The Season for Folk Horror

Class Description

As the days grow shorter and the nights colder, it’s time for chilling tales of old lore and mysterious rituals. It’s the season for folk horror. Emerging from British filmmaking in the 60s and 70s, the folk horror genre has recently seen a resurgence in America and worldwide. We will discuss the core themes and aesthetics that folk horror explores, and apply them to several different eras and regions of folk horror.

This class will cover four styles of Folk Horror in cinema: First Wave, American, American Revival, and International. The class will be partially lecture and partially discussion, so come prepared to talk about your thoughts. Access to the films will be provided upon registration.

Jenna Stoeber (she/her) is a professional video essayist with a Master’s degree in Media and Culture. She has spent the last seven years producing video essays fulltime, covering topics like horror media, video games, and internet culture.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual

Class Capacity: 30

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Digital Course Materials
• The Wicker Man (1973). Dir. Robin Hardy.
• Candyman (1992). Dir. Bernarn Rose.
• The Witch (2015). Dir. Robert Eggers.
• Saloum (2021). Dir. Jean Luc Herbulot.

Recommended

• Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery.” The New Yorker, 1948. (Provided in Digital Course Materials)
• Optional additional films (many available on the streaming platform Shudder)
  • The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971). Dir. Piers Haggard.
  • Children of the Corn (1984). Dir. Fritz Kiersch.
  • Texas Chain Saw massacre (1974). Dir. Tobe Hooper.
  • Midsommar (2019). Dir. Ari Aster.
  • The Medium (2021). Dir. Banjong Pisanthanakun.

First Assignment

• As you watch these four movies, consider the following questions:
  • What elements, either visual or thematic, reoccur in these stories?
  • What community is the focus of this story?
  • Who is the audience meant to identify with? Are they an insider or an outsider to the community? What defines them as such?
  • What role does religion, folklore, and magic have in the story? What power do they have?
  • How is location used to create a sense of place? How does isolation create a sense of tension and horror?

Cost and Registration

1 Session, $75 ($67.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($75), Community Supported ($70), and Sponsor ($80). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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