CfP: edited collection “Global Horror Production in the Twenty-First Century”. Deadline: Jan 31, 2021.

co-edited by Eddie Falvey and Alice Haylett Bryan

Call for Book Chapters

As we move into the third decade of the twenty-first century, it becomes increasingly clear that the taste for horror has not abated. In fact, horror has proven to be as successful as ever, with global horror productions contributing towards an ever-diversifying canon of critically lauded and commercially successful films reflective of new and persisting directions in horror filmmaking. It is already the case that twenty-first century horror has, in its many forms, invited sustained critical scrutiny. Echoing analytic traditions evinced by horror scholars such as Robin Wood, modern horror has often been found to be one the more prescient genres at work today, illustrated in the plethora of publications dedicated to picking apart and understanding the genre’s bearings upon, or reflection of (per Wood), the cultural moment(s) from which key films emerge.

However, with most studies dedicated to the analysis of particular horror films, prominent critical tendencies have saturated the field at the cost of exploring pertinent production dynamics in the context of the genre’s development. Indeed, substantially less has been written on industry climates that pertain to the making of horror films, in both micro (studio horror from small to large) and macro (national film industries) modes. While some significant work does exist on these themes — indeed, one such volume that offers a precedent for this project is Richard Nowell’s (2014) edited collection Merchants of Menace: The Business of Horror — as we see it, there remains a pressing need to account for the advent of new modalities that have continued to emerge and/or evolve in recent years from across the world.

This book will offer focused attention on the conditions of contemporary horror production to ask the question: how have horror films been produced in the twenty-first century? By paying attention to the vast variety of production systems and contexts currently operating, it will explore how specific artistic, socio-cultural, political and economic environments affect the production market of the horror industry, creating differing means of financing, producing and exhibiting horror films across the world. As such, this book will offer new scholarly insights on contemporary horror cinema, taking into account key global perspectives while paying attention to both studio horror as well as smaller productions and co-productions. Whilst remaining focused on industry contexts, we expect the work conducted here will also redress and expand upon current understandings of the form(s) of recent horror, as well as its reception.

We are currently seeking chapter proposals for contributions that will be 6000-8000 words in length and delivered by September 2021.

Please note that we already have chapters confirmed on the following topics: large studio American horror; small studio American horror; Canadian horror; Indian horror; French horror; Israeli horror. We are especially interested in proposals exploring examples of horror production that have traditionally been overlooked in scholarship, such as the horror films of small and/or small-producing nations. Expressions of interest should be sent to Eddie and Alice at globalhorrorproduction@gmail.com.

All abstracts must be sent to the same email address no later than January 31^st 2021.

We will notify individuals of our decision by February 26^th 2021.