Scare Packages: Horror Anthology Films of the Twenty-First Century (edited collection)
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Scare Packages: Horror Anthology Films of the Twenty-First Century
edited by David Scott Diffrient
The history of horror anthology films—feature-length fright fests individually comprised of two or more episodes/sketches/stories—can be traced back to the earliest examples of German Expressionism, including Fritz Lang’s Destiny (Der müde Tod, 1921) and Paul Leni’s Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett, 1922). As discussed by Peter Hutchings in his Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema, the 1960s was a heyday for such globally disseminated films, including those not made at the Shepperton-based company Amicus, such as Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath (I tre volti della paura, 1963), Kobayashi Masaki’s Kwaidan (1965), José Mojica Marins’s The Strange World of Coffin Joe (O Estranho Mundo de Zé do Caixão, 1968), and the multi-director production Spirits of the Dead (Histoires extraordinaires, 1968). Over the past quarter century, a renewed interest in this uniquely discursive yet amalgamated form has become a prominent part of horror’s increasingly mainstream appeal, giving audiences and filmmakers alike the opportunity to delve into a wide variety of ghoulish subjects in short bursts and quick succession. In recent years, high-profile releases such as Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Damien Leone’s All Hallows’ Eve (2013), Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories (2017), and Ryan Spindell’s The Mortuary Collection (2019), in addition to several entries in the “ABCs of Death,” “10/31,” “V/H/S” franchises, have brought heightened awareness of the horror anthology film, which nevertheless remains a misunderstood cultural phenomenon frequently dismissed by critics.
This proposed volume aims to counterbalance the common misperceptions and criticisms surrounding horror anthology films. Bringing together the contributions of established scholars and emerging voices across multiple disciplines, it explores the formal distinctiveness and thematic relevance of selected case studies in relation to twenty-first century sociopolitical contexts. Those potential case studies might include (but are not limited to) multinational coproductions like Three…Extremes (2004) and The Field Guide to Evil (2018), straight-to-video releases like Cradle of Fear (2001) and Scary or Die (2012), animated features like Fear(s) of the Dark (2007) and Extraordinary Tales (2013), and holiday-themed films like Tales of Halloween (2015) and 13 Slays Till X-Mas (2020). [NOTE: A longer list of titles can be provided upon request]
Contributors to this volume are encouraged to apply any critical methodology or theoretical approach of their choice, and can focus on aspects of genre, narrative, textuality, auteurism, performance, representation, style, production histories, distribution, reception, or other topics that might enhance the reader’s appreciation of horror anthology films. Chapters can also include interview-based material featuring the insights of industrial personnel as well as behind-the-scenes information derived from “making-of” documentaries on DVD/Blu-ray releases.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
• formal experimentation and authorial style in horror anthology films
• horror film archetypes, stereotypes, and tropes (e.g., cabins in the woods, final girls, killer clowns)
• bodies, corporeality, and the “exquisite corpse” of the horror anthology film
• the commercial logics of horror anthology films (i.e., why they are produced, how they are marketed, etc.)
• the critical reception of horror anthology films (i.e., misperceptions, prejudices, etc.)
• the narrative structure and episodic organization of horror anthology films (e.g., framing devices, wraparound stories, serialized interstitials, thematic throughlines, etc.)
• folkloric elements within contemporary horror anthology films
• urban legends as the basis/inspiration for horror anthology films
• cryptids, demons, and supernatural beings in horror anthology films
• cinematic adaptations of literary texts (short stories, plays, novels, comic books, etc.)
• found-footage techniques within contemporary horror anthology films
• naturalist/realistic vs. expressionistic/nonrealistic acting styles in horror anthology films
• genre-mixing in horror anthology films (comedy-horror, sci-fi-horror, etc.)
• combinatory authorship in multi-director (omnibus-style) horror anthology films
• differences/similarities between horror anthology films and contemporary horror anthology television series (e.g., American Horror Story [2011–present], Creepshow [2019–present], Monsterland [2020–present], Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities [2022–present])
• the franchising of horror anthology films (sequels, spinoffs, trilogies, etc.)
• makeup, practical effects, and visual effects in horror anthology films
• online distribution, social media platforms, and streaming services
• international trends in horror anthology production and national film cultures (e.g., France, India, Philippines, Thailand)
• key creators of and frequent contributors to contemporary horror anthologies (e.g., writer-director Roxanne Benjamin, writer-director Alejandro Brugués, writer-director Fruit Chan, producer Brad Miska, writer-director Mike Mendez, special effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura, producer P. J. Starks, writer-director Jerrold Tarog, producer Ant Timpson, writer-director Nacho Vigalondo)
Please send your abstract (500-750 words in length) and a brief biographical statement as attachments to scott.diffrient@colostate.edu.
The deadline for the submission of proposals is August 15, 2025. Once I have determined which essays to include in the volume, contributors will be contacted with additional information and will have seven months to complete their chapters (5,000-7,000 words). The deadline for the completion of chapters (after acceptance) will be March 15, 2026.
Dr. David Scott Diffrient
Professor of Film and Media Studies
Department of Communication Studies
Colorado State University
author of Body Genre: Anatomy of the Horror Film
coeditor of East Asian Film Remakes
David Scott Diffrient