Introducing the Devil's Advocates Horror Series

Liverpool University Press's acclaimed Devil's Advocates series is an ever-growing collection of books devoted to exploring the classics of horror cinema, old and new. Contributors to the series come from the fields of academia, journalism and fiction, but all have one thing in common: a passion for the horror film and a desire to share it with the widest possible audience.

The lovely people over at Liverpool University Press have kindly offered symposium attendees the chance to receive 30% discount on any of their Devil's Advocates titles by entering the code AUTEUR30 at the checkout.

There are a range of highlights to be found here, not least Doris V. Sutherland's volume on The Mummy or, indeed, conference organizer Eddie Falvey's volume on Re-Animator, which includes sections on Frankensteinian legacies. Other recent volumes include: The Conjuring by Kevin Wetmore Jr.; The Evil Dead by Lloyd Haynes; Cape Fear by Rob Daniel; Prevenge by Andrew Graves; Scrooge by Colin Fleming; Possession by Alison Taylor; and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night by Farshid Kazemi.

Click on the button below to explore the full range of titles and don't forget that the 30% discounts applies to all of them!

Click HERE to explore the full collection of titles available on this series

The Mummy by Doris V. Sutherland

Released in 1932, The Mummy moved Universal horror away from the Gothic Europe of Dracula and Frankenstein and into a land of deserts, pyramids, and long-lost tombs. In doing so the film continued a tradition of horror fiction that is almost as old as the Western pursuit of Egyptology, as numerous European and American authors from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had portrayed Egypt as a place of mystery and magic. This book examines the roots of The Mummy. It shows how the film shares many of its motifs with the work of writers such as Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H. Rider Haggard, whose tales of living mummies, immortal sorcerers, and Egyptian mysticism bear strong resemblances to Universal’s movie. In addition, the book discusses how The Mummy drew upon a contemporary vogue for all things ancient Egyptian: the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered the decade before the film was released, prompting sensationalistic rumors of a curse. This is the story of what happened when Hollywood horror went to Egypt.

'This monograph serves as an excellent starting point for those wishing to research this film... As well as more general issues such as the ghost/horror genre, representations of imperialism, sexism and xenophobia... The clear structure and concise language make it accessible to the casual reader as well as the academic researcher.'

Tina Stockman, Media Education Journal

Author Information

Doris V. Sutherland is a UK-based author who frequently writes on the subjects of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. She has contributed articles to Amazing Stories, Women Write About Comics, Ms En Scene, and Belladonna, and her fiction includes the comic book Midnight Widows and Doctor Who tie-in material for Big Finish.

Re-Animator by Eddie Falvey

Since its release at the mid-point of the 1980s American horror boom, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator (1985) has endured as one of the most beloved cult horror films of that era. Greeted by enthusiastic early reviews, Re-Animator has maintained a spot at the periphery of the classic horror film canon. While Re-Animator has not entirely gone without critical attention, it has often been overshadowed in horror studies by more familiar titles from the period. Eddie Falvey’s book, which represents the first book-length study of Re-Animator, repositions it as one of the most significant American horror films of its era.

For Falvey, Re-Animator sits at the intersection of various developments that were taking place within the context of 1980s American horror production. He uses Re-Animator to explore the rise and fall of Charles Band’s Empire Pictures, the revival of the mad science sub-genre, the emergent popularity of both gore aesthetics and horror-comedies, as well as a new appetite for the works of H.P. Lovecraft in adaptation. Falvey also tracks the film's legacies, observing not only how Re-Animator’s success gave rise to a new Lovecraftian cycle fronted by Stuart Gordon, but also how its cult status has continued to grow, marked by sequels, spin-offs, parodies and re-releases. As such, Falvey's book promises to be a book both about Re-Animator itself and about the various contexts that birthed it and continue to reflect its influence.

'The contextual analysis of Re-Animator in this typically thoughtful Devil’s Advocates study examines it as a pivotal product of the briefly thriving Empire Pictures... Falvey’s analysis hits just the right tone of affection, with pleasing incidental detail.'

Steven West, FrightFest

'Re-animator is fertile ground for thinking about the role of horror cinema in America, both aesthetically and sociologically, and even politically. That's what Eddie Falvey does with the film in the latest monograph from the Devil's advocates series... The thoroughness of his account is exemplified by the bibliography, which is a great place to start for those who want a deep dive into the significant changes in horror films from the mid -80's to the present.'

Douglas Holm, KBOO

Author Information

Eddie Falvey completed his AHRC-funded PhD on the early films of New York at the University of Exeter, research that serves as the basis of a forthcoming monograph from University of Amsterdam Press. Falvey is co-editor of New Blood: Critical Approaches to Contemporary Horror (co-edited with Joe Hickinbottom and Jonathan Wroot) and has published widely on film and associated media. Falvey currently lectures in the School of Arts and Media at Plymouth College of Art.

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