EXCO 446 - HorrorCo

2 credits
Horror films, made to be seen by many and terrify the majority, must thus reflect a society’s most pertinent fears and anxieties. The horror genre is uniquely visceral and satirical, neither societal symbolism nor cultural critique escaping the orbit of gore and gimmick. Understanding horror is crucial to understanding cultural history around sexuality, violence, and humor. This course is intended to expose horror newcomers to a wide variety of horror films and subgenres, and challenge both newcomers and longtime horror fans to define horror for themselves and to ask questions about its cultural significance in America and beyond. Students will question the long-standing link between horror and female sexuality, explore distinctly international horror subgenres such as Giallo and J-horror, and study the relationship between horror and the current political climate, among other things. In doing so, students will develop a broad horror vocabulary that we can use to analyze different subgenres and approaches.

Chloe Sinder
csinder@Oberlin.edu
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