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All Outputs (4)

“A malignant, seething hatework”: an introduction to U.S. 21st century hardcore horror (2016)
Journal Article
Aston, J. (2016). “A malignant, seething hatework”: an introduction to U.S. 21st century hardcore horror. Senses of cinema,

The proliferation of U.S. horror films in the 21 st century has engendered an increase in critical and academic response which has almost exclusively focused on the conventions of mainstream horror cinema. That is, films sanctioned by classificatory... Read More about “A malignant, seething hatework”: an introduction to U.S. 21st century hardcore horror.

"I've never murdered anyone in my life. The decisions are up to them.": Ethical Guidance and Cultural Pessimism in the Saw Series (2012)
Journal Article
Walliss, J., & Aston, J. (2012). "I've never murdered anyone in my life. The decisions are up to them.": Ethical Guidance and Cultural Pessimism in the Saw Series. Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, 24(3), 352-364. https://doi.org/10.1353/rpc.2012.0034

In this article we examine the ethical vision presented in the Saw series of films, focusing in particular how it represents a trend within popular culture post-9/11 towards increasing cultural pessimism. We will locate the Saw films within this cult... Read More about "I've never murdered anyone in my life. The decisions are up to them.": Ethical Guidance and Cultural Pessimism in the Saw Series.

The (un) spectacle of the real: forwarding an active spectator in Michael Haneke's Le temps du loup/Time of the wolf (2003) (2010)
Journal Article
Aston, J. (2010). The (un) spectacle of the real: forwarding an active spectator in Michael Haneke's Le temps du loup/Time of the wolf (2003). Studies in European cinema, 7(2), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1386/seci.7.2.109_1

The two central themes in the films of Michael Haneke, the fragmentation and brutality of interpersonal and societal relations and the notion of cinematic reality as an illusory construction, reach an apex in his 2003 film Le temps du Loup/Time of th... Read More about The (un) spectacle of the real: forwarding an active spectator in Michael Haneke's Le temps du loup/Time of the wolf (2003).