Nothing short of magical. It was transformative for me.
THE GORE GORE GIRLS
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Founders Room, Salamanca Arts Centre
Mary Shelley Symposium 2014:
THE GORE GORE GIRLS
Women in Horror (A Short History)Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
When Carol Hanisch popularised the famous feminist war cry “the personal is political” in 1969, chances are the story of women in the horror film was not at the forefront of the ways she hoped the phrase would be used 45 years later. Regardless, it frames the way that horror fan, writer and historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas will approach the subject as a brief introduction to the diverse part that women have played in the genre from its earliest days. Considering the vital role of women in horror not just in front but also behind the camera, Heller-Nicholas brings a proudly subjective history of some celebrated – and not so celebrated – women, spanning from the inspirational to the surprising to the outright offensive. Figures to be discussed include Classical Hollywood bombshell-turned-director Ida Lupino, notorious Grindhouse figure Roberta Findlay, and pint-sized goddess of 1970s Italian horror cinema, child star Nicoletta Elmi. This event promises to be as revealing and as informative as it is at times just plain weird.
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is the author of Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study (2011) and Found Footage Horror Films: Film and the Appearance of Reality (2014). She is currently writing a book on Dario Argento’s Suspiria for UK publisher Auteur Books’ ‘Devil’s Advocates’ series, and has published widely on horror film in a range of print and online publications.Saturday 23 August, 1.00 pm – 2.00 pmFounders Room, Salamanca Arts CentreFree (booking not required)