Using thousands of primary sources and long-unseen illustrations, The Birth of the American Horror Film examines a history that begins in colonial Salem, taking an interdisciplinary approach to explore the influence of horror-themed literature, theatre and visual culture in America, and how that context established an amorphous structural foundation for films produced between 1895 and 1915. Exhaustively researched, bridging scholarship on Horror Studies and Early Cinema, The Birth of the American Horror Film is the first major study dedicated to this vital but often overlooked subject.
The Domitor member Jan Olsson praised this “meticulous study of the intermedial roots and manifestations of horror-themed cinema in all its varieties prior to 1915. The depth and scope of Rhodes’ erudite scholarship make this an indispensable read for everyone interested in one of the most persistent features of American cinema of all ages: horror.”
