Although Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman wanted his show to be educational and avoid so-called “bug-eyed monsters,” the popularity of the Daleks in the second serial ensured that it would be better known for scaring kids into hiding behind the sofa. Adaptable as the science-fiction program is to fit a variety of other genres (e.g. the Western, screwball comedy, romance, period drama), horror dominates its cultural memory and ongoing practice. While there have been some critical essays over the years examining this aspect of the show, no book has been devoted to a more sustained examination of the generic work of horror in Doctor Who. This edited collection will remedy that absence.
More specifically, this book will serve as a thoughtful examination of the ways Doctor Who operates in the horror genre, in its complication of generic definitions, its ideological work, and its relation to fandom. Emerging and advanced scholars are invited to submit chapters exploring broadly an aspect of horror in classic and/or modern Doctor Who, as well as in-depth examinations of particular episodes. I am especially interested in having the following subtopics and/or episodes represented within the collection but welcome submissions on other matters as well:
Body horror
Fear of technology
Fan experience (hiding behind the sofa, etc.)
Folk horror
Possession stories
Gothic horror
Ecohorror
The monstrous feminine
Vampires, werewolves, mummies
Zombies
Recurring monsters (Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, etc.)
Pastiches of classic horror films
Influence on the horror film tradition
Alien invasion narratives
The Terrible Child
“Terror of the Autons”
“The Daemons”
“The Green Death”
“The Ark in Space”
“Pyramids of Mars”
“The Seeds of Doom”
“The Robots of Death”
“The Talons of Weng-Chiang”
“Horror of Fang Rock”
“Kinda”/“Snakedance”
“Ghost Light”
“Blink”
“Midnight”
“Night Terrors”
“The God Complex”
“Listen”
“Mummy on the Orient Express”
“Heaven Sent”
“Oxygen”
“The Haunting of Villa Diodati”
Please submit abstracts of approximately 500 words along with a brief bio to Robert F. Kilker at kilker@kutztown.edu by January 4, 2021. Articles will be limited to 6,000 words (this includes notes and bibliography).
Our proposed timeline reflects our desire to move quickly on this project:
Abstracts due: January 4, 2021
Articles due: May 28, 2021
Edited articles due: October 15, 2021
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (kilker@kutztown.edu).
