Contemporary Horrors

The turn of the millennium has witnessed a uniquely dazzling renaissance in cinematic production within the horror genre. How do we account for the prolific production and prodigious diffusion of horror film since the turn of this last century? From thematic topoi to cinematographic style, horror cinema of the past 10-15 years has witnessed numerous trends emerge, cross-pollinate internationally, and re-enter the genre in cycles of repetition and transformation accelerated by digital production and distribution technologies. And yet, the sheer proliferation and remarkable diversity of vital horror filmmaking makes defining the genre perhaps more challenging than ever before. This conference will approach contemporary horror cinema in its diverse global aspects. Details and schedule available on the conference website.

Adam Lowenstein (University of Pittsburgh), author of Shocking Representation: Historical Trauma, National Cinema, and the Modern Horror Film, will deliver the keynote address. His essays have appeared in Cinema Journal, Critical Quarterly, and Post Script, as well as the anthologies Hitchcock: Past and Future (ed. Richard Allen and Sam Ishii-Gonzáles, 2004), Trauma and Cinema: Cross-Cultural Explorations (ed. E. Ann Kaplan and Ban Wang, 2004) and British Cinema, Past and Present (ed. Justine Ashby and Andrew Higson, 2000). He is an interviewed scholar in The American Nightmare (2000), a documentary investigation of 1960's and 1970's American horror films directed by Adam Simon and co-produced by Colin MacCabe for The Independent Film Channel.

Co-sponsored by the Franke Institute, France Chicago Center and Mass Culture Workshop.