The most iconic monsters in modern pop culture, including the vampire, the zombie, Frankenstein’s monster and even the mummy, have been the subject of numerous critical studies that have explored their cultural dimensions – or, in other words, the social, historical and political significance of the narratives in which they appear. The werewolf, on the other hand, has often been reduced to “the beast within,” or a psychoanalytic analogue for the bestial side of man. Phases of the Moon: A Cultural History of the Werewolf Film (2020) redresses the balance by providing wolf men and she-wolves with the same level of cultural analysis as has been afforded to their fellow monsters.
This talk, drawn from Phases of the Moon, will explore the evolution of the werewolf from antiquity to modern cinema, and illustrate that this hirsute horror has been shifting with the times for thousands of years. With a particular focus on the werewolf’s development in the contemporary horror film, it will illustrate that werewolf narratives have engaged with any number of social, cultural and political issues from the monster’s first appearances in The Werewolf (1913) and Werewolf of London (1935) to modern examples such as Late Phases (2014), Werewolves Within (2021) and Blackout (2023).
Craig Ian Mann is a film historian, writer and producer. He is the author of Phases of the Moon: A Cultural History of the Werewolf Film (2020), producer for Eureka Entertainment and founder of the Fear 2000 conference series on contemporary horror media.
Praise for Phases of the Moon...
Astute, absorbing and gleefully thorough! Craig Ian Mann offers a thoughtful and scholarly deep-dive into a century’s worth of werewolf movies, exploring themes of alienation, sexuality and rebellion within a cultural and historical context. Along the way, Mann happens to assert the irrefutable social significance of the horror genre. Bravo!
– Larry Fessenden, writer and director of Blackout
Phases of the Moon successfully illustrates that ‘the werewolf is not […] “passé” or “infertile”’ and demonstrates the importance of analysing […] cultural context in order to better understand the depiction of a werewolf in a movie. This book is indispensable not only for those beginning research on werewolf films, but also as a reference tool for researchers more familiar with the topic.
– Sandra Aline Wagner, University of Limerick, Gothic Studies
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Starting at 17.00
C²DH Open Space
Halloween costumes and food welcome!
Disclaimer:
The C²DH is not responsible for any accidents caused by low flying witches.
Enter at your own risk.