Norwegian Nightmares - (Traditions in World Cinema) by Christer Bakke Andresen (Paperback)

About the Book

Offers the first book-length study of Norwegian horror cinema

Book Synopsis

Since the early 2000s, Norway has produced a regular stream of horror cinema including Cold Prey, Troll Hunter, Thelma and The Innocents. Norwegian Nightmares investigates the origins of this horror wave and charts its unique characteristics in relation to the chiefly American influences that inspired it. Norwegian nature and wilderness, in particular an obsession with dark and deadly water, give shape and national identity to Norway's tradition of horror cinema. Andresen studies the cinematic journey to the dark side of a wealthy, ostensibly peaceful and harmonious social democracy on the fringes of the Arctic.

Review Quotes

Norway. A fabled land of natural beauty and easy affluence... and, for the past two decades, a hotbed of cinematic horror. In this informative and thought-provoking book, Christer Bakke Andresen deftly explains how and why Norwegian cinematic nature suddenly burst alive with zombies, giant trolls, and deranged killers.--Mathias Clasen, Aarhus University

Norwegian Nightmares offers a compelling account of a distinctive Norwegian take on cinematic horror. Norwegian nature and the decline of the welfare state are central to the fine-grained picture Andresen paints of this thriving genre. Any reader with an interest in Nordic Noir will want to read this truly intriguing book.--Mette Hjort, University of Lincoln

About the Author

Christer Bakke Andresen is Associate Professor of Film Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He wrote his PhD thesis on the emergence and hallmarks of the horror cinema of Norway in the post-2000 era. Andresen's research interests include genre cinema, the aesthetics of horror, the concept of style in film and series, and the spectator's emotional engagement with fiction.