Indian Horror Cinema (En)gendering the Monstrous
Auteur : Dhusiya Mithuraaj
This book studies the hitherto overlooked genre of horror cinema in India. It uncovers some unique and diverse themes that these films deal with, including the fear of the unknown, the supernatural, occult practices, communication with spirits of the deceased, ghosts, reincarnation, figures of vampires, zombies, witches and transmutations of human beings into non-human forms such as werewolves. It focusses on the construction of feminine and masculine subjectivities in select horror films across seven major languages ? Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, Marathi and Malayalam.
The author shows that the alienation of the body and bodily functions through the medium of the horror film serves to deconstruct stereotypes of caste, class, gender and anthropocentrism. Some riveting insights emerge thus, such as the masculinist undertow of the possession narrative and how complex structures of resistance accompany the anxieties of culture via the dread of laughter.
This original account of Indian cinematic history is accessible yet strongly analytical and includes an exhaustive filmography. The book will interest scholars and researchers in film studies, media and cultural studies, art, popular culture and performance, literature, gender, sociology, South Asian studies, practitioners, filmmakers as well as cinephiles.
Acknowledgements. Introduction: Horror in Indian Cinema: An Afterthought? 1. The Masculinist Economy of Possession Narratives 2. Vampirism as Structures of Resistance 3. The Ghastly Gendered Narrative of Animal Transformation 4. Zombies and Witches and the Anxieties of Culture 5. Do We Fear Laughter? The Genre of Horror-Comedy 6. There are No Ghosts, Only Ghostly Tales: Indian Horror and the ‘Uncanny’. Epilogue: Fear, Are We There Yet?. Appendix: Annotated Filmography of Horror Films in India. Glossary. Bibliography. Filmography. Index
Mithuraaj Dhusiya teaches English literature in the Department of English at Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
Date de parution : 05-2019
13.8x21.6 cm
Date de parution : 09-2017
13.8x21.6 cm
Thème d’Indian Horror Cinema :
Mots-clés :
Indian Horror Cinema; Indian Horror; films; Hindi Cinema; hindi; Young Man; Tamil Nadu; Hindi Horror Films; Aruna Raje; Tamil Cinema; Female Homosociality; Horror Films; Western Horror Films; Slasher Films; Marathi Film; Father Daughter Incest; Vampire Films; Raj Khosla; Indian Cinema; Occult Horror Films; Gangster Films; Vagina Dentate; Malayalam Cinema; Audience Reception Theory; Hindutva Nationalism; Full Moon Night; Transformation Films