Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema

by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.

The horror film is meant to end in Regan McNeil can be exorcized. A hydrophobic Roy Scheider can blow up a shark. Buffy can and will slay vampires. Heroic human qualities like love, bravery, resourcefulness, and intelligence will eventually defeat the monster. But, after the 9/11, American horror became much more bleak, with many films ending with the deaths of the entire main cast.

Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema illustrates how contemporary horror films explore visceral and emotional reactions to the attacks and how they underpin audiences' ongoing fears about their safety. It examines how scary movies have changed as a result of 9/11 and, conversely, how horror films construct and give meaning to the event in a way that other genres do not. Considering films such as Quarantine, Cloverfield, Hostel and the Saw series, Wetmore examines the transformations in horror cinema since 9/11 and considers not merely how the tropes have changed, but how our understanding of horror itself has changed.
The horror film is meant to end in Regan McNeil can be exorcized. A hydrophobic Roy Scheider can blow up a shark. Buffy can and will slay vampires. Heroic human qualities like love, bravery, resourcefulness, and intelligence will eventually defeat the monster. But, after the 9/11, American horror became much more bleak, with many films ending with the deaths of the entire main cast.

Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema illustrates how contemporary horror films explore visceral and emotional reactions to the attacks and how they underpin audiences' ongoing fears about their safety. It examines how scary movies have changed as a result of 9/11 and, conversely, how horror films construct and give meaning to the event in a way that other genres do not. Considering films such as Quarantine, Cloverfield, Hostel and the Saw series, Wetmore examines the transformations in horror cinema since 9/11 and considers not merely how the tropes have changed, but how our understanding of horror itself has changed.

Genres: Horror, Film, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2012

About the author

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is Professor and Chair of Theatre Arts with areas of expertise in Japanese theatre, African theatre, Shakespeare, Asian cinema, horror cinema, Greek tragedy, stage combat and comedy. He has degrees from Bates College, the University of Leeds and the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his doctorate in Theatre and Performance Studies. He also received an M.A. in Theology from LMU.

In addition to his scholarly work, Dr.Wetmore is an actor, director, stage combat choreographer, and comedian.

Reviews

[clumsyplankton]

It’s hard to rate this book as it’s more of discussion literature, however I thought it was interesting in its discussions but at times it seemed the author was trying to force examples to fit the discussion even when it didn’t feel right.

[Chris]

Comparing 9/11 imagery with horror movie scenes. Plenty of astute observations, sometimes surprising, sometimes not. Contains pictures. Good discussion about fear and how it connects to 9/11. Films that are explored include War of The Worlds (2005), The Happening (2008), Cloverfield (2008), The Strangers (2008), etc.

The danger with this book is losing sight of the multifacetedness of storytelling. Sure, there are 9/11 references in horror films from the 2000s and beyond, but these films are also about many other things besides terrorism. Wetmore acknowledges there are other interpretations.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a bit simplistic in some parts, nonetheless provides and interesting overview of how some of the shift in horror cinema trends in recent years can be seen as a response to 9/11, particularly with regard to the increased nihilism of current film. It might have been interesting to see the net cast a bit wider--there probably aren't more than a few dozen films cited--and it would have been useful to examine a few counterexamples, since, for example, nihilism in horror films is hardly an invention of the 2000s. Interesting enough, though, and recommends a few films I haven't heard of previously.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all of it works (Wetmore is occasionally too willing to attribute motifs and reception to zeitgeist and dismiss other factors), but what does is outstanding. He's managed to define and explain numerous post-9/11 horror trends which I had been able to sense intuitively but had never considered in depth.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dig the argument, but it's often overshadowed by way too much summary.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the conclusions the author draws are tenuous but overall an interesting read.