The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula

by Alexandra West

Overview

Many critics and fans refer to the 1990s as the decade that horror forgot, with few notable entries in the genre. Yet horror went mainstream in the '90s by speaking to the anxieties of American youth during one of the country's most prosperous eras.

No longer were films made on low budgets and dependent on devotees for success. Horror found its way onto magazine covers, fashion ads and CD soundtrack covers. "Girl power" feminism and a growing distaste for consumerism defined an audience that both embraced and rejected the commercial appeal of these films.

This in-depth study examines the youth subculture and politics of the era, focusing on such films as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Idle Hands (1999) and Cherry Falls (2000).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476670645
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	06/08/2018
Pages:	195
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.39(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alexandra West has written about genre films for The Toronto Star, Rue Morgue Magazine and Offscreen Film Journal. In 2012, she co-founded the Faculty of Horror podcast, exploring the films’ analytical side. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Stacie Ponder
Introduction
 1. They Never Had It So Good: America in the 1990s
 2. Imitate Us: America’s Youth Culture
 3. Co-Deads: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and My Boyfriend’s Back (1993)
 4. First Blood: The Crush (1993) and Fear (1996)
 5. Generation Hex: The Craft (1996)
 6. Bowling for Woodsboro: Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000)
 7. Hit and Run: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
 8. Circulate Widely: Urban Legend (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (1998)
 9. Cutting Class: Disturbing Behavior (1998), The Faculty (1998) and Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
10. Re-Generation: Halloween H20 (1998) and The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
11. Lust for Life: Wicked (1998) and Idle Hands (1999)
12. The Millennium Approaches: Cherry Falls (2000), Final Destination (2000) and Scary Movie (2000)
13. It’s All Coming Back to Me Now: Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006) and Scream 4 (2011)
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A fun and readily accessible look at the philosophical themes (and commercial considerations) that tie these movies together… West’s writing is lucid and appealing… Hews to a conversational style that brings these films and their intellectual considerations to life with flair, on a subgenre all too often ignored in horror… West is a solid writer with fascinating things to say.”—The AV Club.

From the Publisher