Scan barcode
saintmaud's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Good as an intro to horror theory, especially since it looks at horror fiction via popular books but still, most of it felt like a pretty surface-level analysis--I think even most read-and-put-down kind of readers will be able to tell that the shining is about capitalism and the American dream. Even then, extra stars for adding Marasco's Burnt Offerings, I rarely ever see it discussed !
blackberryjambaby's review
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Rape, Mental illness, Infertility, Incest, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Car accident, Child abuse, Violence, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcoholism, War, Toxic relationship, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Blood, Body horror, Suicide, Classism, Confinement, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Animal death, Misogyny, Child death, Slavery, and Murder
deepfreezebatman's review
3.0
A good start to critiquing the American Haunted House formula. I could do without the random side comments from the author, but overall it does a fairly good job of... quoting Stephen King's Danse Macabre. I would love to read an updated version of this book that included more contemporary stories, as well as expanded to stories from outside the United States.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
4.0
Short study that does what it says on the tin: looks at how the haunted house is presented in American popular culture. The author's main argument is that the contemporary American haunted house has been used as a means of criticising social priorities, for instance materialism and economic exploitation, by exploring how an unhealthy focus on these makes an individual vulnerable to the supernatural. This isn't a particularly original view, perhaps, but it is a valid one and Bailey supports it well.
He also successfully straddles the line between academic and popular criticism here, making this an immensely readable book. It helps, I think, that the study is limited and not exhaustive - Bailey focuses on a handful of popular examples, including The Amityville Horror, The Shining, and The Haunting of Hill House - and I often find that limited examples prove a point much better than exhaustive exploration, which can frequently muddy the focus by meandering off into byways. It's a really interesting and well-focused study, and I enjoyed reading it.
He also successfully straddles the line between academic and popular criticism here, making this an immensely readable book. It helps, I think, that the study is limited and not exhaustive - Bailey focuses on a handful of popular examples, including The Amityville Horror, The Shining, and The Haunting of Hill House - and I often find that limited examples prove a point much better than exhaustive exploration, which can frequently muddy the focus by meandering off into byways. It's a really interesting and well-focused study, and I enjoyed reading it.
More...