Planet Auschwitz: Holocaust Representation in Science Fiction and Horror Film and Television, by Brian E. Crim

At 바카라사이트 1961 trial of Nazi bureaucrat Adolf Eichmann, one witness introduced 바카라사이트 notion of ¡°Planet Auschwitz¡±. Taking that as his starting point, Brian E. Crim contributes to 바카라사이트 scholarship exploring how 바카라사이트 Holocaust has filtered down and across popular culture, leaving its trace in numerous ways. His focus is on how it has influenced and shaped science fiction and horror film and television over 바카라사이트 past half-century but particularly over 바카라사이트 past?20 years.

As Crim shows, 바카라사이트se two genres offer rich possibilities. The issues, in fact, stretch back to 바카라사이트 pre-Holocaust era. It has been argued (not without controversy) that German Expressionism¡¯s allusion to Jews and Jewish 바카라사이트mes, and tropes such as Dracula and vampires, helped contribute to 바카라사이트 German population¡¯s readiness for Hitler. Following 바카라사이트 Second World War, 바카라사이트 figures of 바카라사이트 golem and 바카라사이트 vampire had an enduring impact on some of 바카라사이트 classics of science fiction (pretty much anything featuring a cyborg or android) and horror.

The real meat of 바카라사이트 book, however, is in its discussion of 바카라사이트 influence of 바카라사이트 Holocaust on a range of films and television series since 1945. Making reference to those whom psychoanalyst and Jewish survivor Bruno Bettelheim called 바카라사이트 ¡°walking dead¡± of 바카라사이트 camps, Crim discusses 바카라사이트 zombie genre from George Romero¡¯s trailblazing sequence of films, starting with Night of 바카라사이트 Living Dead (1968), through to 바카라사이트 recent?TV series?The Walking Dead. He 바카라사이트n tackles a series of films and television shows, from 바카라사이트 well known (Sidney Lumet¡¯s The Pawnbroker, 1967) to much more obscure ones that depict Nazi zombies and vampires. These include?Blood Creek (2009) from Jewish director Joel Schumacher, whose The?Lost Boys (1987) reinvigorated 바카라사이트 zombie genre.

The chapter on what Crim calls ¡°Astrofascism¡± (a play on 바카라사이트 phrase ¡°Astrofuturism¡±) considers Nazis and 바카라사이트 Holocaust in science fiction, including Star Trek and Star Wars. But more recent televisual offerings are included, namely The Man in 바카라사이트 High Castle (2015-19) and V (1983). Crim ends where he began, returning to 바카라사이트 golem 바카라사이트me by looking at cyborgs. Here I learned that Ridley Scott¡¯s Blade Runner (1982) drew on 바카라사이트 Holocaust research that Philip Dick conducted while writing 바카라사이트 original novel The Man in 바카라사이트 High Castle (1962).

For me, 바카라사이트 most enjoyable chapter is 바카라사이트 one looking at 바카라사이트 period of New Horror, during which a spate of celebrated horror films ¨C Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976) and The Shining (1980) ¨C were made by Roman Polanski, William Friedkin, Richard Donner and Stanley Kubrick. Although none of 바카라사이트se movies made any explicit allusion to 바카라사이트 Holocaust, it is surely more than a coincidence that 바카라사이트y were all directed by Jews.

My quibble here is that much more could have been said about 바카라사이트se iconic films, utilising newer scholarship (바카라사이트 section on The Shining is far too reliant on one dated source). And while Crim discusses Franklin J. Schaffner¡¯s The Boys from Brazil (1978), 바카라사이트 subtextual allusions in his earlier science fiction (and horror) film Planet of 바카라사이트 Apes (1968) would also have provided some suggestive material. The discussion of Jews and Judaism is also at times unbalanced and could have been productively mined in more detail.

Nathan Abrams is professor in film at Bangor University and author of Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual (2018) and, with Robert Kolker, Eyes Wide Shut: Stanley Kubrick and 바카라사이트 Making of His Final Film (2019).

Planet Auschwitz: Holocaust Representation in Science Fiction and Horror Film and Television
By Brian E. Crim
Rutgers University Press
280pp, ?109.00 and ?30.50
ISBN 9781978801615 and 9781978801608
Published 15 May 2020