SCREAM WITH ME: “Horrific Love in Horror Films" & Rosemary's Baby screening

And just in time for Valentine's Day, Dr. Johnson joins us for "Horrific Love in Horror Films"!

Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism is a compelling, intelligent, and timely exploration of the horror genre from one of Columbia University’s most popular professors, Johnson will shed light on how classic horror films demonstrate larger cultural attitudes about women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and more.

A screening of Rosemary's Baby will follow.

About Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980):

In May of 2022, Columbia University’s Dr. Eleanor Johnson watched along with her students as the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. At the same time, her class was studying the 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby and Johnson had a sudden epiphany: horror cinema engages directly with the combustive politics of women’s rights and offer a light through the darkness and an outlet to scream.

With a voice as persuasive as it is insightful, Johnson reveals how classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining expose and critique issues of reproductive control, domestic violence, and patriarchal oppression. Scream with Me weaves these iconic films into the fabric of American feminism, revealing that true horror often lies not in the supernatural, but in the familiar confines of the home, exposing the deep-seated fears and realities of women’s lives.

While on the one hand a joyful celebration of seminal and beloved horror films, Scream with Me is also an unflinching and timely recognition of the power of this genre to shape and reflect cultural dialogues about gender and power.

About the Author:

Eleanor Johnson is a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. She is the author of four books: Scream with Me, Practicing Literary Theory in the Middle Ages, Staging Contemplation, and the award-winning Waste and the Wasters, as well as two collections of poetry, The Dwell and Her Many Feathered Bones.

Event guidelines:

Each ticket includes either a copy of Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminismor a $15 Twisted Spine gift card.

Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

A signing will follow the lecture.

If you have any questions about the guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact info@twistedspinebooks.com.