Monstrous Things

An indispensable resource for students and researchers of paranormal myth and media, this horror anthology explores both popular and obscure pieces about the undead and unholy. Beginning with the author's personal reflections on frightful manifestations in media, essays interrogate the roots and representations of well-known supernatural entities. Divided into three sections, chapters contextualize ghosts, vampires and monsters firmly within American culture. The section dedicated to ghosts features the author's 2004 essay "Spectral Turn" and explores spectrality in the work of Herman Melville and Toni Morrison. In the "Vampires" section, the author considers the undead bloodsucker's relationship to antisemitism, suicide and cinema. Lastly, the third section includes pieces that explore the otherizations of monsters in films like It Follows, 2017's IT and It Comes at Night. Considerations of monstrosity in the age of global pandemics, terrorism and "stranger danger " are also addressed at length.