Author: Elias Monroe
Robin Wood was one of the first critics to take the horror genre seriously as a subject of academic analysis. In his groundbreaking essays, Wood proposed that horror films dramatize the return of the repressed—the fears, desires, and contradictions that mainstream society tries to suppress. For Wood, the monster is not merely a source of fear; it is also a symbol of resistance, a reflection of what culture refuses to acknowledge.
In this view, horror becomes a radical genre. It exposes the fault lines of ideology, challenging the illusion of normalcy. Wood analyzed classic horror films—from Psycho to Night of the Living Dead—to reveal their subversive potential. He argued that horror operates as a cultural safety valve, allowing society to confront its own anxieties in disguised and symbolic forms.
Wood’s work remains foundational in horror studies, opening the door for a political and psychoanalytic approach to genre. His legacy is not just in legitimizing horror but in redefining it as a crucial space for ideological critique and emotional confrontation.
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