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Ghost Images
Cinema of the Afterlife
by Tom Ruffles
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Book Presentation:
The possibility of life after death is a significant theme in cinema, in which ghosts return to the world of the living to wrap up unfinished business, console their survivors, visit lovers or just enjoy a well-wreaked scaring. This work focuses on film depictions of survival after death, from meetings with the ghost of Elvis to AIDS–related ghosts: apparitions, hauntings, mediumship, representations of heaven, angels, near-death experiences, possession, poltergeists and all the other ways in which the living interact with the dead on screen. The work opens with a historical perspective, which outlines the development of pre-cinematic technology for “projecting” phantoms, and discusses the use of these skills in early ghost cinema. English-language sound films are then examined thematically with topics ranging from the expiation of sins to “hungry” ghosts. Six of the most significant films, Dead of Night, A Matter of Life and Death, The Innocents, The Haunting, The Shining, and Jacob’s Ladder, are given a detailed analysis. A conclusion, filmography, and bibliography follow.
About the Author:
Tom Ruffles is a long-time member of the Society for Psychical Research. He teaches communication skills and film studies. He lives in Cambridge.
Press Reviews:
"intriguing"—C&RL News
"welcome addition…fills an important need in the general library of fantasy film…strongly recommended"—Scarlet
See the publisher website: McFarland & Co
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