Podcasts about darkness the rhetoric

Today we have the distinct privilege of discussing horror cinema, culture, and politics with Kendall Phillips, professor in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. Kendall's work focuses on the ways popular culture intersects with discursive and affective tensions within society, with a focus on public memory, controversy, and popular cinema. Among his other work, Kendall is the author of three books on the rhetoric of horror films, the most recent of which is entitled A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema.Our conversation touches on the ways that horror films have historically reflected the fears of the societies that produce them, pushing at the sensitive edges of controversial and dark topics. We discuss some early iterations of the horror film genre before taking an in-depth look at the cultural themes contained in the films of George Romero, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven (all directors studied in Kendall's 2012 book, Dark Directions). Finally, we ruminate on whether we are currently experiencing a "third golden age" of horror cinema, and what kinds of contemporary cultural fears could be driving the commercial success of horror films in the past decade.Films Referenced in this EpisodeLe Manoir du Diable [released in U.S. as The Haunted Castle] (1896)The James Boys in Missouri (1908)The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)Dracula (1931)Frankenstein (1931)Night of the Living Dead (1968)Dawn of the Dead (1978)Day of the Dead (1985)Land of the Dead (2005)The Thing (1982)Halloween (1978)E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)The Last House on the Left (1972)The Hills Have Eyes (1977)A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)Scream (1996)Paranormal Activity (2007)Insidious (2010)The Conjuring (2013)The Babadook (2014)Get Out (2017)Hereditary (2018)Us (2019)Midsommar (2019)The Witch (2015)The Lighthouse (2019)Gwen (2018)The Ritual (2017)Ready or Not (2019)Annabelle (2014)Joker (2019)Works Cited in this EpisodeCalafell, B. M. (2016). Monstrosity, performance, and race in contemporary culture. Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers.Phillips, K. R. (1999). A rhetoric of controversy. Western Journal of Communication, 63(4), 488-510.Phillips, K. (2005). Projected fears: Horror films and American culture. Praeger.Phillips, K. R. (2012). Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film. Southern Illinois University Press.Phillips, K. R. (2018). A place of darkness: The rhetoric of horror in early American cinema. University of Texas Press.Williams, L. (1991). Body Genres. Film Quarterly, 44(4), 2-13.Wood, R. (1984). An introduction to the American horror film. Movies and methods, 2, 195-220.

Kendall R. Phillips is a professor of rhetoric at Syracuse University and in 2018 published a book titled A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477315519/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sublimehorror-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1477315519&linkId=0b3ee916d2c403ce07ba48a7396ff9f9) with University of Texas Press. The book is a fascinating look at how horror came to be in American cinema, tracking the development of the horrific and uncanny in films up until 1931, the year Tod Browning's Dracula was released and the term "horror film" entered our common vocabulary. Peter wrote a review of Phillips' book, discussing most of the major points it raises, which you can read here (https://www.sublimehorror.com/books/place-darkness-rhetoric-horror-american-cinema-review/) . You can also read Phillips' watch list The birth of horror in seven films (https://www.sublimehorror.com/film/the-birth-of-horror-in-seven-films/) which takes you a video journey of early "pre-horror" cinema. 

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the New Books Network, Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews Dr. Kendall Phillips (he) of Syracuse University on his fabulous new book A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema (University of Texas, 2018). In it, Phillips explores the emergence of the horror film genre before it was horror and a post-Civil War national American identity. Dr. Phillips discusses the unique role of Universal Studio’s 1931 Dracula, the turning point of the Phantom’s revelation in The Phantom of the Opera, and what horror was before it was horror. Along the way, Dr. Phillips discusses how shifts in filming technologies and international politics at the turn of the century forged a distinctly American identity based upon incredulousness, narrative depth, and rationality.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices