Games of Terror
"Halloween," "Friday the 13th" and the Films of the "Stalker Cycle" (livre en anglais)
de Vera Dika
Moyenne des votes :
0 | vote | ![]() |
0 | vote | ![]() |
0 | vote | ![]() |
0 | vote | ![]() |
Votre vote : -
Description de l'ouvrage :
A first-of-its-kind study of the “stalker” subgenre of slasher films.
From 1978 to 1981 there was a proliferation of horror films entering the American film market. Among this group of films, one narrative formula proved dominant, both in its commercial profitability and in its ability to engender copies and sequels—what has come to be known as slasher films. Games of Terror is the first study to isolate a smaller group of films, within the slasher genre, what Vera Dika identifies as the “stalker” film. These include such movies as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Prom Night (1980), Terror Train (1980), and My Bloody Valentine (1981). As Dika shows, the distinguishing characteristic of the stalker film lies in its representation of the major character: the killer. Kept primarily offscreen for the duration of the film, the killer is usually made knowable by a distinctive shot or series of shots.
In this book, stalker films are studied as a group, not as individualistic products of a specific author, and are approached using an interdisciplinary method. Games of Terror concludes that the stalker film satisfies its audience on several levels: it functions simultaneously as a cinematic game, a psychosexual titillation, and a modern-day myth. In its latter function, the Stalker film serves as a system of communication, explaining an ongoing cultural conflict to its predominantly young (teenage) audience.
À propos de l'auteur :
Vera Dika is associate professor of cinema studies at New Jersey City University.
Voir le site internet de l'éditeur University of Wales Press
> Du même auteur :
Recycled Culture in Contemporary Art and Film (2003)
The Uses of Nostalgia
de Vera Dika
Sujet : Genre > Expérimental
> Sur un thème proche :
The Cinematic Boogeyman (2024)
From the Fairytale to the Slasher Film
Slasher Films (2009)
An International Filmography, 1960 through 2001
The Politics of Monstrous Figures in Contemporary Cinema (2025)
Witches, Zombies, and Cyborgs Re-enchanting the Ends of the World