What is Gothic cinema and how does it differ from horror films?
This chronological course will explore its history, from its transitional origins in the magic lantern show and the first ‘trick’ films to its postmodern fragmentation in the Gothic pastiches of Tim Burton, with a focus on industry and genre. The course will include six sessions and two screenings, with weeks devoted to topics such as the monster cinema of the 1920s and 1930s, the Female Gothics of the 1940s, the use of vibrant colours in the Gothic period films of the late 1950s, the European exploitation booms of the 1960s and 1970s, and the animated films and Gothic superheroes that dominate the present.
Beginners’ level, no prior knowledge necessary. The course includes six sessions with the course tutor and two course screenings:
Tue 28 Jan – Son of Frankenstein
Tue 18 Feb – La maschera del demonio / Black Sunday
Led by Xavier Aldana Reyes, Reader in English Literature and Film at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Course outline:
Week 1 – Tue 14 Jan Transitional Origins
Week 2 – Tue 21 Jan Monstrous Shadows
Week 3 – Tue 28 Jan Screening of Son of Frankenstein
Week 4 – Tue 4 Feb The Explained Supernatural
Week 5 – Tue 11 Feb Gothic in Technicolour
Week 6 – Tue 18 Feb Screening of La maschera del demonio/Black Sunday
Week 7 – Tue 25 Feb Exploitation Gothic
Week 8 – Tue 3 Mar Late Dispersions