Horror fiction—in literature, film and television—display a wealth of potential, and appeal to diverse audiences. The trope of “the black man always dies first” still, however, haunts the genre. This book focuses on the latest cycle of diversity in horror fiction, starting with the release of Get Out in 2017, which inspired a new speculative turn for the genre. Using various critical frameworks like feminism and colonialism, the book also assesses diversity gaps in horror fictions, with an emphasis on marketing and storytelling methodology.
Reviewing the canon and definitions of horror may point to influences for future implications of diversity, which has cyclically manifested in horror fictions throughout history. This book studies works from literature, film and television while acknowledging that each of the formats are distinct artforms that complement each other. The author compares diverse representation in novels like The Castle of Otranto, Frankenstein, Fledgling, Broken Monsters and Mexican Gothic. Horror films like Bride of Frankenstein, It Comes at Night, Us and Get Out are also examined. Lastly, the author emphasizes the diverse horror fictions in television, like The Exorcist, Fear the Walking Dead, The Twilight Zone and Castle Rock.

Jonina Anderson-Lopez teaches English, writing, and communication courses at the University of South Florida and Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Jonina Anderson-Lopez

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 245
Bibliographic Info: 22 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8866-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4911-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 7
One—“It’s so commercial!”: Arguments Against Diversity 29
Two—“Why so blurry?”: Speculative Fiction and Slipstream 39
Three—From Frankenstein and Broken Monsters to Mexican Gothic: Diverse Horror Novels 68
Four—“I can’t look!”: Gender and Ableism in Visual Horror 104
Five—“The Invisible Man”: Race in Horror Films 131
Six—Racial Representation in Television 149
Seven—“Legion, for We are Many”: Streaming Platforms and Diverse Horror 165
Afterword: Reflections on the Future of U.S. Horror Fictions 213
Works Cited 219
Index 235