Folk horror on screen with Diane A Rodgers

Explore the word of 1970s folk horror with film historian Diane A Rodgers.

The roots of horror are often firmly based in folk tales, myth and legend. Horror is indeed the stuff of folklore: unofficially recorded histories, campfire tales and urban legend.

But, whilst the schlock and gore antics of villains like Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees may have folkloric origins in satanic panics and urban legends, the films in which such characters appear are not regarded as folk horror.

Although the use of folklore is absolutely integral to folk horror narratives, conversely, not all horror is folk horror.

Folk horror is not even always horrific or merely restricted to the medium of film: its eerie dissonance can be observed extending beyond boundaries of genre and medium.

This talk explores the conventions of what we now think of as film and television folk horror, and discusses folk horror as part of a broader cultural context arising from 1970s popular culture and its continued impact on filmmakers today.

About the speaker:

Diane A. Rodgers is Senior Lecturer in Media, Arts and Communications and co-founder of the Centre for Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University. She has a background in film studies, working as a digital video editor, and playing in punk rock bands. She currently specialises in teaching alternative media, and storytelling in film and television (including cult TV, films, comics and folklore).

Diane is currently conducting PhD research in Folklore, folk horror and British Television.

Please note this will be a Zoom webinar. You will not be invited to use your audio or cameras but can ask your questions or give your comments through the Q&A chat.

All those who book will receive the LINK TO JOIN in an email from the library prior to the event.

This event is presented as part of our Customs and Folklore Festival.