MTWTh 6-8:40 PM

Horror is a powerful filter through which writers use popular mythology to explore the dark or wild zones of popular culture. "Myth is society's dream," said Jung. This course calls into question society's dreams and the myths it makes from them in horror fiction and film, particularly in images of gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, and power. We shall screen two films each week, and read related works of horror fiction, both classical and recent. Our goals will be to look beneath the surface, to develop a theory of the horrific in relation to culture and its artifacts, and to employ a range of theoretical methods in mutually self-critical modes. Among the print and film materials to be considered may be Frankenstein, Dracula, and works by Lovecraft, King, Levin, and Rice. Additional films will be drawn from among The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Freaks, Nosferatu, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Carrie, Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Required work: attendance, participation in classroom discussion, a daily detailed response journal, a midterm project, and a final project.

All forms of discourse are acceptable for projectsand presentations, including creative writing, art, music, videotape, electronic media and multimedia performances.