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Book Review: Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism, and Innocence in the Series edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

McFarland, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781476671864

Available:  Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Uncovering Stranger Things presents 23 essays exploring how the show uses the lens of ’80s pop culture to shape the viewer’s understanding of the decade, albeit through distorted memory. The research and analysis in each chapter is valuable and reinforces the idea that popular culture materials have academic value, while making the material approachable by readers interested in taking a closer look at their favourite series.

The first section focuses on popular culture, looking at the influence of Stephen King with a comparison of films like IT, Stand By Me, and others; the rise of synthwave and post-punk music and their influence on Stranger Things; the rise and competition of nostalgia in Mad Men and Stranger Things; Columbian television audiences and ’80s television (which made me find reruns of ALF); and, of course, how Dungeons and Dragons is a positive driving force in Stranger Things. As someone who grew up during the Satanic Panic and just joined a new Classic, red book D&D table, this is particularly poignant and timely information.

The second section of the book deals with cinema and its influence on Stranger Things. The comparisons and critiques of the show to films such as the original Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Breakfast Club, Firestarter, Bride of Re-Animator, Scanners, and, arguably one of the most essential dissections, John Carpenter’s The Thing, are all valuable in understanding the world of Stranger Things. The chapter on the comparison of 80s and current Winona Ryder’s characters was interesting in that her younger characters were firmly rooted in the upper middle-class tax bracket while the character of Joyce Byers is a working class low-income single mother, and how the reflection of Reagan-era economics misled and damaged 80s families. This section would not be complete without an analysis of Spielberg’s films and their inversion in Stranger Things.

The third section unpacks a lot on gender and orientation. From gender politics to queer theory, the authors tackled so much valuable content: the monstrous feminine, Reagan-era politics and the AIDS crisis, bullying and bad 1980s parenting, and conservatism and treatment of female characters (in particular, a great analysis on how the badass moments of Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler aren’t as badass as the Duffer Brothers think they are) are all addressed.

The fourth section digs more into the culture, politics, and society of the 80s, including the illusion of the nuclear family; an interesting critique of Chief Hopper, his interactions with the characters, and his environment; the idea that viewers (especially of a certain age) are invested in the “in-between” of having lived in the 80s and reflecting on them simultaneously through Stranger Things; education policy reform in the Reagan era; distrust of the government; and what exactly is the strangest thing about Stranger Things.

The book is perfect for the academic and horror fan alike. Constant themes run through each chapter, namely nostalgia and Reagan-era politics. I grew up in this time period, so reading the various analyses brings me, I think, a uniquely 80s reaction to the content. This is not to say others won’t “get it”, because they absolutely will. However, reliving the 80s through memory and through the series may have a different effect on those of us who lived it. I think all of the contributors to this book have valid and valuable observations on the show and the era it harkens from.  Highly recommended.

Contains: spoilers

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 9, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Horror Express by John Connolly

Horror Express by John Connolly.

PS Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1786364098

Available: Hardcover

 

Non-fiction books in horror tend to be labors of love. Look to Stephen King’s Danse Macabre and Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell for two amazing examples of examining the macro side of the horror genre. Then there are those authors who prefer to hone in on a single topic. John Connolly has done so here in Horror Express from the always quality PS Publishing. Connolly has long been a force in the thriller genre, especially with his dark thriller series starring PI Charlie Parker, ,the classic The Book of Lost Things and its successors.

Curiously, Connolly admits that he hadn’t watched the movie since he was a child. Why focus on a little known movie that he saw so long ago? Psychologically speaking, that’s a bit fascinating and intriguing, if a bit of a head-scratcher, since the film isn’t a classic either in cult status or in popular circles. but it will likely cause many to seek out the lost film.

Filmed in 1972, Horror Express is a Spanish film that stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, usually enough reason to watch. Set in 1906, the iconic pair discover a strange humanoid in the ice, and have to transport it across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express. As it evokes both the best of Hammer movies and John Carpenter’s The Thing, it’s easy to see why Connelly has this movie stuck in his craw. Even though it may not be well-known, countless gems do exist, and those of us who were weaned on horror films understand the passion for movies such as this.

Connolly separates the book into four sections, each chronicling his experience with the movie. They are: “The Excavation”; “The Protagonists”; “The Autopsy”; and “The Afterlife”.  What is most impressive is the way Connolly delves into the relationship between the two stars, and how they worked on this odd piece. Upon closer inspection, one can begin to draw parallels between his own dark novels and see how Horror Express  may have influenced him as an author. That section is a piece worth the purchase for diehard Connolly fans alone. His work has, in turn, influenced countless writers in the past twenty years so to dissect how an iconic member of the thriller/horror community was shaped is something that readers rarely get to experience. Recommended for film fans and those who can’t get enough of this fine author.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Editor’s note: Horror Express is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction. 

 

Posted on May 5, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror by Howard David Ingham, illustrated by Steven Horry

We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror by Howard David Ingham, illustrated by Steven Horry

Room 207 Press, 2018

ISBN: 9781722748814

Available: Kindle, paperback

Full disclosure: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror is Ingham’s authoritative (although he would probably cringe at me using that term) look at folk horror. Pagan conspiracies, witchfinders, dark fairy tales, and cult activity are only a few of the themes of the movies he presents.

Ingham lays out some guidelines to how he wrote this book. Entries are arranged by theme and not chronologically. He states that this is not meant to be used as a reference book, and there are plenty of spoilers throughout. The author uses various icons, designed and illustrated by Steven Horry, to indicate specific information for readers (a bony thumbs up indicates he enjoyed the film, a bloody knife indicates gore, a stop sign warns readers of more sensitive material such as rape, abuse, etc.). Ingham specifies that he makes use of content warnings as a means to inform the viewer and help them make an informed decision before they watch a film. The author also provides a synopsis of each film with autobiographical information, as a means to break down the piece at hand. Similar to Kier-La Janisse’s autobiographical topography, House of Psychotic Women, Ingham includes personal information in each section. So much content blended with the autobiographical information makes for a very long read, but also an interesting one. While he states in his introduction that his purpose is not to review the films, he does provide many of his personal opinions of the works discussed.

There are 16 total chapters in this book. Ingham covers folk horror from the Silent Era to modern film, and has an international scope. I won’t go into every chapter in this review, as it would be a weighty endeavor on both myself and the reader to parse out. However, I do have some favorite chapters. Ingham begins with what he calls “The Unholy Trinity (Plus One)”, which includes Curse of the Demon (based on an absolutely beautiful tale by M.R. James, whom the author discusses in multiple chapters), Witchfinder General (a favorite of mine, given that I adore Vincent Price), and The Wicker Man (starring another favourite of mine, Christopher Lee). The “plus one” Ingham includes in the chapter is Blood on Satan’s Claw, another film based on the work of M.R. James. In the second chapter, Ingham discusses folk horror on British television from the 1970s, such as Against the Crowd, selections from the Play for Today series (Robin Redbreast, Penda’s Fen, A Photograph, and Red Shift), Ghost Stories for Christmas, The Stone Tapes, and others. Particularly interesting in this chapter is the discussion of his own experience with class hierarchy and how he felt like an outsider.

For those of us who like our horror comedies (especially of the British variety), the author presents solid reasoning as to why shows like Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, The League of Gentlemen, Look Around You, and Detectorists belong firmly in the folk horror genre. If you haven’t seen Inside No. 9, developed by the creative team behind The League of Gentlemen, go check it out. You won’t be disappointed. The last chapter, “The Revived”, discusses films such as The Wicker Tree, Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England, The Witch: A New England Folk Tale, and others that have been created in the last decade.

The author includes an extensive index of films referred to in the text, which makes my horror film must-see list much longer. If you are new to folk horror, or just want to brush up on your favorite horror subgenre, I recommend picking this book up. I think the major criticism I have with this book is (and again, I read the advanced readers’ copy so some of this may have been picked up upon final edits), there is an excessive use of “and” at the beginning of many sentences, and a few sections could use a tighter edit. Otherwise I think this is a solid addition to a horror film collection. Recommended.

Contains: a lot of spoilers

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction.

Posted on May 4, 2019 by , 1 comment
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