horror & criminology
Where criminology meets the macabre!
Exploring how crime, criminology, and the criminal justice system are represented in horror films.
why should we study horror?
Horror is everywhere in contemporary culture. However, despite its popularity, horror films have rarely been studied by criminology and criminal justice scholars. This seems puzzling; after all, the majority of horror films are about crime (e.g., murder, sexual assault, home invasions). Additionally, horror films take place in a variety of environments and spaces (e.g., rural, suburban, urban, institutions, the cyberworld) nationally and globally; thus, there are several factors to explore through both a criminological and/or victimological perspective.
Here, we will explore the connection between horror films and criminology; how horror films portray crime, victims, and criminals to audiences; and how portrayals in horror films often do not always align with factual reality.
While the main focus will be on horror films, it’s likely that we will also explore other types of horror media, like literature, comics, video games, and anything else that emerges in the horror genre.
