First-Year Seminar:

3 units

In spite of -- and because of -- its propensity for terrifying readers and viewers, horror has proven to be one of the most resilient and popular genres across all forms of media. Why are audiences attracted to a genre that causes fear, revulsion, and distress? This course will consider the cultural, philosophical, and generic dimensions of horror and explore how it operates across an array of media platforms: film, literature, television, comics, and video games. We will read two literary masters of the genre, H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, and we will screen some of the most successful horror films of the last 50 years. We will also study horror through a variety of critical frameworks, including gender, stardom, special effects, transnationality, adaptation, transmedia storytelling, and interactivity. The course will culminate in two extended case studies. In the first, we will compare and contrast literary, filmic, and televisual adaptations of The Shining. In the second, we will consider The Walking Dead as a franchise that spreads its narrative across comics, multiple television programs, and video games. Required screenings. Enrollment limited to first-year students.