The Cambridge Companion to American Horror

Taking Horror seriously, the book surveys America's bloody and haunted history through its most terrifying cultural expressions.

This book provides an essential guide to one of the most popular contemporary genres. Ranging across disciplines, underpinned by historical scholarship and alert to the latest thinking, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in America's dark past and present.Opening up the warm body of American Horror – through literature, film, TV, music, video games, and a host of other mediums – this book gathers the leading scholars in the field to dissect the gruesome histories and shocking forms of American life. Through a series of accessible and informed essays, moving from the seventeenth century to the present day, The Cambridge Companion to American Horror explores one of the liveliest and most progressive areas of contemporary culture. From slavery to censorship, from occult forces to monstrous beings, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in America's most terrifying cultural expressions.