The Talking Dead: British Horror Cinema and Spiritualism

In examining spiritualism, the social practice of communicating with the dead, The Talking Dead explores an alternative history of British cinema, one littered with burnt-out mediums, horrifying s ances and dubious psychic investigators. Considering such films as S ance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), Don't Look Now (1973) and The Awakening (2011), The Talking Dead reveals a tradition of female-centered horror cinema, where the desire to communicate beyond death is invariably bound up with motherhood, memory and loss. Drawing upon historical, censorship and production material, this book argues that the combination of women, spiritualism and cinema creates a particularly potent form of occult horror. As such, The Talking Dead invites its readers to dim the lights, join hands and bear witness as the untold story of British horror cinema manifests itself.