To See the Saw Movies

Essays on Torture Porn and Post–9/11 Horror

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Edited by James Aston and John Walliss

Type

Essays

Subject

Genre > Horror

Keywords

horror, pornographic films, sociology, 21st century

Publishing date

2013

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 208 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-7864-7089-1

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Book Presentation:
The Saw films, often derided by critics as “torture porn” and an excuse to show blood and gore, are the highest-grossing horror series in cinema history. In view of their hold on audiences and their controversial content, they deserve study. This first collection of fresh essays by academic authors from Europe, America and Australia addresses the cultural, religious and philosophical facets of the films, investigating how the franchise reflects a post–9/11 shift in U.S. popular culture towards increasing pessimism and how it may be read as a metaphor for the “war on terror”; dissecting how the series explores such issues as freewill and determinism; assessing the films’ representations of the body; and applying a Deleuzian perspective to the franchise.

About the authors:
James Aston is director of studies for film at the University of Hull. He lives in Worcester, United Kingdom.
John Walliss is senior lecturer in criminology in the faculty of sciences and social sciences, Liverpool Hope University, UK.

Press Reviews:
"an expansive, accessible collection of essays, an assembly that will be of significant interest to scholars engaged in the study of the history, philosophy, and criticism of the horror genre"—Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co