Ever wanted to take a class all about horror movies? Well, now you can! The Miskatonic Institute for Horror Studies, named after the fictional university invented by H.P. Lovecraft, has just unveiled their class offerings for the spring, allowing horror fanatics to attend undergraduate-level lectures and masterclasses focused on various themes across the genre.
Miskatonic was founded in 2010 by film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse, and now hosts various talks and lectures both online and in-person at the Horse Hospital in London, a former stable and veterinary clinic turned independent arts venue. Lectures taking place this spring in London include Blood Work: The Craft and Culture of Gore Cinema, featuring a focus on films like Terrifier, and Heavy Metal Horror Film in 1980s’ USA: Moral Panic and Folk Devil Reactions, a highly-anticipated lecture exploring the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s and how that’s reflected in films like Trick or Treat and Black Roses.
But, if you aren’t based in the UK, don’t worry, Miskatonic has plenty of virtual offerings this spring. Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-nominated Sinners get a focus in New Black Gothic Romance on February 16, while bug-loving freaks can get into it with The Entomologists of Horror Cinema, examining insects and fragile ecosystems in films like The Silence of the Lambs and Invasion of the Bee Girls.
Also on offer for online fans are Gazing at the Trans Feminine Grostesque, which investigates how the history of trans identity and society’s reaction to it is reflected in horror stereotypes, and Mansion of Gloom: the Unsettling Legacy of Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ diving deep into one of the most memorable horror short stories of all time.
This new schedule of lectures joins an incredible lineup of past work from the institute, which aims to blend fans’ love for horror cinema with film history, theory, and production concepts usually taught only in college classrooms. Other themes previously featured in Miskatonic lectures include the asylum and its role in film, epidemic cinema, and horror on the London Underground. Interested fans can purchase a semester pass for all in-person lectures in London for £45 GBP (about $62 USD), or an online pass for £35 GBP (about $48 USD).
For more information on Miskatonic’s full spring lineup and to purchase passes or individual tickets, you can check out their website.
