Fear City Cinema

This book studies a grouping of films set in New York City between 1965 and 1995, reflecting a town besieged by rampant criminality, social distress and physical decay. “Fear City” is a term the NYPD used to label New York as a frightening environment, incapable of securing the safety of its residents. This book not only deals with the social problems evident in New York during this period, but also provides a study of how independent filmmakers were able to capture unsettling urban imagery, capitalizing on feelings of paranoia and dread. The author explores how the tone of these films reflects upon the anti-urbanism that led to the War on Crime, the mass exodus of working-class people from the city and mass incarceration of young Black men.

Roger A. Salerno is a professor of sociology at Pace University in New York and a practicing psychoanalyst.

Roger A. Salerno

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 235
Bibliographic Info: 18 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8090-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4591-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  vi
Preface  1
One. New York, New York: Ville de la peur  17
Two. Spaces of Fear  49
Three. Subways of Fear: Going for a Ride  76
Four. Sex, Drugs and Music  100
Five. Street Gangs in Fear City  131
Six. Fear City as a Racist Trope  150
Seven. Policing Fear City  172
Eight. Serial Killers, Lunatics, and Rapists:
At Home in Fear City  190
Conclusion  202
Filmography  205
References  209
Index  225