Why is horror so consistently popular? What is its ongoing appeal?

And why do scary movies make some people tick, and others feel sick?

In the upcoming UC Connect public lecture Horror for the Faint-Hearted, University of Canterbury (UC) English and Cultural Studies lecturer Dr Erin Harrington offers a funhouse ride through the pleasures and perils of the horror genre. She will explore not only how terror might be a source of entertainment, but how horror may reveal dark truths about our own fears and desires.

Dr Erin Harrington loves all things gross and spooky. A lecturer in English and Cultural Studies in the UC College of Arts, she is an expert in horror, popular and visual culture, and gender and sexuality. She has written for a range of literary and academic publications, art catalogues, and popular media outlets, and she regularly appears as a speaker and panellist. Her book Women, Monstrosity and Horror Film: Gynaehorror was published by Routledge in 2017. Dr Harrington also has a particular interest in theatre, criticism and dramaturgy and is a prolific theatre critic.

The UC Connect public lecture series offers the community the opportunity to attend topical, interesting, educational lectures on a range of topics given by experts in their fields. To receive notifications on upcoming UC Connect speakers, join our mailing list.