Future Folk Horror: Contemporary Anxieties and Possible Futures

Future Folk Horror explores the recent popularity of folk horror in novels and films, positioning it as a genre that uniquely captures the anxieties of the twenty-first century. It argues that folk horror can point to other ways of being in the world and visions of possible futures by intersecting with other genres and engaging with topics such as climate change, racism, and identity politics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 346 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

Future Folk Horror: Contemporary Anxieties and Possible Futures delves into the realm of folk horror, examining its recent surge in popularity in novels and films like The Witch (2015) and Candyman (2021). Contrary to traditional perceptions of the genre as mere representations of the monstrous, rural, and pagan past attempting to consume the present, the contributors to this collection argue that folk horror possesses the unique ability to encapsulate the anxieties of the twenty-first century, stemming from the ongoing pandemic and the divisive populist politics that have emerged in its wake. Moreover, this book showcases how folk horror, through its growing intersections with other genres such as science fiction, the weird, and eco-criticism, as exemplified in films and texts like The Zero Theorem (2013), The Witcher (2007–21), and Annihilation (2018), as well as its engagement with issues surrounding climate change, racism, and identity politics, can offer alternative ways of being in the world and glimpse into possible futures.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666921236