Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-232) and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
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The haunted house -- Gothic and the uncanny -- Film: 'a fragile semblance' -- Unreal estate.
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
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"In this study, Curtis demonstrates how the claustrophobic interiors of haunted spaces in films connect to the 'dark places' of the human psyche. He examines diverse topics such as the special effects used in movies to evoke supernatural creatures; the structures, projections and architecture of horror movie sets; and ghosts as symbols of loss, amnesia, injustice and vengeance. Dark Places also examines the reconfiguration of the haunted house in film as a motel, an apartment, a road or a spaceship, and how these re-imagined spaces thematically connect to Gothic fictions." "Curtis draws his examples from numerous iconic films - including Nosferatu, Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Shining - as well as lesser-known international works, which allow him to consider different cultural ideas of 'haunting'. Asian horror films and their Hollywood remakes - such as Ringu and The Ring, or Juon and The Grudge - come under particular scrutiny, as he explores cinema's preoccupation with malevolent forces from the past."--Jacket.