Gothic Imaginings

From its earliest associations with destruction, violence, darkness, and despair (meanings that persist to this day), the “Gothic” has been a very flexible term imbued with multiple connotations. While for many the term evokes images of the Romantic sublime, melancholic decay, and decadence, for others it connotes a subcultural sartorial style grounded in dark colors (black, red), theatrical accents (French cuffs, lace trimming) and pallid complexions enhanced by dark eyeliner and lipstick. In this exciting roundtable on Gothic sensibilities in film and popular culture, critics James L. Neibaur, Jay McRoy, and Josef Benson explore the influence of the Gothic on early cinema, contemporary Japanese horror film, and the cultural discourses surrounding notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.