Horror in Space

<p> In sharp contrast to many 1960s science fiction films with idealized views of space exploration Ridley Scott's <I>Alien</I> (1979) terrified audiences depicting a harrowing and doomed deep-space mission. The <I>Alien</I> films launched a new generation of horror set in the great unknown inspiring filmmakers to take Earth-bound franchises like <I>Leprechaun</I> and <I>Friday the 13th</I> into space. </p><p> This collection of new essays examines the space horror subgenre with a focus on such films as Paul W.S. Anderson's <I>Event Horizon</I> Duncan Jones' <I>Moon</I> Mario Bava's <I>Planet of the Vampires</I> and John Carpenter's <I>Ghosts of Mars</I>.</p><p> Contributors discuss how filmmakers explored the concepts of the final girl/survivor the uncanny valley the isolationism of space travel religion and supernatural phenomena.</p>