French Horror
Industry, Society and Media
Will be published approx. on 31. July 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-3995-5716-0 (ISBN)
Description
French Horror: Industry, Society and Media provides an overview of French horror film and television of the 21st century, exploring the particularities of the genre on both an industrial and a theoretical basis to identify an essential 'Frenchness'.
The book argues that there are a number of distinct production, formal and socio-cultural characteristics present in these works that mark them as uniquely French, including, among others, critical suspicion of homegrown horror and a corresponding lack of industrial support, attempts to evoke auteurism in certain creative figures, reference to key moments of French history, the framing of body horror and violence and the use of the banlieues.
Through a series of close readings of both major and lesser-known texts, French Horror: Industry, Society and Media illustrates a rise in horror in the 21st century that is distinctly and unapologetically French.
The book argues that there are a number of distinct production, formal and socio-cultural characteristics present in these works that mark them as uniquely French, including, among others, critical suspicion of homegrown horror and a corresponding lack of industrial support, attempts to evoke auteurism in certain creative figures, reference to key moments of French history, the framing of body horror and violence and the use of the banlieues.
Through a series of close readings of both major and lesser-known texts, French Horror: Industry, Society and Media illustrates a rise in horror in the 21st century that is distinctly and unapologetically French.
Reviews / Votes
This excellent volume rethinks French horror beyond the familiar lenses of auteurism and the New French Extremity, offering a long-overdue intervention into the field. Its attention to production histories and French cultural policy is especially significant, providing insights that resonate beyond national borders. Moving from films like Eyes without a Face to The Substance, the volume traces a compelling trajectory for understanding horror in France and beyond. * Tina Kendall, Anglia Ruskin University *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
20 B&W
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-5716-0 (9781399557160)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Reece Goodall is a Director of Student Experience at the University of Warwick, where he completed a PhD thesis comprising an industrial and theoretical analysis of contemporary French horror cinema. He has previously written for French Screen Studies, Horror Studies and Animation Studies, and is the author of the forthcoming monograph French Horror: Industry, Society and Media and the editor of the forthcoming Horror Spoofs and Parody: Dying of Laughter.
Content
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
1. Introduction
2. The Limited History of French Horror
3. New Avenues of Distribution
4. Looking Forward Through Looking Back: Historicizing French Horror
5. Genre and Nation in the Works of Alexandre Aja
6. Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo: Monstrous Mothers and Spaces of Horror
7. Gender and the Body in the Film sof Julia Ducournau and Coralie Fargeat
8. Race and the banlieues
9. Horror Naturelle
10. Lapsing Identities and the Fear of Vanishing Frenchness
11. Conclusion
Apendix
References
List of Figures
1. Introduction
2. The Limited History of French Horror
3. New Avenues of Distribution
4. Looking Forward Through Looking Back: Historicizing French Horror
5. Genre and Nation in the Works of Alexandre Aja
6. Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo: Monstrous Mothers and Spaces of Horror
7. Gender and the Body in the Film sof Julia Ducournau and Coralie Fargeat
8. Race and the banlieues
9. Horror Naturelle
10. Lapsing Identities and the Fear of Vanishing Frenchness
11. Conclusion
Apendix
References