Overview

This book provides a fresh look at American horror remakes produced in the years since 2000, and represents a significant academic intervention into an understanding of the remaking trend. Offering an alternative take to the critical and scholarly dismissal of genre remakes as derivative copies, Reanimated instead approaches the films as intertextual adaptations which have both drawn from and helped to shape the genre in the 21st Century. Including detailed analysis of films from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to IT, and identifying distinct cycles, production strategies and patterns of reception, this study illustrates the importance of the remake to contemporary horror cinema. Rather than representing the death of horror, remaking instead demonstrates the genre's remarkable capacity to reanimate.

Full Product Details

9781474440646

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Critics and horror fans alike have typically rejected the Hollywood remake as economically lucrative, but artistically and politically bankrupt. Yet, by reappraising the remake as a mode of adaptation, Laura Mee compellingly argues that this major strand of twenty-first-century American horror cinema is as creatively alive as the genre itself.--David Church, Indiana University Laura Mee reinvigorates debates about the American Horror remake with this dynamic and authoritative discussion of the genre's post-2000 boom. Reframing popular discourses that surround these films, Mee convincingly shows them to be a vital part of the tapestry of contemporary horror cinema, offering an essential contribution to horror studies.--Stacey Abbott, University of Roehampton Reanimated is invaluable for both research and those wishing to take a thorough look at this topic. The breadth of analysis is at the level one would expect in an academic text but with Mee bringing so many complex threads together with such clarity the book feels welcomingly accessible. It's important to note too that Mee is not just writing as an academic here, as the passion and enthusiasm she harbours for the genre is evident, a factor which adds genuine delight and pleasure to the reading experience. It is no overestimation to assert that Reanimated will change the way horror fans appraise remakes, fostering an appreciation for their position in the evolution of the horror genre.--Rebecca McCallum ""Moving Pictures Film Club"" Horror remakes are often dismissed as purely commercial products designed to capitalise on 'original' horror films from earlier eras. In this smart and authoritative account, Laura Mee challenges these dismissals by demonstrating how remakes like Evil Dead (2013) and Candyman (2021) are a crucial part of the horror genre's evolution.--Iain Robert Smith, King's College London"

Critics and horror fans alike have typically rejected the Hollywood remake as economically lucrative, but artistically and politically bankrupt. Yet, by reappraising the remake as a mode of adaptation, Laura Mee compellingly argues that this major strand of twenty-first-century American horror cinema is as creatively alive as the genre itself.--David Church, Indiana University Laura Mee reinvigorates debates about the American Horror remake with this dynamic and authoritative discussion of the genre's post-2000 boom. Reframing popular discourses that surround these films, Mee convincingly shows them to be a vital part of the tapestry of contemporary horror cinema, offering an essential contribution to horror studies.--Stacey Abbott, University of Roehampton Reanimated is invaluable for both research and those wishing to take a thorough look at this topic. The breadth of analysis is at the level one would expect in an academic text but with Mee bringing so many complex threads together with such clarity the book feels welcomingly accessible. It's important to note too that Mee is not just writing as an academic here, as the passion and enthusiasm she harbours for the genre is evident, a factor which adds genuine delight and pleasure to the reading experience. It is no overestimation to assert that Reanimated will change the way horror fans appraise remakes, fostering an appreciation for their position in the evolution of the horror genre.--Rebecca McCallum ""Moving Pictures Film Club"" Horror remakes are often dismissed as purely commercial products designed to capitalise on 'original' horror films from earlier eras. In this smart and authoritative account, Laura Mee challenges these dismissals by demonstrating how remakes like Evil Dead (2013) and Candyman (2021) are a crucial part of the horror genre's evolution.--Iain Robert Smith, King's College London

Author Information

Dr Laura Mee is a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television at the University of Hertfordshire. She is the author of The Shining (Devil’s Advocates) (2017).

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