Slasher films have notoriously played into homophobic and transphobic tropes. But queer and trans fans love them anyway, and ‘Camp Miasma’ addresses that tension head-on.
Articles on Monsters
Displaying 1 - 20 of 46 articles
The horror category in the West has roots in South Asian, African and Indigenous narratives — a truth often overlooked.
A scholar of Tibetan Buddhism discusses how she challenges her students to rethink their preconceived notions of death, the afterlife and the concept of the ‘other.’
Writing about huge monsters is one way of confronting the things that make us feel small and vulnerable.
Monsters reveal how societies define and punish deviance. Wintering’s widows make me think about the women I know who are strong and wise in ways neither recognised nor endorsed by the mainstream.
Is the beastie lurking in the watery depths of Loch Ness?
Ruby Gillman is not the Monstrous beast of Norweigan folklore but an awkward teen going through a big change.
The story of Anne Hamilton-Byrne’s cult The Family has been told in a non-fiction book and documentary, a novel, In the Clearing, and now a Disney+ series. What can stories like this teach us?
So many of our artistic geniuses have complicated legacies. What do we do with work we love by artists whose behaviour is more difficult to admire?
Shinto and Buddhist ideas about interconnectedness have deeply influenced Japan, shaping centuries-old rituals and stories whose impact continues today.
The field of ‘monster studies’ looks at how texts reflect ideas about what’s evil, weird or scary.
With the longest coastline in England, serpent myths abound in Essex.
A mermaid with face of a monkey and body of fish has reignited interest in the Japanese ningyo
The ‘Disneyfication’ of fairies has helped us forget their darker origins.
In myths and songs, Hairypeople were understood as human-like but uncivilised. Different responses to them in two Warlpiri communities show how colonisation has changed these monsters too.
Hollywood loves a good monster battle, and where better to turn for inspiration than the animal kingdom? Traits from real animals can provide clues about the fighting prowess of Kong and Godzilla.
A tale of vampirism would have been shocking to readers at the time if was published, not because of its monsters, but its politics.
Some horror films explore women’s struggles for empowerment, sexual freedom and self-fulfilment. Six movies show the ghost, bride, mother, vampiress, witch and monster as guises of vengeful women.
Fear of a disease that seemed to turn people into beasts might have inspired belief in supernatural beings that live on in today’s creepy Halloween costumes.
Scientists are left with two conclusions. Either Nessie is an eel, or she never existed at all.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Research, University of Hertfordshire
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Sessional Academic, Literature and Culture; Professional & Creative Writing Teacher, The University of Queensland
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Senior Lecturer and Head of Anthropology, Australian National University
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Honorary Research Fellow in Palaeobiology, University of Leicester
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Associate Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University
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Distinguished Professor and Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Associate Professor in Evolution and Palaeobiology, University of Southampton
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Professor of Film, York St John University
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Senior Teaching Fellow in Archaeological Practice, University of Bristol
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Leo S. Bing Chair in English and American Literature, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Conducting research in Civil-Military Relations, University of Bath
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Professor of Mathematics, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Professor of Screen Aesthetics and Criticism, University of Birmingham
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Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies, Brunel University of London
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Lecturer in Victorian Literature, University of St Andrews