Skip to main content
Event ended - Missed this event? Check out these other events happening soon Looking for the details about the previous event, just scroll down.

Loading...

 
 
  • Are you an organiser?

    Maximise your event's success with Billetto - the ticketing platform that helps you sell more tickets, promote with ease and save time.

  • Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary

    Event ended

    Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary

    From GBP 8.00

    Online Event

    Date

    Oct 08 2020 19:00 - 20:30
    Billetto Peace of Mind
    Book with confidence: Billetto guarantees refunds for cancelled events, ensuring your peace of mind. Learn more
    Payment methods accepted:

    Description

    Spain did not become well-known for its contribution to horror cinema until the late 1960s, when the long-running success of the genre in other countries like Britain and Italy made its relatively low-risk production attractive to independent directors. The cycle that emerged from the overdrive period of filmmaking that began in 1968 and had petered out by the introduction of the Miró decree in 1982 has often been termed ‘fantaterror’ (a portmanteau combining ‘fantástico’ and ‘terror’ – both words which have culturally specific meanings in the country). After laying the ground for this financially driven cinematic surge, the presentation will consider the terminological implications of the modern use of ‘fantaterror’ to refer to all forms of supernatural cinema, especially its shortcomings: its lack of affective and narrative specificity. Highlighting the need to separate Gothic horror from other horror subgenres (like the giallo), especially in the contemporary context, I make a case for the usefulness of the increasingly global term ‘Gothic’ to refer to a certain aesthetic and thematic category that foregrounds ideas of tyrannical oppression, ideological repression and, especially, the return of a haunting past.

    The presentation will then move on to consider how the last element – the importance of unresolved trauma – has become a key marker of the evolution of Gothic horror cinema in Spain since the transition to democracy that followed the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. In the twenty-first century, I argue, the Gothic has become a key artistic mediator of the largely silenced legacy of the Civil War which began to be actively defied by the socialist party during their time in power from 2004–2010. The pervasive motif of the Gothic haunting in particular resonates vividly with the very literal digging up of the war’s missing dead from mass graves and with a resurgence of regional identity that has led to widely reported incidents like the violent intervention by state police in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. Covering a few examples – del Toro’s Spanish co-productions, but crucially, also lesser known films like Pa negre (Black Bread, 2010), Insensibles (Painless, 2012) and Errementari (2017) – I will propose the need to start shifting our understanding of Spanish horror and to contemplate the import of the challenges posed by films made by autonomous communities like Catalonia and the Basque Country, whose sense of identity was threatened by national centralism.

    About the Instructor: 

    Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes is Reader in English Literature and Film at Manchester Metropolitan University and a founder member of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies. His books include Gothic Cinema (2020), Spanish Gothic (2017), Horror Film and Affect (2016) and the edited collection Horror: A Literary History (2016). He is the chief editor of the book series Horror Studies, published by the University of Wales Press, and has edited weird and Gothic fiction anthologies for the British Library.

    About the Miskatonic Institute:
    Founded by Film writer/programmer Kier-La Janisse in 2010, The Miskatonic Inctitute of Horror Studies offers classes in horror history, theory and production, with branches in London, New York and Los Angeles, as well as hosting special events worldwide.

    FAQ

    • I have not received my Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary ticket via email. What should I do?

      The first thing to do is check your spam/junk filters and inboxes. Your Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary tickets were sent as an attachment and can be thought of as spam by some email services. Alternatively, you can always find your Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary tickets in your Billetto account that you can access in the browsers or the dedicated Billetto app. For more help with this, read here.

    • I wish to cancel my Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary ticket and receive a refund. What should I do?

      The approval of refunds is entirely at the event organiser’s discretion, and you should get in contact with the event organiser to discuss what options are available to you. To get in touch with the event organiser, simply reply to your order confirmation email or use the "Contact organiser" form on the organiser's profile. For more help with this, read here.

    • I have registered on the Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary waiting list, what happens now?

      If more tickets become available you will be notified (by email) amongst others who have joined the list. Purchasing is on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information, read here.

    • Where do I find a link to an online event?

      Check your order confirmation page or order confirmation email. Usually, the organiser of the event provides the details in the order confirmation email or they might send you a follow-up email with a link to their online event. You might also want to read the event description on Billetto where an event organiser should describe how to join the Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary event online. For more information on this, read here.

    • What is refund protection and why would I need it?

      Refund Protection provides you with the assurance that if unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances interfere with your ability to attend an event you can claim a refund. For more information on this, read here.

    Event ended

    Spanish Horror Cinema: Industry, Political Trauma and the Gothic Imaginary

    Discover more