Delve into the differences between a “horror” movie and a “psychological horror” movie—and learn how the latter can get into our heads and haunt us well after the last credit has rolled.
Monsters Within ...
All treats and few tricks in this Halloween special. Costumes recommended, candy essential.
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Dave son of Dave from
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
I really loved the lecture on Victorian literature: the presenter did a good job of explaining why the English of the late 1800s would be particularly concerned and afraid of a man building a monster, or a creature that turned their women "wicked." The third lecture was a thought provoking and informative look at why we find monsters and otherworldly creatures as scary as we do, and gives you something to think about with every horror you consume afterwards. Unfortunately, the first lecture on horror movies kind of drops the ball: the presenter really only just recaps the plots of movies rather than offering any insight, and he tries to force the Little Red Ridinghood references so hard to the point of comedy.
Date published: 2023-06-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Interesting shorts!
I have viewed these shorts a while ago and want to keep a review here. They are pretty much short knowledge-bites of genre horror on different mediums like film and literature. I enjoyed them and hopefully Wondrium will do a complete course on Horror genre!
Date published: 2023-04-13
Rated 4 out of
5
by
morgana_fey4 from
Perfect for Setting The Mood For Spooky Season
As a person who enjoys thematic learning, I decided to watch this to help set the scene for spooky season. I could easily have watched a whole course on the content covered in the first and second lectures (particularly the lecture on monsters in the Victorian era). The third lecture did not strike my fancy as much and I could not seem to stay focused on it. I would highly recommend the first two lectures to anyone who seems they might be interested in spooky themes.
Date published: 2021-10-14
Rated 4 out of
5
by
squashblossom from
Lecture 2 should be it's own full length series. I'd love to hear more about Judaism, queerness, and feminism in gothic lit. I hope this professor does more lectures.
Date published: 2021-06-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
nes006 from
Very enlightening
This course added to my mental reference library and will certainly make my movie watching and book readings much more thought provoking.
Date published: 2021-02-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
horrorfan from
Great mini course for the Horror Buff
I was familiar with every single piece mentioned in the course and was delighted to find new and interesting ways to connect a thru line. Engaging, fun, and thoughtful. I only wish it was a full length course! But then again, it's hard to find people who take horror seriously so I'm grateful for this little tidbit.
Date published: 2021-02-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Gabriela7 from
Excellent!
Concise review of interesting themes in the art of horror. Very enlightening, I wish there were more episodes!
Date published: 2021-02-22
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Jon71 from
I'm really sick of left wing commentary!!!
It really ticks me off when I sit down to try to learn about movie appreciation only to be treated to leftwing indoctrination. This garbage is getting really old.
Date published: 2021-02-09
Overview
About
Eric R. Williams is a Professor of New Media Storytelling and Emerging Technologies at Ohio University, where he oversees the cinematic virtual reality arm of the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab. He has written for American Movie Classics, Universal Studios, and Fox Interactive and has received the Best New Screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America, East. He has also written five books and three podcast series on storytelling in film, television, and new media.
Dr. Jennifer Cognard-Black is Professor of English at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a public liberal arts college. She graduated summa cum laude from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a dual degree in Music and English. She studied under Jane Smiley for her M.A. in Fiction and Essay Writing at Iowa State University and received her Ph.D. in 19th-Century British and American Literature from The Ohio State University. Among her awards for teaching and writing, she was named a Fulbright Scholar to Slovenia, where she taught the American novel and creative writing. She was the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council individual artist award and was twice the recipient of the Faculty Student Life Award, the most prestigious teaching award at St. Mary's, selected by the students themselves. She was awarded Mellon Foundation grants on three separate occasions, and she won a gold medal in the national 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards contest for an anthology she edited. Nebraska Wesleyan University has named her a Distinguished Alumna and an Outstanding Graduate. Professor Cognard-Black's publications are extensive and eclectic, reflecting her intellectual background as both a writer and a literary critic. She is the author of numerous books, has published her essays and short fiction in a number of journals, and she has appeared on NPR.
01: Psychological Horror Films
Join Eric R. Williams, Professor in the School of Media Arts & Studies, to examine the genre of psychological horror films through three popular movies. Discover how, while each movie is vastly different, they all stem from the same foundational—and very commonly known—story.
28 min
02: Victorian Horror Novels
Examine why many of the monsters featured in Victorian novels are more human-like than your standard understanding of a monster. Looking at Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, and Bertha Mason, among others, Professor Cognard-Black explores how the Victorians projected the most disturbing parts of being a human into these fictional freaks and ultimately created enduring monsters—ones that continue to shock and thrill contemporary Americans.
35 min
03: The Horrific, Moral, and Transcendental
Review various concepts and ideas through history to explain, first, what horror is, and then, why people like horror. Comparing various philosophical views, Professor Breyer considers why we find horrific characters so compelling. He examines the use of three types of monsters through storytelling: the horrific, the moral, and the transcendental. He further considers how as a manifestation of evil, they become teaching tools to help us better confront real-life psychological and physical fears and to help us gain a moral compass to better understand what is right and wrong.
33 min
04: Making Sense of Monsters: An Investigation into Horror
Discover how monsters are so important to the horror genre that we can't really have horror without them.
8 min
