Remaking Horror: Hollywood's New Reliance on Scares of Old

James Francis, Jr.

McFarland, Jan 10, 2013 - Performing Arts - 224 pages

This book chronicles the American horror film genre in its development of remakes from the 1930s into the 21st century. Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is investigated as the watershed moment when the genre opened its doors to the possibility that any horror movie--classic, modern, B-movie, and more--might be remade for contemporary audiences.

Staple horror franchises--Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)--are highlighted along with their remake counterparts in order to illustrate how the genre has embraced a phenomenon of remake productions and what the future of horror holds for American cinema. More than 25 original films, their remakes, and the movies they influenced are presented in detailed discussions throughout the text.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• 1 The Value of Horror: 9
• The Last Bastion of Fear and Storytelling in American Cinema: 19
• When Holidays Gave Meaning to Horror: 33
• Superstition Brought Universal Appeal: 48
• The Safety of Sleep Was Violated: 60
• 6 Remake Central: 77
• Industry Professionals Riff About the State of Horror: 146
• 8 Whats to Come: 164
• Conclusion: 175
• Remake Catalog 19312013: 183
• Works Cited: 193
• Index: 209

About the author

James Francis, Jr., teaches English literature, composition, and technical writing at Texas A&M University, and is an internationally-published portrait, fashion and art photographer. He lives in College Station, Texas.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Remaking Horror: Hollywood's New Reliance on Scares of Old
• Author: James Francis, Jr.
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: McFarland, 2013
• ISBN: 1476600147, 9781476600147
• Length: 224 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / General; Performing Arts / Film / General