Folk Horror: New Global Pathways (Horror Studies) (Paperback)
The first collection of scholarly essays exploring the history and resurgence of folk horror.
While the undisputed heyday of folk horror was 1960-70s Britain, the genre has both a rich literary prehistory and a vibrant contemporary presence. This book rethinks the assumptions that have guided critical writing on the genre in the face of these expansions. Chapters explore a range of subjects including E. F. Benson’s fiction, Scooby-Doo, Lancashire witches, and video games. Beyond Britain, the collection examines folk horror’s wide geographic appeal in Italy, Ukraine, Thailand, Mexico, and Appalachia, mapping new conceptualizations of the genre that emerge from these places.
While the undisputed heyday of folk horror was 1960-70s Britain, the genre has both a rich literary prehistory and a vibrant contemporary presence. This book rethinks the assumptions that have guided critical writing on the genre in the face of these expansions. Chapters explore a range of subjects including E. F. Benson’s fiction, Scooby-Doo, Lancashire witches, and video games. Beyond Britain, the collection examines folk horror’s wide geographic appeal in Italy, Ukraine, Thailand, Mexico, and Appalachia, mapping new conceptualizations of the genre that emerge from these places.
Dawn Keetley is professor of English and film at Lehigh University. She is the author of Making a Monster: Jesse Pomeroy, the Boy Murderer of 1870s Boston.
Ruth Heholt is associate professor of dark economies and gothic literature at Falmouth University. She is the author of Catherine Crowe: Gender, Genre and Radical Politics.
Ruth Heholt is associate professor of dark economies and gothic literature at Falmouth University. She is the author of Catherine Crowe: Gender, Genre and Radical Politics.
"From Lancashire to Appalachia, from Thailand to Ukraine, from typography to Scooby-Doo, via human sacrifice. In Folk Horror: New Global Pathways, Keetley and Heholt curate a vital addition to the field of folk horror studies, which takes the form beyond its British roots and examines its global manifestations and thematic interconnections. This is essential reading."
— Robert Edgar, Professor of Writing and Popular Culture, York St John University
"Folk horror is a relatively new and popular area of study, but few collections have the understanding and vision of the subgenre as this collection. Dawn Keetley and Ruth Heholt have created an important book that reveals the richness and variety of folk horror, and the ever growing recognition of its almost rhizomic nature and what is says about our individual pasts and collective futures."
— Simon Bacon, editor of The Anthropocene and the Undead (2022)
"This collection expands the map of the folk horror landscape into new areas, and also fills in details and finds new perspectives on the more well-known landmarks and pathways of the genre. Wearing its deep knowledge and thinking lightly, this is an essential addition to the growing folk horror bookshelf."
— Dr Derek Johnston, Queen’s University Belfast
"This is a timely addition to the growing global Folk Horror community. Its distinct contribution lies in the stimulating way it binds the (pre-)history of the genre with its canonical texts, to exciting new global landscapes (the Ukrainian Gothic and Thai folk horror). It deeply enriches our appreciation of where folk horror originated and in what directions it may be heading."
— Dr Wayne Johnson, York St John University
"This is a very welcome book which is impressive in its scope. Keetley and Helholt have edited a collection of chapters that usefully redefine the concept of folk horror, moving beyond its British origins to explore the myriad folk horrors that have arisen around the world."
— Paul Newland, Director of Research and Knowledge, University of Worcester
— Robert Edgar, Professor of Writing and Popular Culture, York St John University
"Folk horror is a relatively new and popular area of study, but few collections have the understanding and vision of the subgenre as this collection. Dawn Keetley and Ruth Heholt have created an important book that reveals the richness and variety of folk horror, and the ever growing recognition of its almost rhizomic nature and what is says about our individual pasts and collective futures."
— Simon Bacon, editor of The Anthropocene and the Undead (2022)
"This collection expands the map of the folk horror landscape into new areas, and also fills in details and finds new perspectives on the more well-known landmarks and pathways of the genre. Wearing its deep knowledge and thinking lightly, this is an essential addition to the growing folk horror bookshelf."
— Dr Derek Johnston, Queen’s University Belfast
"This is a timely addition to the growing global Folk Horror community. Its distinct contribution lies in the stimulating way it binds the (pre-)history of the genre with its canonical texts, to exciting new global landscapes (the Ukrainian Gothic and Thai folk horror). It deeply enriches our appreciation of where folk horror originated and in what directions it may be heading."
— Dr Wayne Johnson, York St John University
"This is a very welcome book which is impressive in its scope. Keetley and Helholt have edited a collection of chapters that usefully redefine the concept of folk horror, moving beyond its British origins to explore the myriad folk horrors that have arisen around the world."
— Paul Newland, Director of Research and Knowledge, University of Worcester