Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers

"In this compelling and wonderfully readable volume, Julian Hanich seeks to analyze the specific pleasures of cinematic fear by first canvassing the generic pleasures of cinema: the visceral thrill of adrenalized action sequences; the transgressive charge of forbidden fruit such as R-rated movies and identification with villainous characters; and the smug intellectual pleasures of film aficionados demonstrating their cultural capital through appreciation of intertextuality, genericity, and aesthetic strategies." --Jane Stadler, Projections "There are several elements of this book that are appealing. First, it is clearly and engagingly written [...]. Second, the author is eclectic in his resources, drawing from scholarship in both German and English, from phenomenology, cognitive film theory, and cultural studies. [...It] is a substantial achievement."--Carl Plantinga, author of Moving Viewers: American Film and the Spectator's Experience "...[an] impressive account of genre, aesthetics, and audience affect..." "...[a] compelling and wonderfully readable volume [that] make[s] an important addition to scholarship that bridges film and philosophy" "The difference between Hanichs work and much scholarship on film and embodiment is his superior ability to contextualize and qualify his claims, thoughtfully developing their implications..."--Jane Stadler, author of Pulling Focus: Intersubjective Experience, Narrative Film and Ethics "...Hanich indeed manages to take a fresh, perceptive look at Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers."--Rolf Lchel in Literaturkritik.de "A contribution absolutely worth reading [...]. The argument is well-founded and developed in a highly readable fashion throughout the book. It raises many interesting questions. Hence this study could soon become a standard reference for the study of horror films and thrillers."--Rayd Khouloki, Sehepunkte.de and author of Der filmische Raum: Konstruktion, Wahrnehmung, Bedeutung

Julian Hanich teaches film and media studies, currently working at the interdisciplinary research center Languages of Emotion of the Free University Berlin. From August 2012 he will be Assistant Professor of Film Studies at the University of Groningen. His articles have appeared in The New Review of Film and Television Studies, Jump Cut and Film-Philosophy. In his research he focuses on cinematic emotions and affects, the viewer's imagination, film and phenomenology, the collective viewing experience as well as genre studies (melodrama, pornography, comedy, heist movies). He is also a film critic for the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel. His homepage can be found at www.julianhanich.de.

List of Figures Acknowledgments Part I Introduction Chapter One: How to Describe Cinematic Fear, or Why Phenomenology? Chapter Two: Multiplexperiences: Individualized Immersion and Collective Feelings Part II Chapter Three: Frightening Fascination: A Phenomenology of Direct Horror Chapter Four: Intimidating Imaginations: A Phenomenology of Suggested Horror Chapter Five: Startling Scares: A Phenomenology of Cinematic Shock Chapter Six: Anxious Anticipations: A Phenomenology of Cinematic Dread Chapter Seven: Apprehensive Agitation: A Phenomenology of Cinematic Terror Part III Chapter Eight: Moments of Intensity: Lived-Body Metamorphoses and Experienced Time Chapter Nine: Moments of Collectivity: The Cinema of Fear and Feelings of Belongingness Chapter Ten: The End Notes Bibliography Index