Forays into the Dark Field of Evolutionary Horror Film Research: A Meagre Harvest

Evolutionary or biocultural theorizing about horror films has been slow to gain traction in film studies, but the field has seen two recent book publications, Mastering Fear by Rikke Schubart and Primal Roots of Horror Cinema by Carrol L. Fry. Unfortunately, neither book is poised to make a substant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary studies in imaginative culture 2019-12, Vol.3 (2), p.83-92
Main Author: Ciasen, Mathias
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biocultural theory
evolutionary psychology
film theory
horror fiction
Horror films
REVIEW ESSAYS
sociobiology
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Summary:Evolutionary or biocultural theorizing about horror films has been slow to gain traction in film studies, but the field has seen two recent book publications, Mastering Fear by Rikke Schubart and Primal Roots of Horror Cinema by Carrol L. Fry. Unfortunately, neither book is poised to make a substantial impact on evolutionary horror film theory. Mastering Fear ultimately undermines its own engagement with evolutionary social science, and Primal Roots of Horror Cinema stops short of contributing substantially to the field beyond its compelling argument for the relevance of evolutionary social science to film studies. Plenty of work remains to be done at the fertile junction between evolutionary psychology and horror film.
ISSN:2472-9884
2472-9876
2472-9876
DOI:10.26613/esic.3.2.145