{"product_id":"the-turn-to-gruesomeness-in-american-horror-films-1931-1936-9780786494743","title":"The Turn to Gruesomeness in American Horror Films, 1931-1936","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Jon Towlson\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: McFarland \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: McFarland \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Film - History \u0026amp; Criticism\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Critics have traditionally characterized classic horror by its use of shadow and suggestion. Yet the graphic nature of early 1930s films only came to light in the home video\/DVD era. Along with gangster movies and \"sex pictures,\" horror films drew audiences during the Great Depression with sensational content.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Exploiting a loophole in the Hays Code, which made no provision for on-screen \"gruesomeness,\" studios produced remarkably explicit films that were recut when the Code was more rigidly enforced from 1934.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e This led to a modern misperception that classic horror was intended to be safe and reassuring to audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The author examines the 1931 to 1936 \"happy ending\" horror in relation to industry practices and censorship. Early works like \u003ci\u003eMurders in the Rue Morgue\u003c\/i\u003e (1932) and \u003ci\u003eThe Raven\u003c\/i\u003e (1935) may be more akin to \u003ci\u003eThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre\u003c\/i\u003e (1974) and \u003ci\u003eHostel\u003c\/i\u003e (2005) than many critics believe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46476353699991,"sku":"9780786494743","price":2842.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780786494743.jpg?v=1766280939","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-turn-to-gruesomeness-in-american-horror-films-1931-1936-9780786494743","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}