Victoria Hawco, Makenzie Salmon

Introduction:

Introduction

Introduction:. Explore the evolution of Western horror, reconsidering its genre beyond generic margins. Combines popular media, cultural objects, and conceptual frameworks. Discover its historical and aesthetic variations.

Abstract

The evolution of Western horror is a vast and deep topic for which there may be no end, but these pieces provide an excellent starting point. While the subsequent pages might not free horror from generic margins, the following pages combine a series of popular media, cultural objects, and conceptual frameworks and calls for reconsidering a genre that, too often, relegated to the status of drawing once more on Storey and Shapiro, “the Gothic's embarrassing twin—sometimes synonymous, sometimes a subcategory, sometimes a different thing altogether” (2). The authors worked in the tradition of exploring, critiquing, celebrating and reconsidering horror, “in all its historical and aesthetic variations, describes both a definable cultural object and a general tone or affect, a canon and also a visual and verbal language” (Storey and Shapiro 2). We hope you find something within this volume that scares, excites, and intrigues you.

Review

The "Introduction:" clearly signals its role as the gateway to a collection of essays dedicated to the expansive topic of Western horror. The abstract immediately establishes the volume's ambitious scope, acknowledging the seemingly boundless nature of its subject while positioning its constituent pieces as a vital "starting point." Crucially, the editors signal their intent to move beyond simplistic categorizations, directly confronting the genre's frequent relegation as "the Gothic's embarrassing twin" and advocating for a more nuanced and multifaceted reconsideration of horror's cultural and academic significance. The strength of this collection, as previewed in the abstract, lies in its commitment to a broad, interdisciplinary approach. The essays promise to engage with horror through a diverse lens, combining analyses of "popular media, cultural objects, and conceptual frameworks." This methodological eclecticism is framed within a scholarly tradition of "exploring, critiquing, celebrating and reconsidering horror," indicating a critical yet appreciative engagement with the genre. By encompassing horror's "historical and aesthetic variations"—from "definable cultural object" to "general tone or affect," and from "canon" to "visual and verbal language"—the volume commits to a comprehensive examination that avoids narrow definitions and instead embraces the genre's complex identity. Ultimately, this introductory piece effectively primes the reader for a rich and engaging scholarly experience. The editors' hope that the volume will "scare, excite, and intrigue" suggests an active and visceral engagement with the material, going beyond purely academic discourse to tap into the fundamental affects of horror itself. By presenting a collection that is at once a "starting point" and a continuation of an ongoing critical dialogue, the volume positions itself as a significant contribution to horror studies, promising to challenge existing perceptions and stimulate further inquiry into a genre whose evolution, as the abstract rightly notes, truly has "no end."

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