As our learning guide is aimed at students and anyone interested in exploring horror movies as social commentary, we wanted to provide reliable, accessible resources without overwhelming readers with overly technical film theory. Our goal was to include a mix of scholarly and general sources that introduce the topic while encouraging further exploration.
Our search strategy began with “horror movies” and “social commentary” as our core concepts. We then expanded our searches using related terms and specific social issues. Below are some of the keywords we used:
- horror films
- horror movies
- social commentary
- horror trends
- society
- symbolism
- race
- gender
- politics/political
- culture
- psychology
Some of the search strings we used included:
- (horror OR horror films) AND social commentary
- “horror movi*” AND soci
- horror movies AND film criticism
- horror films AND (race OR gender OR class)
- horror movies AND symbolism
- horror films AND society
- “horror movies as social commentary”
- “how horror reflects society”
We searched the Langara Library catalogue and databases such as Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, and Film and Television Literature Index to locate books and scholarly articles. Searching by subject headings and applying filters such as peer-reviewed articles and publication date helped us find reliable academic sources relevant to our topic.
For websites, videos, and podcasts, we used Google and YouTube to find reputable film critics, educational channels, and organizations that discuss horror films from historical, cultural, and social perspectives. Each resource included in this guide was reviewed to ensure it was accurate, relevant, and appropriate for our intended audience.