Horror Studies: Genre Updates in the 21st Century

From metahorror to remakes of cult films—Alexander Pavlov explores the renaissance of the horror genre in his engaging audiobook.

Dive into a world of cinema that frightens, enthralls, and makes you think!

After its rise in the 1980s and fall in the 1990s, the horror genre began a moderate but confident upswing in the 2000s. However, as early as 2010, scholars noted that critics and fans of horror films were discussing the genre in terms of “crisis.” But soon everything changed. Horror blossomed and experienced a renaissance. New authors appeared (Robert Eggers, Jordan Peele, Ari Aster), new subgenres (metahorror, post-horror, folk horror) emerged; many classic films and franchises received remakes and reboots (“Saw,” “Scream,” the series “The Twilight Zone”).

These processes—mostly using American material—are examined in his new book by philosopher and film scholar Alexander Pavlov. Special attention is given to changes in how horror films have become politicized, which for the last fifty years reflect many problems of different societies.

Alexander Pavlov is Doctor of Philosophy, professor, and head of the School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Liberal Arts of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Author of the books “Bad Cinema” (2022), “Post-Postmodernism” (2023), and others.