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    There are certain things that anyone who watches films as a hobby has been persuaded to believe. We believe that films are a valid art form. We believe that films such as Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, and Casablanca are classics. And somewhere along the way, some of us have been led to believe that the horror genre is somehow to be treated as a bratty, uncouth little brother to its more “serious” or “legitimate” counterparts.

    That’s why I was thrilled to come across The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film.

    In this volume, Barry Keith Grant has assembled twenty essays, plus one of his own, outlining the significance of gender not only in the viewing and reaction to the genre, and film in general, but also the valid and interesting subtext that most of us probably glossed over as we sat through midnight viewings of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

    The book itself is thematically divided into three parts. Part one begins to lay the groundwork by giving the reader three essays which establish many of the critical themes used later by several of the other critics throughout the book. The essays comprising part two deal either with specific periods or specific directors, such as George Romero, David Cronenberg, and Dario Argento. The third and final section is devoted to specific films that are considered quite important within the given context.

    Despite the fact that certain elements, such as the Freudian lack, and the Lacanian gaze, are touched upon frequently by nearly all of the critics, each one’s style gives the essays their own distinct intent and personality. Each author imbues their essays with a palpable sense of maturity, which is often missing in the discussion of horror films. It’s edifying to see that there are people out there who are willing to acknowledge that the directors of these kinds of films are capable of showing more to the viewer than several naked co-eds and a few pints of fake blood.