Film Studies 320MH - Film Melodrama and Horror

An examination of classic and contemporary works in two important film genres, melodrama and horror. Topics of particular interest: affinities as well as contrasts between genres; feminist analyses and uses of genre; normative and alternative representations of sexualities; genre and the representations of race; spectatorship and the production of affect - tears and screams - by these genres. Extensive readings in film studies and cultural theory. Directors may include Almodóvar, Cronenberg, Curtiz, DePalma, Hitchcock, Kent, Lee, Onwurah, Polanski, Ray, Romero, Sirk, Vidor, and Whale.

Prereq: 4 credits in Film Studies and 4 credits in English or permission of instructor.