condition. Free of any markings and no writings inside. Clear Text. Minor shelf-wear. Foxing on edges. Remainder mark on bottom edge. For any additional information or pictures, please inquire.
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The Monster Show : A Cultural History of Horror
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The Monster Show : A Cultural History of Horror

by Skal, David J

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The Monster Show
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

by Skal, David J.

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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword [Paperback]...
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword [Paperback] Skal, David J

by Skal, David J

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The Monster Show
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The Monster Show

by Skal, David J,

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780571199969 / 0571199968
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

by Skal, David J.

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Description:
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001. Revised Edition . Trade Paperback. Fine. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2. Metsch, Jo Anne - Design. 446 Pages Indexed. Illuminating the dark side of the American century this book uncovers the surprising links between horror entertainment and the great social crises of our time, as well as horror's function as a pop analogue to surrealism and other artistic movements. With penetrating analyses and revealing anecdotes, David J. Skal chronicles one of our most popular and pervasive modes of cultural expression. He explores the disguised form in which Hollywood's classic horror movies played out the traumas of two world wars and the Depression; the nightmare visions of invasion and mind control catalyzed by the Cold War; the preoccupation with demon children that took hold as thalidomide, birth control, and abortion changed the reproductive landscape; the vogue in visceral, transformative special effects that paralleled the development of the plastic surgery industry; the link… Read more
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword [Paperback]...
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The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword [Paperback] Skal, David J

by Skal, David J

  • Used
  • Paperback
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Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780571199969 / 0571199968
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Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001-10-15. Paperback. Like New. 8x5x1.
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