Yale University Library News

Terror on Tape: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the History of Horror on Video

April 21, 2016

From May 6-7, the Yale University Library will be hosting a symposium on the history of horror on video tape. It will investigate connections between the emergence of the prerecorded video industry and the development of the horror and exploitation genres and will offer a space to discuss the kinds of work that the newly acquired Yale VHS Horror and Exploitation Collection might facilitate. There are various events over the course of the symposium, as follows:

Friday, May 6, 7:30 pm in the Whitney Humanities Center Auditorium.
A keynote address, reception, and VHS screening of "Tales from the Quadead Zone". The keynote speaker will be Caetlin Benson-Allott, University of Oklahoma.

Saturday, May 7, 10:00 am-5:00 pm in Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall.
A discussion with a wide range of panelists: Harry Benshoff, University of North Texas; Kinitra Brooks, University of Texas, San Antonio; David Church, independent scholar; Kirsty Dootson, Yale University; Nicholas Forster, Yale University; David Gary, Yale University Library; Daniel Herbert, University of Michigan; Aaron Pratt, Trinity University; and Frederick Wasser, CUNY-Brooklyn College.

Saturday, May 7, 9:00 pm, Lyric Hall Auditorium, 827 Whalley Avenue.
A VHS screening of "Truth or Dare: A Critical Madness".

Details and locations of all the events can be found on the Yale Library calendar here. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact david.gary@yale.edu.

The symposium is sponsored by the following organizations: Department of African American Studies; Department of the History of Art; Film & Media Studies; Films at Whitney, supported by the Barbakow Fund for Innovate Film Programs at Yale; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Studies at Yale; Lyric Hall; Massacre Video; Tim Ritter; Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Yale; Yale College; Yale Film Study Center; Yale Graduate School Dean’s Fund; Yale Program in the History of the Book; and Yale University Library.