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Reanimated
The Contemporary American Horror Remake
by Laura Mee
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Book Presentation:
Explores American horror remakes produced since 2000 within key cultural, industry and reception contexts
• Analyses remaking as a form of adaptation and offers new theoretical frameworks for understanding remakes and their prominence in contemporary film production
• Situates horror remakes within their own industrial, cultural and genre contexts rather than solely comparing them to original versions
• Case study analyses of a range of key films, distinct cycles, production companies, and thematic approaches
Reanimated offers a new perspective on twenty-first century American horror film remakes. Counter to the critical dismissal of genre remakes as derivative rip-offs, Mee approaches the films as intertextual adaptations which have both drawn from and helped to shape horror since 2000. Covering films from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) to Candyman (2021), and identifying distinct cycles, production strategies and patterns of reception, this book illustrates the importance of the remake to contemporary horror cinema and addresses key cultural, industry and reception contexts. Rather than representing the death of horror, Reanimated argues that remaking instead demonstrates the genre’s capacity for creative recycling, adaptation and evolution.
About the Author:
Dr Laura Mee is a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television at the University of Hertfordshire. She is the author of The Shining (Devil’s Advocates) (2017).
Press Reviews:
Reanimated is invaluable for both research and those wishing to take a thorough look at this topic. The breadth of analysis is at the level one would expect in an academic text but with Mee bringing so many complex threads together with such clarity the book feels welcomingly accessible. It’s important to note too that Mee is not just writing as an academic here, as the passion and enthusiasm she harbours for the genre is evident, a factor which adds genuine delight and pleasure to the reading experience. It is no overestimation to assert that Reanimated will change the way horror fans appraise remakes, fostering an appreciation for their position in the evolution of the horror genre.– Rebecca McCallum, Moving Pictures Film Club
Reanimated is invaluable for both research and those wishing to take a thorough look at this topic. The breadth of analysis is at the level one would expect in an academic text but with Mee bringing so many complex threads together with such clarity the book feels welcomingly accessible. It’s important to note too that Mee is not just writing as an academic here, as the passion and enthusiasm she harbours for the genre is evident, a factor which adds genuine delight and pleasure to the reading experience. It is no overestimation to assert that Reanimated will change the way horror fans appraise remakes, fostering an appreciation for their position in the evolution of the horror genre.– Rebecca McCallum, Moving Pictures Film Club
Critics and horror fans alike have typically rejected the Hollywood remake as economically lucrative, but artistically and politically bankrupt. Yet, by reappraising the remake as a mode of adaptation, Laura Mee compellingly argues that this major strand of twenty-first-century American horror cinema is as creatively alive as the genre itself.– David Church, Indiana University
Horror remakes are often dismissed as purely commercial products designed to capitalise on ‘original’ horror films from earlier eras. In this smart and authoritative account, Laura Mee challenges these dismissals by demonstrating how remakes like Evil Dead (2013) and Candyman (2021) are a crucial part of the horror genre’s evolution.– Iain Robert Smith, King’s College London
Laura Mee reinvigorates debates about the American Horror remake with this dynamic and authoritative discussion of the genre’s post-2000 boom. Reframing popular discourses that surround these films, Mee convincingly shows them to be a vital part of the tapestry of contemporary horror cinema, offering an essential contribution to horror studies.– Stacey Abbott, University of Roehampton
See the publisher website: Edinburgh University Press
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