Attack of the New B Movies: Essays on SYFY Original Films

The Sci-Fi Channel (later rebranded as Syfy) has aired over 500 network-produced or commissioned films, including the Sharknado franchise. This collection of essays is the first to devote critical attention to Syfy's original film canon, exploring the cultural, historical, and critical underpinnings of these films and offering a variety of approaches to understanding and interrogating them within the broader contexts of ecocriticism, monster theory, post-9/11 criticism, and neocolonialism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2023
Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc

Since its inception in 1992, the Sci-Fi Channel (later rebranded as Syfy) has aired over 500 network-produced or commissioned films. Campy and prolific, the network churned out one low-budget film after another, finally finding its zenith in the 2013 release of Sharknado. With unpretentious charm and a hearty helping of commodified nostalgia, the Sharknado franchise briefly ruled the cultural consciousness and temporarily transformed Syfy's original films from cult fringe to appointment television. Naturally, the network followed up with a steady stream of sequels and spin-offs, including Lavalantula and its sequel, 2 Lava 2 Lantula! This collection of essays is the first to devote critical attention to Syfy's original film canon, both pre- and post-Sharknado. In addition to unpacking the cultural, historical, and critical underpinnings of the monsters at the heart of Syfy's classic creature features, the contributors offer a variety of approaches to understanding and interrogating these films within the broader contexts of ecocriticism, monster theory, post-9/11 criticism, and neocolonialism. Providing a further entry point for future scholarship, an appendix details a thorough filmography of Syfy's original films from 1992 to 2020.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781476683232