British horror cinema /

Following the blood trail of British horror and dipping into popular horror fanzines and cultural studies, Chibnall and Petley have stitched together a provocative body of critical essays on the films, their creators, and their critics. Confronting the negative connotations of that uniquely British literary and film genre of gothic horror, various authors pick up the polemical challenge of placing the cheap, nasty, and crude films in historical contexts and critical perspectives (e.g., the British Board of Film Censors). Petley's own contribution chronicles the literary tradition of Walpole against the "tide of vituperation" of critics like Coleridge, establishing a clear connection of parallel British responses to literature and film. Of special note is John Tibbetts's superlative investigation of "the old dark house" and the ambiguous haunted architecture within The Turn of the Screw and The Innocents. The contributors' writing is crisp, intelligible, and succinct, to the credit of all. Interviews with director Clive Barker and his "Pinhead" actor Doug Bradley add inventive insights to the study of the monstrous genre. Film stills brighten the shadows of this sanguine work. Highly recommended for all readers, both general and academic. T. Lindvall Regent University