Ben Rubin and Geneveive Newman on Horror Archives at the University of Pittsburgh

Timothy Shary interviews Alessandra Seggi

Timothy Shary interviews Alessandra Seggi about her book Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-08686-1] (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), which examines approaches to this topic in a range of Hollywood and independent films. The thoughtful conversation discusses key recent examples, such as Archie’s Final Project (David Lee Miller, 2009), as well as more canonical films, such as Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955). The interview also touches on the important topic of how young people might approach these films in a salutary manner, to facilitate understanding of a difficult subject. Seggi and Shary demonstrate their wide-ranging knowledge of films about young people throughout the episode: Seggi’s follow-up work on youth and suicide in media has appeared in Visual Studies [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/permissions/10.1080/1472586X.2024.2399669?scroll=top] and In Media Res [https://mediacommons.org/imr/content/youtube-youth-suicidality-and-different-types-masculinity-logic%E2%80%99s-music], and Shary’s many publications include Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/teen-movies/9780231206211] (Wallflower Press, 2023) and Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in American Cinema Since 1980 [https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292760714/] (University of Texas Press, 2014).

Ben Rubin and Geneveive Newman on Horror Archives at the University of Pittsburgh

Geneveive Newman interviews Ben Rubin, Horror Collections Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh's Archives and Special Collections about all things horror archives!

Daniel Smith-Rowsey interviews Timothy Shary, Author of 'Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth' (Wallflower Press, 2023)

Daniel Smith-Rowsey interviews Timothy Shary about the second edition of his book Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/teen-movies/9780231206211] (Wallflower Press, 2023), which examines American cinema’s representation of teenagers. The thoughtful and expansive conversation covers a wide group of American teen films, ranging from Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955) to CODA (Sian Heder, 2021). The lengthy time period allows the discussion to touch on changes in depictions of gender, sexuality, and race in the films during this period, as well as ways in which the film industry has (and has not) responded to changes in teens themselves. Both Shary and Smith-Rowsey show their extensive knowledge of American film throughout: Teen Movies complements Shary’s Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in American Cinema Since 1980 (University of Texas Press, 2014), and Smith-Rowsey has published Star Actors in the Hollywood Renaissance: Representing Rough Rebels (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and Blockbuster Performances: How Actors Contribute to Cinema’s Biggest Hits (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).

Adam Lowenstein and Max Bledstein on “Horror Film and Otherness” (Columbia University Press, 2022)

Max Bledstein interviews Adam Lowenstein about his new book Horror Film and Otherness [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/horror-film-and-otherness/9780231205771] (Columbia University Press, 2022), which examines the treatment of social difference in horror. Through detailed and thoughtful close reading of films by directors including Tobe Hooper, George A. Romero, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Stephanie Rothman, Jennifer Kent, Marina de Van, and Jordan Peele, Lowenstein provides a compelling account of how horror depicts identity. Lowenstein and Bledstein discuss the genre’s complexities, some of its many critics, and its enduring (but evolving) significance. Read more about Horror Film and Otherness on the Columbia University Press website. Use the discount code CUP20 at checkout for a 20% discount. [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/horror-film-and-otherness/9780231205771]

“Monsters All, Are We Not?": An Interview with Julie Grossman and Will Scheibel

Matt Boyd Smith interviews Julie Grossman and Will Scheibel about their new edited volume Penny Dreadful and Adaptation: Reanimating and Transforming the Monster [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-12180-7] (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), which explores the titular Showtime series (2014-16) and its spinoff, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020). The rich and wide-ranging discussion touches on issues related to adaptation, gender, and the implications of the mosaic of references in both the original series and the spinoff (including Victorian literature, Universal horror films, and film noir). Grossman and Scheibel discuss the fascinating contributions made by their impressive array of contributors, and both demonstrate their own expertise throughout: Grossman previously published a monograph on adaptation, Literature, Film, and Their Hideous Progeny: Adaptation and ElasTEXTity [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137399021] (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), and Grossman and Scheibel collaborated on Twin Peaks [https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/twin-peaks] (Wayne State University Press, 2020), a TV Milestones volume exploring David Lynch's legendary series and its numerous paratexts. The conversation is a tie-in to the forthcoming New Review of Film and Television Studies special dossier "Women’s Authorship and Adaptation in Contemporary Television," guest edited by Sarah Louise Smyth (University of Essex) and Stefania Marghitu (Pitzer College), which will appear in issue 22.1 (2024).