The Turn to Gruesomeness in American Horror Films, 1931-1936

by Jon Towlson

Critics have traditionally characterized classic horror by its use of shadow and suggestion. Yet the graphic nature of early 1930s films only came to light in the home video/DVD era. Along with gangster movies and "sex pictures," horror films drew audiences during the Great Depression with sensational content.

Exploiting a loophole in the Hays Code, which made no provision for on-screen "gruesomeness," studios produced remarkably explicit...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786494743
• ISBN13: 9780786494743
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.9" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher