Paranoia, the Bomb, and 1950s Science Fiction Films

By Cyndy Hendershot

Cyndy Hendershot argues that 1950s science fiction films open a window on the cultural paranoia that characterized 1950s America, a phenomenon largely triggered by use of nuclear weapons during World War II. This study uses psychoanalytic theory to examine the various monsters that inhabit 1950s sci-fi movies--giant insects, prehistoric creatures, mutants, uncanny doubles, to name a few--which serve as metaphorical embodiments of a varied and complex cultural paranoia. Postwar paranoia may have stemmed from the bomb, but it came to correlate with a wider range of issues such as anti-communism, internal totalitarianism, scientific progress, domestic problems, gender roles, and sexuality.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879727993
• ISBN13: 9780879727994
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Bowling Green State University Popular Press
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 9.3"