Book Review: Transgressive Horror Resurrected edited by Prof. Christopher McGlothlin, M.Ed.
Disclaimer: I backed the Kickstarter for this book and got a discounted copy. No other compensation was requested or offered.
This is the fourth book in the “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies” series, featuring essays about interesting or unusual films. This volume returns to horror-related movies, as a sequel to the first volume, Transgressive Horror (which I have not read.)
The essays cover forty films in roughly release order, from Häxan (1922) to Godzilla Minus One (2023), just over a century of scary movies. They range from the well-known (I just reviewed Freaks (1932) in my last post!) to obscurities unavailable legally in the United States as of this writing. There’s some classics and a few stinkers, showing the wide range that falls under the general rubric of “horror.”
The most structurally interesting essay is Caelum Vatnsdal’s look at The Jar (1984). The first part is written based on his dim memories of watching it decades ago stoned, while the second part was written after he’d rewatched it reasonably sober. And finally, an examination of what the movie’s actually about.
The oddest choice for this volume is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). But as essayist John Polojac points out, it’s about a mysterious eccentric who invites people into his house of wonders under false pretenses, and then inflicts terrifying punishments for breaking the rules he never bothered to explain. Doesn’t that sound like a horror movie plot to you?
My least favorite essay was Debaditya Mukhopadhyay’s look at Creature 3D (2014), which felt like a desperate attempt to have a Bollywood film represented in the book, even though the most transgressive thing about it (per the essay) was not being very good.
I was also amused by the Godzilla MInus One (2023) essay by Jason Walters that really wants to talk about that and Shin Godzilla (2016) together, but another writer has the latter film as their assignment.
Overall, it’s a good collection of essays on a fun variety of movies–maybe I’ll be looking up some of the ones I haven’t seen! This is recommended primarily to horror movie fans, and their relatives looking for a good present.
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