Halloween ― Youth Cinema and the Horrors of Growing Up

John Carpenter’s 1978 film Halloween, a landmark of American horror cinema, kick-started the slasher film cycle in the early 1980s. Slasher films appealed to youth markets, but this is only one example of how the idea of "youth" is central to understanding Halloween in its many contexts. This book explores the multi-dimensional nature of "youth" in Halloween by looking at the film in relation to youth-focused horror films that came before and after it. The book also illustrates how the film offers complex portrayals not only of teenagers, but also pre-adolescents and young adults. After considering how the young people in Halloween compare to John Carpenter’s early films, the book concludes with an overview of the Halloween franchise and the various ways it has appealed to youth audiences for the last forty years.

Mark Bernard is Assistant Professor of English and Communication at Siena Heights University, USA