Remaking The Frankenstein Myth On Film: Between Laughter And Horror (suny Series In Psychoanalysis And Culture)

Focusing on films outside the horror genre, this book offers a unique account of the Frankenstein myth’s popularity and endurance. Although the Frankenstein narrative has been a staple in horror films, it has also crossed over into other genres, particularly comedy and science fiction, resulting in such films as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bladerunner, and the Alien and Terminator film series. In addition to addressing horror’s relationship to comedy and science fiction, the book also explores the versatility and power of the Frankenstein narrative as a contemporary myth through which our deepest attitudes concerning gender (masculine versus feminine), race (Same versus Other), and technology (natural versus artificial) are both revealed and concealed. The book not only examines the films themselves, but also explores early drafts of film scripts, scenes that were cut from the final releases, publicity materials, and reviews, in order to consider more fully how and why the Frankenstein myth continues to resonate in the popular imagination. Picart (English and the humanities, Florida State U.) explores the evolving "cinemyth" of the Frankenstein monster in the context of the relationship between comedic manifestations (Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein), horror/science fiction incarnations (Alien), and the "oscillating balance" between the two (such as the Terminator movies). Issues of gender construction stand in the foreground as Picart emphasizes the meanings of parthenogenesis (used here to mean "male self-birth") and the feminine-as-monstrous. She argues that the movies display a patriarchal urge to suppress the feminine "M/Other," but are never wholly successful. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR REMAKING THE FRANKENSTEIN MYTH ON FILM 4 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 1. Frankenstein as Enduring Cinemyth 10 2. (Un)Leashing Laughter: Gender, Power, and Humor 22 3. Daemonic Dread 88 4. On the Edge of Terror and Humor 150 5. Postmodern Horror-Hilarity 200 Notes 210 CHAPTER ONE. FRANKENSTEIN AS ENDURING CINEMYTH 210 CHAPTER TWO. (UN)LEASHING LAUGHTER: GENDER, POWER, AND HUMOR 212 CHAPTER THREE. DAEMONIC DREAD 219 CHAPTER FOUR. ON THE EDGE OF TERROR AND HUMOR 228 CHAPTER FIVE. POSTMODERN HORROR-HILARITY 237 Bibliography 240 About the Author 254 Index 256 A 256 B 257 C 258 D 259 E 259 F 259 G 260 H 260 I 262 J 262 K 262 L 263 M 263 N 264 O 265 P 265 Q 265 R 265 S 266 T 267 U 268 V 268 W 268 Y 269 Z 269 Caroline Joan S. Picart is Assistant Professor of English and Humanities and Courtesy Assistant Professor of Law at Florida State University. She is the author of The Cinematic Rebirths of Universal, Hammer, and Beyond and the coauthor (with Frank Smoot and Jayne Blodgett) of The Frankenstein Film Sourcebook . Explores how filmmakers and screenwriters have used comedy and science fiction to extend the boundaries of the Frankenstein narrative. Annotation A volume in the SUNY series in Psychoanalysis and Culture Henry Sussman, editor.