Starburst scribe Jon Towlson’s new book, Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present, due out in paperback in July, is available to pre-order; but if you can’t wait until then, the book is now available to buy for Kindle from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

“Horror cinema flourishes in times of ideological crisis and national trauma–the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Vietnam era, post-9/11; Subversive Horror Cinema argues that a succession of filmmakers working in horror–from James Whale to Jen and Sylvia Soska–have used the genre, and the shock value it affords, to challenge the status quo during these times. Spanning the decades from the 1930s onwards, Jon examines the work of producers and directors as varied as George A. Romero, Pete Walker, Michael Reeves, Herman Cohen, Wes Craven and Brian Yuzna–and the ways in which films like Frankenstein (1931), Cat People (1942), The Woman (2011) and American Mary (2012) can be considered “subversive.”

For a detailed look at what it has to offer, including the foreword by Jeff Lieberman (who, as the writer-director of titles such as Squirm, Blue Sunshine and Just Before Dawn, knows a thing or two about subversive cinema) check out the preview here.

Share your comments below or on Twitter @STARBURST_MAG

Find your local Starburst Magazine stockist HERE, or buy direct from us HERE. For our digital edition (available to read on your iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows 8, Samsung and/or Huawei device – all for just £1.99), visit MAGZTER DIGITAL NEWSSTAND.