VPA professor to discuss new book on horror films and American culture at September book talksAugust 30, 2005Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu
Kendall Phillips, associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies in Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, will discuss his new book, “Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture,” (Praeger, 2005) during book chats Sept. 10 at 4 p.m., at the Borders Books in Pyramid Mall, Ithaca, and Sept. 17 at 4 p.m., at the Borders Books in Carousel Mall, Syracuse. The chats are free and open to the public.
Phillips’ book explores the relationship between 10 classic horror films and the cultures they reflect. Selecting some of the most popular and influential horror films to date, Phillips offers a new approach to exploring the public’s attraction to horror films and the ways in which the pictures reflect cultural and individual fears. The book examines the connection of these films to American culture: “Dracula” (1931), “The Thing From Another World” (1951), “Psycho” (1960), “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974), “Halloween” (1978), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Scream” (1996) and “The Sixth Sense” (1999.)
