Spanish Horror Cinema

Module code: SP3182

This module aims to examine the importance of Spanish horror cinema as it has developed from before the Transition to democracy to more recent, post-millennial productions. It will focus on a selection of significant films from notable Spanish filmmakers working within the horror genre. In doing so, it will also consider the genre of horror more widely, and the ways in which this informs and is informed by tropes such as (gender) violence, sadomasochism and sexuality, and religion and morality. Upon successful completion of the module, you will gain a broad understanding of the conventions and codes of the horror genre within the field of film studies. Through the analysis of key Spanish horror films produced during the Franco regime and, more recently, following the Transition to democracy, you will work to relate these texts of cultural production to their socio-political contexts and the Spanish film industry, as well as to the genre of horror more widely. By the end of the course, you will be able to draw on a range of theories and terminology within film studies to present your analyses of these key texts.

Topics covered

• The development of the horror genre in international and national (Spanish) contexts
• Censorship and freedom of artistic expression in dictatorship and post-Transition Spain
• Representations of deviancy
• Horror and gender
• Violence and spectatorship
• Styles of filmmaking (for example: found footage, documentary)