Blood Circuits: Contemporary Argentine Horror Cinema
In the past twenty years, Argentina—always a major producer of film in Latin America—has emerged as a notable producer of horror films. In Blood Circuits, Jonathan Risner focuses on contemporary Argentine horror cinema and the various “cinematic pleasures” it offers national and transnational audiences. He groups his examination of the horror phenomenon according to various criteria: neoliberalism and urban, rural, and suburban spaces; English-language horror films; gore and affect in punk/ horror films; and the legacies of the last dictatorship (1976–1983). While keenly aware of global horror trends, Risner argues that these films provide unprecedented ways of engaging with the consequences of authoritarianism and neoliberalism in Argentina.
Jonathan Risner is Associate Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, where he specializes in Latin America and film. In addition to Blood Circuits, he has published many articles.