Phallic Panic

Description

The horror film has always been populated by male monsters, many of which do carry out monstrous acts of violation, rape and castration. The horror film is also filled with male monsters who grow fur, change shape, bleed and give birth. What is it that defines male monstrosity? How does the male monster differ from the female monster? Vampires, werewolves, cannibals and slashers-why do audiences find monsters in movies so terrifying? In Phallic Panic, Barbara Creed ranges widely across film, literature and myth, throwing new light on this haunted territory. Looking at classic horror films such as Frankenstein, The Shining and Jack the Ripper, Creed provocatively questions the anxieties, fears and the subversive thrills behind some of the most celebrated monsters. This follow-up to her influential book The Monstrous-Feminine is an important and enjoyable read for scholars and students of film, cultural studies, psychoanalysis and the visual arts.

Barbara Creed is Professor of Cinema Studies and Head of the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. She is author of the acclaimed The Monstrous-feminine- Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis; Media Matrix- Sexing the New Reality and Phallic Panic- Film, Horror & the Primal Uncanny. She is also a well-known film critic and media commentator, and her writings on cinema have been translated into many languages for a range of international journals and anthologies.