Dark Carnivals: Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire [Paperback]

The panoramic story of how the horror genre transformed into one of the most incisive critiques of unchecked American imperial power

The American empire emerged from the shadows of World War II. As the nation’s influence swept the globe with near impunity, a host of evil forces followed—from racism, exploitation, and military invasion to killer clowns, flying saucers, and monsters borne of a fear of the other. By viewing American imperial history through the prism of the horror genre, Dark Carnivals lays bare how the genre shaped us, distracted us, and gave form to a violence as American as apple pie.

A carnival ride that connects the mushroom clouds of 1945 to the beaches of Amity Island, Charles Manson to the massacre at My Lai, and John Wayne to John Wayne Gacy, the new book by acclaimed historian W. Scott Poole reveals how horror films and fictions have followed the course of America’s military and cultural empire and explores how the shadow of our national sins can take on the form of mass entertainment. Horror fiction has long been seen as an extension or reflection of horror reality. With Dark Carnivals, Poole does more than that, creating a through-line that is captivating, distressing and illuminating. —Kevin Young, Charleston City Paper

A marvelous overview of the myriad ways horror cinema has critiqued American power. —Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage

Fascinating . . . There is no more vibrant field of criticism than writing on horror, and Dark Carnivals is a worthy addition to a growing field. —Molly Odintz, CrimeReads

Poole writes in an engaging style that makes this book accessible to lay readers as well as academics . . . Comprehensive and with a wide scope tló%