European cinema is feted as both original and daring, challenging and sometimes controversial: it has created some of the most memorable horror films ever made and produced some of its most visionary and influential practitioners. Drawing together the story of European horror, this textbook traces its earliest roots in both the European carnival circuit and grand guignol theatre before examining its varied, often fragmented, development. Sometimes an outward-looking phenomenon, sometimes extremely insular, the diverse and interlinked histories of the European horror film in all their manifestations are explored a series of chronological chapters. The accompanying case studies examine key films in each period: Dog Soldiers, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Dracula, Suspiria and Let the Right One In. This overview of the varied and connected histories and movements of European horror cinema is an ideal resource for students of horror and European cinema alike.

Author Biography

Russ Hunter is a lecturer in Film and Television Studies, Northumbria University. He has published articles on cult and horror cinema and is the co-editor of a forthcoming edited collection on the cinema of Dario Argento.